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
Yahoo
29 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Goals galore in third instalment of Stanley Cup Final
Defending champions Florida capitalised on Edmonton's worst performance in weeks to thrash the Oilers in Game 3 for a 2-1 lead in the Stanley Cup Final. Brad Marchand and Sam Bennett scored again, Sam Reinhart and Carter Verhaeghe each got their first goal in the series as the Panthers registered a 6-1 rout on Monday night. THE PANTHERS TAKE THE SERIES LEAD!! 😼 Catch Game 4 of the #StanleyCup Final between the @EdmontonOilers and @FlaPanthers Thursday, June 12 at 8p ET on @NHL_On_TNT, @SportsonMax, @Sportsnet, and @TVASports! — NHL (@NHL) June 10, 2025 Marchand became the oldest player to score in each of the first three games of a final and the first to open the scoring the next time out after notching an overtime winner. His 11 goals in the final are the most among active players, one more than similarly ageless Corey Perry. Bennett added his NHL playoff-leading 14th goal, just the second at home, after making a big hit on Edmonton's Vasily Podkolzin that contributed to the turnover to spring him on a breakaway. Marchand and Bennett have combined to score eight of Florida's 13 goals in the series. But it was not just them this time. Verhaeghe buried a perfect shot into the net under the cross bar on the power play, Reinhart made up for missing the net on an earlier attempt, Aaron Ekblad scored to chase Stuart Skinner on the fifth goal on 23 shots and Evan Rodrigues added the exclamation point in the waning minutes. At the other end of the ice, Sergei Bobrovsky earned the "Bobby! Bobby!" chants from a fired up South Florida crowd. The two-time Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender known as "Bob" was on his game for the very few quality chances the disjointed Oilers mustered, making 32 saves. Perry - at 40 the oldest player in the series - beat Bobrovsky with some silky hands for a power-play goal, keeping up this final being a showcase of cagey veterans along with Marchand. Connor McDavid could not get his team on track, and Edmonton took 15 minors - led by Evander Kane's three plus a misconduct to add up to 85 penalty minutes - including a brawl that ensued with less than 10 minutes left. Trent Frederic and Darnell Nurse, who fought Jonah Gadjovich, got misconducts that knocked them out of a game with an outcome determined long before. After the final looked as evenly matched as can be with Games 1 and 2 each needing extra time, overtime and then double OT, Game 3 was a lopsided mismatch. The Oilers came unglued to the point Jake Walman resorted to squirting water on Panthers players on their bench from his spot on the visiting side. The teams have some extra time off before Game 4 on Thursday night, when the Panthers have the chance to take a 3-1 lead and move to the verge of going back to back.
New York Post
an hour ago
- New York Post
Gary Bettman chides Paul Bissonnette over ‘ridiculous' NHL state tax concern
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman chided Paul Bissonnette's 'ridiculous' concern over the believed advantage Florida hockey teams have due to the lack of income tax in the state. Bissonnette, who played in the NHL and minor league hockey before launching his media career, had previously expressed the concern following the Panthers' Eastern Conference Final series-clinching victory over the Hurricanes on TNT. TNT hockey analyst Anson Carter pushed back almost immediately when Bissonnette brought it up, and Bettman was forceful in his dismissal of it when he broached the subject on Monday night. Advertisement Gary Bettman is pictured during the TNT broadcast on June 9. Screengrab via X/@awfulannouncing 'When the Florida teams weren't good, which was for about 17 years, OK, nobody said anything about it,' Bettman said before puck drop on Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Panthers and Oilers. 'For those of you that played, were you sitting there with a tax table? No, you wanted to go to a good organization in a place you wanted to live where you wanted to raise your kids and send them to school. You wanted to play in a first-class arena with a first-class training facility with an owner, an organization, a GM and a coach that you were comfortable with. 'And you wanted to have good teammates so you would have a shot at winning. That's what motivates. Could it be a little bit of a factor if everything else were equal? I suppose, but that's not it. By the way, state taxes high in Los Angeles, high in New York. What are we going to do, subsidize those teams?' Advertisement Paul Bissonnette is pictured June 9. Getty Images While Bettman seemed to slam dunk on Bissonnette during the segment, the hockey analyst took it in stride and even chimed in on social media with a post on X in response to a clip of the segment. 'Get the people talking. Look at that engagement. Throwing Gary softballs,' Bissonnette wrote on X.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Oilers' Connor McDavid, Kris Knoblauch Turn Heads With Mattias Ekholm Comments
Oilers' Connor McDavid, Kris Knoblauch Turn Heads With Mattias Ekholm Comments originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Edmonton Oilers edged out the Florida Panthers in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, grabbing an early series lead. Despite going down 3-1 in the game, Edmonton continued to fight back and eventually tied the game on a goal from defenseman Mattias Ekholm. Advertisement Ekholm has been great for the Oilers since he returned from injury in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final against the Dallas Stars. But his performance in Game 1 against Florida came at the perfect time. Oilers head coach Kris Knoblauch discussed the impact of his defender and what he has meant to the team. 'We're very fortunate that we were playing long enough that he had the opportunity to come back,' Knoblauch said. 'Obviously when he's healthy, we welcome him with open arms.' Edmonton Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm (14) reacts after scoring a goal against the Florida Panthers in the third period in game one of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final at Rogers Place. Perry Nelson-Imagn Images The teammates of Ekholm also credited him for getting the win, giving more insight into what he brings to the team. Star Connor McDavid weighed in on it all. Advertisement 'It's massive to have him back, not only what he does on the ice but also off the ice,' McDavid said. 'He's a big-time leader in that room and it's impressive for him to step in at the most difficult time of the year after missing time. You can't give him enough credit for how hard he's worked to put himself in this position and the medical staff to get him back. It's been a full-team effort to get him back here to this point. It was a big goal obviously, but I thought he played great overall.' Ekholm was solid for the Oilers during the regular season, posting nine goals and 24 assists over 65 games. But the veteran now has a chance to help the Oilers hoist the Stanley Cup for the first time since the 1989-90 season. If Ekholm can continue to play at this level, the Oilers will be very tough to beat. Game 2 between Edmonton and Florida is scheduled for Friday, June 6, at 8 p.m. ET. Related: Maple Leafs Predicted to Trade For Predators All-Star in Offseason Move Related: Surprising NHL Team Expected to Be 'Major' Players in Free Agency This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 5, 2025, where it first appeared.
