Linus Soderstrom
Birthday: 1996-08-23 | Position: G |
Eligible for draft: 2014 | Catches: Left |
Drafted: 2014 | Height: 6-3 |
Acquired: 4th round (95th overall), 2014 | Weight: 187 lbs. |
Probability of Success
- D
History
2010-11: Linus Soderstrom played for the second division club Varmdo HC in Sweden; skating with the club’s U18 and U16 teams.
2011-12: Soderstrom joined Djurgardens — playing for the club’s U18 and U16 teams — and played for the bronze medal-winning Stockholm 1 team in the 2012 TV-Pucken tournament for high school players. In three games with Djurgardens U18 he had a 1.33 goals against and .895 save percentage. Soderstrom played eight games for the Djurgardens U16 team and had a 1.13 goals against and .895 save percentage. He allowed two goals in two playoff games as Djurgardens defeated Sodertalje and Frolunda to win the U16 championship. In four games in the TV-Pucken tournament he had a 2.28 goals against and .916 save percentage.
2012-13: Soderstrom was the top goalie in the South Division of Sweden’s U18 league playing for Djurgardens and appeared in two international games with Sweden’s U17 team. After posting a 1.57 goals against and .906 save percentage in seven qualifying games he was 8-3 with two shutouts and had a 1.90 goals against and .933 save percentage during the regular season. Soderstrom was 6-3 in nine playoff games and had a 2.26 goals against and .936 save percentage. Djurgardens finished fourth (losing in the bronze medal game). In two games for Sweden’s U17 team he had a 3.52 goals against and .870 save percentage.
2013-14: Soderstrom played for Sweden’s U18 team in both the 2013 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament in August and the 2014 World Juniors at the end of the year and played for the Djurgardens U20 team in the SuperElit league. Sharing time with Richard Mutze with Djurgardens, he had a 2.61 goals against and .915 save percentage in 23 games. Soderstrom appeared in one playoff game as 20-year-old Tobias Sandberg started the first three games. He stopped 45 of 49 shots in a 4-1 loss as Farjestads eliminated Djurgardens. Soderstrom had a 2.29 goals against and .916 save percentage in three games at the Ivan Hlinka tournament and played in six games for Sweden at the World Juniors. He was 2-3 with one shutout and had a 2.33 goals against and .899 save percentage. Sweden finished fourth; losing 3-1 to Canada in the bronze medal game. Soderstrom stopped 23 of 26 shots in that game. Ranked third amongst international goaltenders in the Central Scouting final rankings he was selected by the Islanders in the fourth round (95th overall) in the 2014 NHL Draft.
2014-15: Soderstrom appeared in five games in Sweden’s second men’s league AllSvenskan on loan from Djurgarden and was the starting goalie for the Sweden U20 team at the 2015 World Junior Championship. He split time with Robin Jensen for the Djurgarden U20 team in SuperElit play. Soderstrom was 1-3 in four games with Sodertalje and allowed three goals in a loss for Almtuna; finishing with a 2.61 goals against and .903 save percentage in five AllSvenskan games. He was 5-2 in seven games at the WJC for Sweden, posting a 2.31 goals against and .916 save percentage. Sweden finished fourth, falling 4-2 to Slovakia in the bronze medal game. Soderstrom was 10-4 with a 2.90 goals against and .906 save percentage in 14 junior games for Djurgarden.
Talent Analysis
Soderstrom has good size and is technically sound in the crease. He is considered a project and will need time to develop but his skill set suggests he has the potential to be an elite goalie one day.
Future
Soderstrom is back in Sweden after spending part of the summer in New York — both at the Islanders' prospect camp and with the Sweden U20 team at the evaluation camp in Lake Placid. He has played well when called up on to back up veteran Axel Brage with HC Vita Hasten in AllSvenskan in 2015-16 and was in net for Sweden's U20 team during the World Junior Championship. Soderstrom is on track in terms of his long-term development and his progress to this point suggests he could be an NHL starter one day.