Flyers’ 6-foot-10 center prospect has hockey pedigree and desire to work originally appeared in NBC Sports Philadelphia
The good thing about Jack Berglund is that he has many qualities that a team would want in a prospect.
He plays a premium position, is 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds, takes pride in playing all over the rink and has offensive upside.
The great thing about Berglund is that he knows where he can improve and wants to improve.
The 18-year-old center admitted that skating is his biggest weakness. No teenage perspective is perfect. With Berglund, who was one of the Flyers’ two second-round picks in the 2024 NHL Entry Drafthis foot speed is not there yet.
“I’m just trying to get better every day at skating because I have other tools,” he said two weeks ago at the Flyers’ development camp. “If I get it right, I think one day I can be a great player.
“It all starts on the ice. You have to grind the ice, do the work you have to do. For me, it’s more quickness and explosiveness that I need to do to get out there faster.”
Berglund was the 14th center selected in last month’s draft and the 51st pick overall. The Flyers had this selection as compensation for not signing 2018 first-rounder Jay O’Brien.
In Berglund, they have a Swedish prospect who enjoys watching Joel Eriksson Ek of the Wild and Mikko Rantanen of the Avalanche.
“I try to follow these guys and get inspired,” he said. “I think they are both very intelligent players, they work hard every day, they are true role models who are [making] a difference out there.”
Berglund also has her father to lean on. Christian Berglund played for the Devils and Panthers in the early 2000s.
His first NHL goal came against John Tortorella’s Lightning team in 2001-02. Five days earlier, his second of 86 career NHL games came against the Flyers at Wells Fargo Center (then First Union Center). John LeClair, then the Flyers’ alternate captain, was on the ice earlier this month working with the younger Berglund at development camp.
“He’s super supportive,” Berglund said of his father. “I’m happy to have you by my side.”
Going into the draft, Berglund was the 28th ranked European skater by NHL Central Scouting, jumping 10 positions in relation to its intermediate mark. Overall, he was ranked 55th by TSN Craig Button and as low as 131º per EliteProspects. with.
Berglund scored 34 points (15 goals, 19 assists) in 41 games last season for Farjestad BK in Sweden’s top junior league. He got a taste of the SHL, Sweden’s top professional league, scoring one goal in eight games.
He also competed for the Swedish National Team at the 2024 IIHF U18 World Junior Championship, scoring five points (two goals, three assists) in seven games to help his country take home bronze medals.
“I just tried to work hard in the offseason before the season,” Berglund said. “I got great opportunities from my coaches and my club at home in Sweden, I played a lot and played in the SHL, also, I played for the national team. I tried to take care of it and make the best of it.”
The Flyers urgently needed more centers enrolled through their system. They used three of their first four picks on centers last month in Las Vegas. There has been a focus on draft picks and developing the team’s rebuild under general manager Danny Briere and president of hockey operations Keith Jones.
“That’s been the message from the top since Danny and Jonesy took over, they’re looking for young players,” Flyers assistant director of player development Nick Schultz said two weeks ago. “We have to have a good draft and develop, this is important for our team. I think our scouts have done a great job with the draft the last few years and we’ve done a great job with development.”
Berglund knows that a critical part of his development will depend on his skating.
“It’s up to me, really, how good I want to be,” he said. “I’m just trying to work.”
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