Filip Forsberg: Nashville Predators’ Studs and Duds
Filip Forsberg is my choice this week for Tenn Truth’s Nashville Predators’ Stud of the Week! Forsberg leads all rookies this year in goals, power-play goals, assists, and points!
No, we haven’t been picking a stud of the week, but I thought I’d start a new feature here on Tenn Truth, where I’ll pick a stud of the week, as well as picking a dud of the week if the skate fits!
As far as being a hockey stud, the skate certainly fits well on Filip Forsberg this year. As I alluded to, Forsberg leads all rookies in the NHL with eight goals, five goals on power-play (which is one of the Predators’ weaknesses as a team), 12 assists, and a whopping 20 points!
If you follow hockey, you already knew that Filip Forsberg was a talented young player, but I’m not sure any fans expected this level of play from the young rookie.
Fans were more excited that the Predators acquired James Neal, but Forsberg has stepped up, played exceptional hockey, and has made James Neal even better!
Some Background
Over a four year span from 2008 to 2011, the Ostervala Sweden native played for the Leksand Organization’s J-18 and U-16 teams until 2010, and then for the J-20 SuperElite league in 2010-11.
In just eight games with U-16, Forsberg scored an impressive 13 goals combined with 4 assists for a nice 17 point, 8 game stretch for the young player. With J-18, Forsberg combined 12 goals with 9 assists for 21 points.
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In 2009-10, Forsberg didn’t miss a beat with J-18, scoring 21 goals in 31 games, with an additional 16 assists added to his growing resume’.
Then in 2010-11, Forsberg made the J-20 team in the SuperElite league and scored 21 goals with 19 assists.
Filip also played in the 2011 World Junior Championship and scored 4 goals and 2 assists in a silver medal winning effort.
There is of course much more to his successful amateur career, but that kind of play established Forsberg’s hockey pedigree. So in 2012, Forsberg entered the NHL Draft and was a 1st round (11th overall) pick of the Washington Capitals.
He would see limited playing time with the Capitals, be traded to the Nashville Predators shortly thereafter, and initially saw little playing time with Nashville either. That all changed this year when Peter Laviolette took the reins of this Nashville team and saw Forsberg’s talent.
If you’re a Predators’ fan, need I say more? Probably not, but let’s take a look at the young rookie’s skill-set.
Forsberg’s Skill-Set
The 20 year old Filip Forsberg is not very big at 6 foot 1 inch, and just shy of 190 pounds, but he packs a ton of raw talent into that diminutive frame (at least diminutive for the NHL).
His strengths are obvious….
Good on both ends of the ice, with prowess both offensively and defensively
Well aware of his deficits, and has practically erased them with hard work!
Has a quick shot and an accurate release
Intelligent, with great hockey sense.
Great creativity and puck skills
Skates very well!
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Filip may be just a mere rookie, but he’s playing like a seasoned veteran, and leads the Predators in scoring with 8 goals and 12 assists. That’s good for sixth best in the NHL
Additonally, as Maren Angus of The Tennessean points out, Forsberg leads all NHL rookies in the plus/minus rating, and even leads the entire NHL with plus 19! That simply means that Forsberg gets a ton of ice time, and is a positive factor in all situations!
Forsberg is as humble as he is talented. According to Angus, when asked about his amazing plus/minus rating, he said..
"Obviously all the stats are basically just numbers. But that’s a good thing to be plus because that means you have been on the ice for a lot of goals for the team."
Final Truth
It remains to be seen whether the 20 year old rookie will win the Calder Memorial Trophy, which is essentially the NHL’s Rookie Of The Year award. He has tough competition in players like Aaron Ekblad of the Florida Panthers, Tanner Pearson of the Los Angeles Kings, and especially Jonathan Drouin of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Whether Forsberg can sustain that kind of amazing play he’s put out is another question. With all his strengths, probably his only weakness is that he needs to build his strength and size to bear up against the rigors of playing everyday in the NHL.
If he can, I like Forsberg’s chances of not only winning the Calder Trophy, but also being instrumental in helping the already successful Predators achieve even higher levels.
Filip Forsberg, you are Tenn Truth’s first official Nashville Predators’ Stud Of The Week! It’s well deserved!