The quickest and easiest way to describe the native of Oslo, Norway, is that he’s a viking on skates:
Stian Solberg
Position: Defense
Shoots: Left
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 201lbs
Solberg plays the game of hockey in a way that coach’s will love, as long as he isn’t going too far over the edge. He wants to punish the opposition and does everything with strength and intensity. He loves to land a big hit, is a fierce competitor in the corners and in front of the net and even shoots the puck with a big, hard, accurate shot. His defensive game is among the best in the draft, as his skating, foot work, gap control and ability to read the play defensively are all high end. For a big man he has solid edges and is rarely found out of the play. He’s strong under pressure and never gets rattled, which is likely the product of having played in Norway’s top men’s league for parts of two seasons and an addition full season this past year. He was generally ranked as a mid 2nd round pick this season, but after a very strong showing in the IIHF World Junior tournament where he was Norway’s best defender scouts started looking more closely and his stock has shot up. The current expectation has him going in the early 2nd round, but if a team really likes what they see then he could sneak into the 1st round.
This is the “downside” section and it’s short. Solberg isn’t about to challenge Cale Makar in the scoring race among blueliners, but he does make smart, quick plays in the offensive zone. His shot is heavy and accurate, but it takes him a little more time to get it away than you may like. That’s it. That’s all there is.
Solberg would count as a reach at #23, but the Leafs’ latest 1st round selection, Easton Cowan, was as much or more of a reach based on the pure rankings. I could easily see Leafs scouts having the confidence to do that once again if they identify Solberg as their guy, as it appears that they did so well with Cowan. He probably isn’t 4-5 years away from NHL action, considering his size and strong defensive play, but it will take time for him to play a significant role. The great thing about players like Solberg is they can enter the NHL in a 3rd pair role and learn on the fly. He’ll be a fan favourite wherever he goes as well, as the key words that are constantly used to describe his game are aggressive, intense, energetic and even violent. To have that type of approach to the game, while also being a smooth, fluid skater and intelligent defender is extremely rare.