It is official—Fabian Brunnstrom is the newest addition to the Dallas Stars roster.
The Swedish Elite star made his decision official prior to game 1 of the Western Conference Championships.
So Dallas can consider that a victory over Detroit, seeing as both were in the running for the young star.
Brunnstrom first garnered the attention of the NHL when he posted 37 points in 54 games as a member of Färjestads BK, a member of the Elitserien, or the Swedish Elite League.
It can be argued that 9 goals and 28 assists isn't something to be terribly impressed with, but there is a counter-argument to that.
This season in the Elitserien, the most points by an individual was 67. That player, Mattias Weinhandl, is a veteran of the SEL, along with having four separate stints in the NHL.
The 2007-2008 season, however, was Brunnstrom's first at this level.
Brunnstrom had narrowed his decision down to three teams: Dallas, Detroit, and Montreal, all of which were courting him to join their roster.
The three teams all took the time to court the Swede, but it was Dallas and Detroit who fought hardest.
Detroit guaranteed him a spot for a month of next season, then said he'd have to, basically, prove his worth. At the same time, they openly said they saw him as a terrific addition, but no superstar.
But ultimately, Dallas was where the Swede felt he belonged.
Dallas is a place focusing on the youth of the team. This season, Dallas has utilized the rookie talents of players like Matt Niskanen and Mark Fistric, and Brunnstrom knew this would be a place he would be utilized and garner ice time.
Another quality Dallas has is a strong Scandinavian presence in the locker room. Swedes and Fins alike make up one-third of the Dallas locker room, only outnumbered by Canadians.
Overall, Dallas picked up a wonderful addition to their roster. He will, undoubtedly, be a strong offensive force on the ice for the Stars, and should fit in nicely to the system.
EDITORIAL ALERT!
Sorry had to put that!
Anyway, I don't know HOW Detroit could have looked at this kid and said "he's not a superstar."
Right now he's not, but you honestly don't think this kid could and quite possible would be the next Tomas Holmstrom or Peter Forsberg?
Yeah, those are big shoes to put a young kid in, but to say he'd only get a month to try and prove himself is ridiculous to me.
Dallas landed a kid with amazing potential, and honestly someone who could be a huge star. I cannot wait til next season when he debuts in "Big D."
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5 months ago
Good to the see Stars getting more talented youth.
5 months ago
Being a Detroit fan, I can easily see how the Wings could say that to Brunnstrom. They were being honest to him. He simply isn't a superstar right now. I would have loved to see him palying with a Winged Wheel on his chest, but it didn't work out that way.
Congrats to Dallas for landing him, but calling him the next Foppa is a stretch. Brunnstrom was never drafted. Brunnstrom isn't even playing for Sweden at the Worlds! You can't say that he didn't want to go... NHL players jump at a chance to play in them. If this kid is so good, why didn't Sweden pick him up?
Detroit has a history of developing young players. I can't think of any other Wings player that was given the type of offer that Holland gave Fabian. Zetterberg was drafted in 1999, but he wan't brought up to the big leagues until 2003. Same with Datsyuk (drafted in 98, brought up in 01). They told Brunnstrom how the organization worked. They told him that he would be guaranteed a spot in October, but he had to produce in order to keep it. How is this bad?
If he is the player the internet and his agent was making him look, then why would he care? My thoughts are that Brunnstrom had an unusual outburst for him and he's trying to land somewhere while his stock is hot. This is my only self-explanation that I can come up with. I hope I'm wrong about him, but only time will tell this.
from 5 months ago
He's not playing in the Worlds for a reason. Look at the talent Sweden has. It makes perfect sense to think a rookie in his first season wouldn't be there.
Nobody pegged him to be anything but a player in the SEL. Now that the world sees what he is made of, many teams are kicking themselves, and I hate to say that does include the Wings.
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