Victor Soderstrom Wins Borje Salming Trophy As SHL's Top Defenseman
Victor Söderström playing for the Arizona Coyotes in 2023. © Steven Bisig-Imagn Images
Victor Söderström has been named the top defenseman in the Swedish Hockey League for the 2024-25 season. As a result, he has been awarded the Börje Salming Trophy.
In 2019, he was picked 11th overall in the NHL Entry Draft by the Arizona Coyotes but, just five years later, he signed a two-year deal to play with his hometown team, Brynäs Gävle, which has just been promoted back to the SHL. He went on to have a spectacular season, recording 37 points in 49 regular-season games as Brynäs surprisingly finished first.
Advertisement
'I definitely don't regret a thing,' Söderström is quoted on the club's website. 'It's a slightly different path to take because I'm still young and my goal is still very much to make it in the NHL.'
That might happen next season as Söderström, now 24, was traded from Utah HC to the Chicago Blackhawks on the NHL trade deadline, and he indicated at the time that he had been seeking to get his NHL rights moved.
Victor Soderstrom Might Return To NHL After Rights Traded To Chicago: 'We've Been Trying To Arrange It All Season'
Victor Soderstrom Might Return To NHL After Rights Traded To Chicago: 'We've Been Trying To Arrange It All Season' Victor Söderström didn't want to give up on the NHL so early, but it seems that he didn't see a path to that dream running through Salt Lake City. Playing this season for Brynäs IF in the SHL, he learned on Friday – the NHL trade deadline – that his NHL rights had been traded from Utah HC to the Chicago Blackhawks along with the rights to Shea Weber – who hasn't played since 2021 and is essentially retired – in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick.
Advertisement
But first things first, as Brynäs has a semifinal series coming up against Skellefteå AIK starting on Friday. Skellefteå's lineup includes Axel Sandin-Pellikka and Jonathan Pudas, the two previous winners of the award.
'I love coming to the rink every day,' Söderström continued. 'The fact that the pairing with Charles-Édouard D'Astous has worked so well has of course also meant a lot.'
D'Astous, a 26-year-old Canadian who was the top defenseman in the Finnish Liiga last season, outscored Söderström by two points this year and has also apparently drawn interest from NHL teams.
According to the Brynäs website the jury for the award described Soderstrom as:
An elegant player on the ice who has been one of the biggest contributors to newcomer Bynäs' record-breaking season in the SHL. Extremely skilled, and also a top-notch point-scorer as a defenseman. Has formed the league's best defenseman pair during the season with Charles-Édouard D'Astous.
Advertisement
-
The award for best defenseman in Sweden's top league was named after Börje Salming in 2008, the same year the legendary defenseman was named to the IIHF's All-Century Team. Salming died in 2022 from complications related to ALS.
Börje's older brother Stig Salming was present when Söderström received the Salming Trophy. Both Salming brothers were also Brynäs defensemen.
'Börje would have liked this,' Stig Salming was quoted.
Previous winners of the Salming Trophy
2024-25 Victor Söderström, Brynäs
2023-24 Axel Sandin-Pellikka, Skellefteå
2022-23 Jonathan Pudas, Skellefteå
2021-22 Maja Nylén-Persson, Brynäs
2020-21 Nils Lundkvist, Luleå
2019-20 No winner due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2018-19 Erik Gustafsson, Luleå
2017-18 Lawrence Pilut, HV71
2016-17 Henrik Tömmernes, Frölunda
2015-16 Niclas Burström, Skellefteå
2014-15 Tim Heed, Skellefteå
2013-14 Patrik Hersley, Leksand
2012-13 Magnus Nygren, Färjestad
2011-12 Mattias Ekholm, Brynäs
2010-11 David Rundblad, Skellefteå
2009-10 Magnus Johansson, Linköping
2008-09 Markus Ragnarsson, Djurgården
2007-08 Mikko Luoma, HV71
Jari Kurri – 2024 Börje Salming Courage Award Winner – Is A Controversial Figure In His Home Club
Jari Kurri – 2024 Börje Salming Courage Award Winner – Is A Controversial Figure In His Home Club On Saturday afternoon in Tampere, hours before the Dallas Stars and Florida Panthers played the second of two NHL regular-season games in the Finnish city, the NHL Alumni Association made Finnish hockey icon Jari Kurri the second recipient of the Börje Salming Courage Award.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
29 minutes ago
- USA Today
