Panthers Take Henrik Borgstrom With 23rd Overall Pick
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SUNRISE (CBSMiami) – The Florida Panthers selected Henrik Borgstrom with the 23rd overall pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft.
Borgstrom sat through the entire 2015 NHL Entry Draft and was passed over by every team. But the wait was well worth it as the 6-foot-3, 183-pound Finnish center became a first-rounder on Friday.
You might recall the Panthers did fairly well the last time they drafted a Finnish center. Aleksander Barkov, the 2nd overall pick in the 2013 draft, had a career-high 28 goals and 59 points in the 2016 season.
Borgstrom is a good offensive performer who had a huge year (29 goals, 55 points in 40 games) for HIFK's U20 team in Finland.
However, he's relatively weak from a physical standpoint and he needs to put some serious muscle on his frame in order to be successful in North America.
From a pure talent standpoint, Borgstrom will be ready to play a useful role for the University of Denver from the day he steps on campus.