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(GRADED)Deep Dive #1 - From Linköping to Newfoundland
#1
(This post was last modified: 09-23-2022, 09:03 PM by CptSquall. Edited 1 time in total.)

Lying just south of Lake Roxen, Linköping is a Swedish city of just over 100,000 people.

Despite its small size, the city has become increasingly embedded in the fabric of Swedish hockey. The local professional team, Linköping Hockey Club, has established itself as a member of the country’s top flight, the Swedish Hockey League, having maintained its place in the top division since the 2001-02 season. Although the team has yet to win a championship, they have advanced to the finals of the league on several occasions.

Then there are the city’s exports. Players like Gustav Forsling and Jonas Junland, who call the city home, have spent time in North America’s National Hockey League. Younger stars, like Adam Ginning and Filip Bystedt, hope to do so in the future. The player who looks most likely to put Linköping on the international hockey map, though, is currently playing for the Newfoundland Berserkers of the Simulation Major Junior Hockey League: Rasmus Bergling.

The pipeline between Scandinavia and Newfoundland is one well-travelled. Indeed, the Vikings landed in Newfoundland many years ago, when Leif Erikson established L’Anse aux Meadows. In more recent times, however, the Berserkers – who take their name from those Viking explorers – have tapped into Nordic talent to find success on the ice. From former captain Lassi Suhonen of Finland to the more recent Swedish star, Matsmith Soderberg-Tremblay, many northmen have found comfort on the rocky shores of Newfoundland.

Bergling is just the latest. He may be the most impressive yet.

Entering the Season 66 SMJHL Entry Draft, Bergling was a highly-touted prospect. Believing he could be a franchise player and cornerstone of their blue-line, the Berserkers made him their first-round pick, selecting him at thirteenth overall in the draft. Since then, Bergling has exceeded expectations, emerging as not only the team’s most promising young player for its hopeful future, but also as the talisman responsible for the limited short-term success they’ve had during his tenure.

In 66 games played in his rookie season, Bergling amassed 31 points from the blueline – an impressive number for any defender, but doubly so for a rookie on a struggling team. In 11 games thus far in Season 67, Bergling has recorded 7 points, putting him on pace to far exceed his rookie point totals. Bergling has also made strides as a driver of possession, helping the Berserkers take control of the play when he is on the ice with a positive 1.2 CF% Rel in the young season.

Bergling is an imposing presence, standing at 6’2” and 200 lbs. Despite his size, the key to his game is his offensive ability. A masterful puckhandler and passer, Bergling contributes as a member of the attack and can be trusted to lead the rush or quarterback the powerplay. Nevertheless, he plays a well-rounded, 200-foot game, and can be trusted with heavy defensive minutes – and often is, given the imbalance of power in most games the Berserkers have played over the last season.

For these reasons, Bergling was a no-brainer for the Chicago Syndicate in the second round of the Season 67 SHL Entry Draft. In the near future, the Linköping native will make his mark on the Windy City. For now, though, there is much still to be done in Newfoundland.

Something happened on the day he died. Spirit rose a metre and stepped aside.
Somebody else took his place, and bravely cried. I’m a blackstar, I’m a blackstar.

[Image: Wooly.gif]






 a bottomless curse, a bottomless sea, source of all greatness, all things that be.
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#2

Approved, +5 TPE to @teztify

[Image: CptSquall.gif]



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#3

it me!

[Image: NCQjJT2.png]
Berserkers     -       syndicate      -     Berserkers
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