Adam Engström had a very successful 2022-23 season, one that elevated him to prominence in Sweden and across the Atlantic. Heading into 2023-24, expectations were high for both player and club, with Rögle BK looking to bounce back from a ninth place regular-season finish. Despite loading up with a substantial number of established talents, the 2023-24 season opened in a disastrous manner for the Ängelholm side. Some of the worst “puck luck” in the SHL, a power play that couldn’t hit a barn while standing inside of it, and injury troubles combined to place Rögle in 11th place out of 14 teams by December. Mid-month, Chris and Cam Abbott departed their positions as general manager and head coach, respectively.
In hindsight, both current and former staff have acknowledged that many things could have been done differently during that first half of the season. Not only was the blue line beset by injury, but the team also stalled their decision-making, waiting for Lian Bichsel to be released by the Dallas Stars organization (which eventually happened on December 4).
In the meantime, Engström, despite having an established partner in Brandon Davidson, was paired with Michael Kapla, Valtteri Viljanen, and Thomas Grégoire, due to Davidson’s injury problems. Of the three, only Kapla would see regular post-season ice time. More than that, all three players were of the same mould as Engström, sharing the same strengths and suffering from the same weaknesses. This led to breakdowns, mistakes, and communication issues.
The silver lining is that this situation forced Engström to work on his defensive acumen, something that would be critical for him to be a future NHL defenceman. While his offensive output suffered, his work in front of the net, gap control, and physical play all improved. However, the assertiveness in the offensive zone that was so evident last year was missing for much of this one. Some of that is likely due to his change in role, but I also wonder if a loss of confidence stemming from early-season struggles contributed as well. Engström, much like Taylor Swift, is at his best when he can perform and play to his strengths.
The end result, perhaps to be expected for a player trading offence for defence, was middling. Engström outperformed his team in the regular season with a -10 goal differential versus the club’s -16, but lagged behind in the playoffs as Rögle rode a hot streak all the way to the final (-3 versus +13). Yes, the sophomore defenceman faced tough matchups, but still needs to be generally better in the defensive zone when it comes to reads and decision-making.
That said, the only thing that he shares with Mattias Norlinder is position and nationality. Engström has played at a higher level than Norlinder at the same age, has played on a better team, and, even as a work in progress, shows more defensively than Norlinder ever did.
Strengths
When watching Engström live for the first time, the main thing that stands out is his skating. He has great lower-body strength, using it to generate a powerful stride and play dynamic hockey. He can turn opponents inside out with twists and turns.
Offensively, Engström reads the game well. He is very much a prototypical modern defenceman, a player who can join the cycle, be part of a play’s build-up, or serve as the target man at the end. His shot, while not always pacey, is often well-placed. His transitional play is strong, anchored by his strong skating, solid IQ, and excellent puck-handling abilities, and benefits the team when it comes to zone entries at both five-on-five and on the power play. It remains to be seen whether the narrower North American ice surface might impact this.
Skating and hockey sense are also important for Engström defensively, as he can skate backward almost as quickly as forward. His reach and stick-work has also improved, especially when it comes to neutralizing opponents’ stick blades with his own.
Weaknesses
Engström set out at the start of the season to get better defensively. While he’s been successful in doing this, he is far from a shutdown defenceman and will need to further improve here to become an NHL player. His board play has improved, something that benefited him during the playoffs when more lenient officiating permitted more physicality and “interference.” However, concentration lapses remain an issue. Rögle wanted to exit the zone with control and speed during the post-season, but this led to several occasions where Engström, holding the puck along the boards, threw it into the middle of the ice and turned it over to the opposition.
Grade: B-
Last year, grading Engström was simple: he was good while his team wasn’t. This year, the team finished in the same place during the regular season but caught fire in the post-season, while he improved defensively at the cost of his offensive production. The main thing is that while his role changed when roster turnover and injuries took a toll in the first half, he also didn’t force himself back into his preferred offensive role when the likes of Grégoire and Viljanen were cast aside.
Credit: NLIceData
Interestingly the data above points out that Engström’s offence is at the same plateau as previous years. He is hovering around 20 points in expected NHL points per season; be it in the U20, SHL last year or SHL this year, the number stays the same. For a blue-liner that thrives on the offensive opportunities in the game, one would have expected numbers to trend upward.
However, his part of the win share has increased, partly due to Rögle’s lack of goal scoring, and partly due to his defensive play getting better, according to NLIceData’s model, as well as the eye test. This is what to focus on this past season. His overall play has gotten better. He is stronger defensively, he is stronger physically, and these are things that should benefit his long-term success/usage.
Engström signed his entry-level contract with the Montreal Canadiens on May 3, and will now have to adjust to a smaller ice surface and faster-paced game. To be honest, this might be one year too early for him to head across the ocean. Despite his improvements, he didn’t manage to assume the first-pairing role that looked like it could be his at the end of 2022-23. The upcoming season could be a tough year for him, and will likely see him playing on the second or third pairing with the Laval Rocket.
With this in mind, there could be an option to loan him back to Sweden, and the greater control Montreal would gain on his development could be used to make a team play him higher up in the lineup. Much in the same way as the Bichsel situation, where Montreal loans Engström back to the SHL early/mid-season in order to get the best possible development.
Nathan Ni contributed to this article.