Podcast: Live reaction to Rockets trading for Suns star Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant, a perennial All-Star, former NBA MVP, and future Hall of Famer, will play for the Rockets. Sunday's The Lager Line podcast reacts to Houston's blockbuster trade with Phoenix. The Phoenix Suns are trading superstar forward Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets for Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, the No. 10 pick in the 2025 draft, and five second-round picks, ESPN's Shams Charania reported Sunday. Due to the inclusion of Green, the deal cannot be finalized until July, since it requires waiting until the young guard's elevated 2025-26 salary is on the books. A 6-foot-11 forward, Durant averaged 26.6 points (52.7% FG, 43.0% on 3-pointers), 6.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game last season, and he earned All-Star honors for the 15th time in his Hall of Fame career. The former NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP) turns 37 years old in September, and his current contract runs through next season. The Rockets are coming off a 52-30 season and a No. 2 finish in the Western Conference, and their hope is that the addition of Durant will lift them into title contention next season. With that in mind, Sunday's rapid-reaction episode of The Lager Line (sponsored by Karbach Brewing and hosted by Rockets podcasters Ben DuBose and Paulo Alves) explores all of the deal's key takeaways and future implications. Tune in! More: Rockets trade for Kevin Durant in deal involving Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, draft equity
USA Today
39 minutes ago
- USA Today
After Kevin Durant trade, Jabari Smith Jr. likely to rejoin Houston's starting lineup
With Houston sending out two starters in its Kevin Durant trade, early indications are that Jabari Smith Jr. will return to the starting lineup. With the Rockets sending out two starters (Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks) to Phoenix in the trade bringing in All-Star forward Kevin Durant, Houston suddenly has two open spots in its starting lineup. One, of course, will be filled by the future Hall of Famer. The other could go to Jabari Smith Jr., per Kelly Iko of The Athletic. In a story published Sunday, Iko and Sam Amick wrote: Team sources said there are early indications Smith will likely return to the starting lineup, with Thompson — who originally replaced Smith last season after Smith broke his hand — slotting into Green's vacated starting spot. The Rockets now possess ample length at four starting positions, amplifying the defensive tools head coach Ime Udoka now has at his disposal. As things stand, that would make Houston's probable 2025-26 starting lineup comprised of Fred VanVleet, Thompson, Durant, Smith, and Alperen Sengun. Top reserves include Tari Eason and Steven Adams, with young prospects Reed Sheppard and Cam Whitmore potentially knocking at the door for more minutes, as well. Smith, an Auburn product, will be eligible on July 1 for a contract extension with the Rockets. Drafted at No. 3 overall in the 2022 first round, the 6-foot-11 forward averaged 12.2 points (35.4% on 3-pointers) and 7.0 rebounds during his third NBA season, but he lost his starting role midway through 2024-25 after suffering a broken hand. During that six-week absence, Thompson flourished and never went back to the bench. But now, with Green and Brooks on the way out of Houston's lineup, it's Smith who (along with Durant) is seemingly on the way back in. In addition to net shooting and scoring benefits, Smith and Durant's length could also boost the defense of a Houston squad that is already elite on that end. More: NBA trade reaction: Rockets, Rafael Stone praised for Kevin Durant deal
NBC Sports
an hour ago
- NBC Sports
Orioles catcher Maverick Handley leaves game after collision with Yankees' Jazz Chisholm Jr.
NEW YORK — Baltimore Orioles backup catcher Maverick Handley left Sunday's 4-2 loss to the New York Yankees after being knocked over in a collision at the plate with Jazz Chisholm Jr. 'He got hit pretty hard,' Orioles manager Tony Mansolino was quoted as saying by the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network. 'We haven't seen a collision like that at the plate, probably, since all the new rules came in. So we're evaluating him right now, full body, every part of it. We'll have more information tomorrow. ... We're evaluating everything right now, so nothing official on concussion protocol. There's obviously a chance that that happens. We'll have more information tomorrow on him.' With Baltimore ahead 2-0 in the second, Chisholm hit a two-out double off Dean Kremer and went home on DJ LeMahieu's single to left. Colton Cowser's throw was up the third-base line. Handley moved to his left for the throw, arriving for the ball at the same time as Chisholm, who tried to veer to the inside to avoid contact. Chisholm, whose left cleat had come off as he speeded down the line, caught Handley with his right arm, fell past the plate and had to come back to touch it. Handley, a 27-year-old who debuted in April, got up slowly and was removed after a discussion with Masolino and head athletic trainer Scott Barringer. Baltimore replaced Handley with former Yankees player Gary Sánchez. Baltimore already is without All-Star catcher Adley Rutschman, who strained his left oblique and is on the injured list for the first time in his major league career. After San Francisco All-Star catcher Buster Posey sustained a season-ending leg injury in May 2011, Major League Baseball ahead of the 2014 season adopted a rule preventing catchers from blocking a runner's direct path to the plate without the ball.
