Rasmus Bergqvist is a Swedish champion. Skelelfteå completed the double, winning the league and then cruising through the playoffs to grab the Le Mat Trophy with both hands, and it is difficult to see another team taking it away from them when looking at the upcoming season.
The good thing is that Bergqvist played 40 games in SHL, with an average time on ice of 11:02. He was used as a sixth and seventh defenceman throughout the season and was sat for some games. In order for him to get more time and exposure he was loaned out to Östersund in HockeyAllsvenskan for four games. Unfortunately for Bergqvist (and the other SHL teams) Skellefteå had all their players available in the playoffs and Bergqvist didn’t get a chance to play a shift.
There were some rumours in Sweden about a move for Bergqvist after sitting for the playoffs, even though he has another year on his contract with Skellefteå. This hasn’t happened, and one has to imagine he has been promised a bigger role within the team for next season, even if it stays on the third pairing. I know other teams are interested in the raw defensive talent that Bergqvist is, and Skellefteå will need to use him this season or they will lose him for the following year.
Strengths
When you watch Bergqvist play, you watch his team in the defensive zone because that’s where he is used most of the time. He clears out in front of the net with ease, even fighting for position with seasoned professional