( Photo Credit: NHL.com )

By: Mark Allred | Follow me on Twitter @BlackAndGold277

Last night Boston Bruins prospect Victor Berglund got his first point of the 2021/22 regular season for the Maine Mariners in a 4-3 overtime loss on the road against the Jacksonville IceMen. This was the second appearance of the year for the former seventh-round selection of the B’s in 2017, as he’s on loan from the AHL Providence Bruins on a conditioning stint.

Berglund is coming off a head/neck injury that he sustained at the 2021 Prospects Challenge in Buffalo, New York. Below is the video of his first point when he got the primary assist on Mariner’s forward Pascal Laberges’ seventh goal of the season, which was scored on the man advantage at the 3:05 mark of the second period.

Berglund, a Sweden native, signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Boston Bruins in June of 2020. The 6′-1″ 183-pound defenseman was supposed to make his way over to North America to participate in his rookie year last season, but the pandemic had him and many Europeans staying where they were due to travel restrictions.

Berglund had his best offensive season overseas in the Allsvenskan league, with the MoDo Hockey club posting 10-12-22 numbers in 52 games played. Last season while on loan from the Boston Bruins at the height of the pandemic, Victor saw time in the higher, more competitive Swedish Hockey League with the Lulea HF team appearing in 50 games, posting 4-17-21 numbers.

Scouting Report Per an article on the official Boston Bruins website: Bruins Assistant General Manager Scott Bradley: “Our Swedish guys were on top of him. They think he’s a mobile D. He’s skilled, ultra-skilled, and he skates well. Small. Six-footer, but [European scouts] P.J. [Axelsson] and Sven [Svensson] and Victor [Nybladh], they were pounding the table for him, and we went along with it, and I think we might have something there. Talking to his strength coach after the pick, he’s got him working on putting some muscle and weight on, so we look forward to seeing him, too, at development camp.”

Berglund, when ready to be assigned to the higher Providence Bruins, will add valued depth to an already decent backend core alongside names like Jack Ahcan, Brady Lyle, Nick Wolff, Urho Vaakanainen, John Moore, and Lewington. My guess is when Victor is fully healthy and ready to make the jump to the AHL, defenseman Aaron Ness could be a roster casualty and head to ECHL Maine. Berglund’s potential addition to the Providence team adds a jump to the step of a club that has a decent transition out of the defensive zone and is willing to pinch in offensively. Please take a look at these YouTube videos below for the eye test of his skating, passing, and shooting capabilities.