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The finest unrestricted free-agent hockey player you've never seen (outside of his YouTube highlights) loves music, plays guitar and is a fan of the Swedish rock band Europe and its big hit The Final Countdown.
Talk about the theme song to Fabian Brunnstrom's weekend.
Over the next two days, as many as 15 NHL teams will make their best pitch for the 23-year-old Swede, who will then narrow the list to three or four before deciding where he will be playing in 2008-09: Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Detroit, Boston, Philadelphia, Dallas or Los Angeles. The choices are as varied as the hockey world's opinions of Brunnstrom as a future NHL player.
Depending on who you listen to, the flashy rookie with Farjestad of the Swedish Elite League is either a late-blooming, potential Henrik Zetterberg or the next Niklas Sundblad, the Calgary Flames' first-round pick in 1991 who was billed as "the Swedish Wendel Clark." (Turned out Sundblad wasn't even the Swedish Inge Hammarstrom.)
Brunnstrom acknowledged yesterday he is aware of the surging interest in him and how that is creating heightened expectations. Through his Swedish agent, Peter Werner of CAA Sports, Brunnstrom made it clear he is not about to come to North America and automatically lead the NHL in scoring his rookie year.
"It makes me feel very proud that someone is interested in my services. At the same time, it's a little bit overwhelming," Brunnstrom said. "The expectations for me may be a little bit high. I'm not afraid of expectations but some papers and Internet sites make me out to be like [Sidney] Crosby.
"I'm not the next Crosby."
"I'm a young player who is working very hard and doing everything I can to become better."
While hockey people on this side of the Atlantic Ocean debate Brunnstrom's upside, those who know him best and have watched him play for years believe there is no doubt: this is a young man who will establish himself as a high-end NHL forward.
"I saw Calgary, Columbus, Nashville and Phoenix live [this past NHL season] and he would be good enough to play on the first two lines there," said Swedish hockey coach Peter Elander. "He's a pure talent."
Brunnstrom was 13 when he and Elander first met. Back then, Elander was running a hockey camp not far from where Brunnstrom was born in Jonstorp. Although talented, Brunnstrom had other interests — he took music in high school — and wasn't fully committed to hockey. He also wasn't keen on leaving home to play elsewhere, which is why he was never a member of the Swedish junior national team or drafted by the NHL five years ago.
"When he was 17 he decided to work on hockey," Elander explained. "At our camps when he was with hungry and skilled players, he wanted to dance with them."
Brunnstrom played with Boras HC and helped it advance to Allsvenskan, the second-best league in Sweden. He then signed with Farjestad, where his general manager, former Flame Hakan Loob, has said many times that the 6-foot-1, 203-pound Brunnstrom has the skill to play in the NHL but shouldn't be rushed.
Others who have watched Brunnstrom closely believe the only things standing in his way are how he's handled by the NHL team he signs with and how much ice time he receives.
"I've seen him play many times," Maple Leafs European scout Thommie Bergman told The Globe and Mail recently. "I think he could be a top player for 10 or 15 years in the NHL."
"This year, as a Farjestad rookie, he's No. 1 in assists in the league with 12:55 of ice time [per game]," added Elander, who compared Brunnstrom to Washington Capitals rookie Nicklas Backstrom. "[Backstrom] had 40 points in his rookie year with Brynas IF. Fabian had 37 points in half the ice time."
Having committed himself to hockey, Brunnstrom has made significant strides. While playing for Rogle BK two years ago, he asked for a key to the rink so he could get up early and skate every morning for two hours. He's grown physically and added muscle. As one NHL team official noted after seeing Brunnstrom play overseas, "He absolutely has the physical tools to play in our league. All he needs is time to adjust to the smaller ice [surface]."
First and foremost, Brunnstrom has to sift through his offers and determine where he'll be happiest. Some NHL teams are willing to guarantee him a spot on their roster; others are willing to offer no more than a month's stay before he's sent to the minors.
Whatever he decides, Brunnstrom wants one thing understood.
"Expectations should be put on a realistic level."
A shrewd comment from a wanted young man.
What an NHL scout says about Brunnstrom
"Brunnstrom is a big forward who skates very well. He's only played in the Swedish Elite league for a single season. Before that, he was in the Allvenskan (one league below). His stats don't exactly 'wow' — 54 games, 9-28-37 points, 16 PIMs, plus 4. His skating is very attractive as he has a long, easy stride with a natural glide. He thinks the game well but still makes some 'young' mistakes. He has soft hands and quick wrists. Short stick. However, despite his size he can be a bit soft in traffic. He enters corners yet isn't the most passionate when he's there. He has to be more consistently involved. He's a raw talent. He'll play, but he isn't going to be a top two-line player next year. He may need some time in the minors if he goes to an organization that will properly groom him. That said, we have interest."
