Wearing his emotions on his sleeve, and with some deep sighs, Rögle’s coach Cam Abbott crosses the floor to were I stand. His team has just been eliminated from the playoffs. Rögle used to be a team on the cusp of relegation, but Mr. Abbbott has transformed the club (together with his twin brother Chris) into a team with a different ambition, He lost in the SHL Final last year, but winning the Champions Hockey League showcases that the new goal is to win. Crashing out in the quarter-finals after having placed ninth during the regular season isn’t good enough in Cam Abbott’s view.
One of the bright spots this season, a season filled with injuries, has been Montreal Canadiens prospect Adam Engström. A player chosen in the third round, at number 92, usually takes some time before making an impression in the professional ranks. The defenceman proved everyone wrong and found another level in the playoffs, where he was used in all situations and proved that he could play more minutes with a bigger responsibility at that level.
Adam Engström gets the puck deep in his own end and skates it up the ice. Very impressed how calm he is and waits for the support to arrive, rather than go on towards the net himself. pic.twitter.com/HVTU1DSEX8
— Patrik Bexell (@Zeb_Habs) March 24, 2023
What was it that turned Engström into such a player in the playoffs, a player whom the opposing coach highlighted after the series win? Was it Engström’s growth in development, a confidence boost because Mr. Abbott played him more?
“It’s a combination. I think he’s found a way to play with that swagger and confidence that he needs to play with, that he should play with,” Coach Abbott says. “We want to make sure that he has the room to play his game because it obviously is a little bit more … not high-risk, but just a little bit more freestyle with the puck.”
While Engström plays with flair, or freestyles as Abbott says, it is a more controlled, more risk-aware style than for example Mattias Norlinder, a player who many in North American compare him to, Norlinder didn’t play in the SHL at 19, and he was not used in defensive special teams.
“He brings a lot of positive attributes in his game and how he transports the puck with the skating [he has] and he’s been very threatening offensively the last number nine games in the playoffs, even before that,” Abbott continues. “I’ll be honest, I’d love to see young guys continue to improve their game, but not just in the flashy areas offensively. He’s been pretty solid for us defensively. A lot of buy in there, and I’m sure the people that are going to be working with him later on will say the same thing; that they want a complete player, a guy that can defend.
“I still think there’s a lot of room to get better, but also, I want to win, and so I’m not about … if it doesn’t match with us winning hockey games then it’s not going to fly. I think Adam’s done a good job to find that balance because, sometimes you got to give up a little bit of yourself to play on a winning team and he’s done a good job finding that balance, especially defending — defending hard.”
“I think he’s found a way to play with that swagger and confidence that he needs to play with, that he should play with.”
Mr Abbott increased Engström’s usage all through the playoffs. The blue-liner had been getting defensive-zone starts, used on the penalty kill, and even as one of the defenders on a three-on-five situation. How would Abbott describe Engström’s defensive side of the game?
“I think it’s improved. He’s improved and he’ll continue to improve. I think he’s probably looking to put on some strength, some pounds up top and to be a very dependable defenceman off the puck as well. You got to be physically able to handle some pretty big men as it gets smaller on that side of the Atlantic.
“It’s probably even more important to work on the small angles and details to get stick positioning and how you’d eliminate guys’ ability to make good plays with the puck against you. So, yeah, he’s a work in progress.
“He does bring the right attitude, and he’s willing to put the work in. When you have those two things, you think ‘the sky can be the limit for him, if he stays humble and keeps working.'”
With the Brothers Abbott coming to the fold, focus has shifted from a club that you take promising prospects from like Timothy Liljegren and Rasmus Sandin, to an organization where you want to go for development. That has recently included players like Moritz Seider, Marco Kasper, and William Wallinder. Engström is certainly in good hands, and with Wallinder leaving it does open up a spot higher up in the roster.
“I think we are a good development club. I certainly enjoy and pride myself working with young guys, and seeing them get better. It’s not just for them either. It’s helping us win hockey games and doing a great job at it, too. This is not like it’s not a league where you get too much for free. The guys got to do it the right way, and Adam’s been buying into that, I know Adam plays hard for his teammates.”
Engström’s season didn’t finish with the quarter-final loss to Skellefteå AIK. He quickly changed gears and suited up for Rögle’s U20 team, which is playing the quarter-finals in their playoffs. Rögle won the first game 4-2, and Engström will hopefully extend his season with a deep playoff run in a league everyone expected him to play the full season in. Not a bad season for a third-round pick.
