Q & A Featuring Senators’ Prospect Filip Nordberg

Selected 64th overall in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, six-foot-five, 215-pound defenseman Filip Nordberg made his first trek to Ottawa this past week, participating in his first Senators Development Camp.

After a whirlwind 2022-23 campaign in which Nordberg played for six different teams across three leagues, spanning from junior to professional, including U19/ U20 National squads, the 19-year-old will play for Växjö in the Sweden Hockey League this upcoming season.

Full Press Hockey caught up with Nordberg after his team took home the top prize in the Senators’ Prospects 3-on-3 tournament.

But first Senators development coach Shean Donovan provided FPH with his analysis of the Stockholm resident.

“Nordberg is a big kid. He plays hard, physical. He hasn’t played a lot on the small ice, so it was kind of neat to see him play on the small ice here. He showed himself well. He wanted to win the tournament. He scored in the shootout and was a big part of it,” said Donovan.

“He’s going to stay with me a couple of days, then he’s going back to Sweden. His big thing is to get more ice time in the pro league, so that’s our job to help him get as much ice as he can. He’s got a bit of everything, and he’s trying to find his game. As a young guy on defense, it’s going to take a little more time. He’s got skill and size, it’s just figuring out what kind of player he wants to be.” 

Okayyyyyyy Filip Nordberg we see you. @SensProspects pic.twitter.com/c791ofeewG

— Locked On Senators (@SensCentral) July 3, 2023

FPH: “This is your first development camp since being drafted in July 2022. Now it’s concluded, what are your thoughts on the camp?”

Nordberg: “I’m really surprised. Like you said, I was not here last year when I was being drafted. I think it’s really good for me coming into town, visit the rink, see all the staff. I think for me, it’s been a really good week. It’s good for us to see what the staff thinks I work on and what I’m doing good out there, so it’s really good for me.”

FPH:  “There were four other Swedes (Oliver Johansson, Oskar Pettersson, Kevin Reidler, Theo Wallberg) at camp. What was it like being with them in a new city?”

Nordberg: “When you have friends, they can tell you a little bit about what they did the year before. We are four Swedes, five with me – we stick together, being outside a little more than everybody else, maybe? So, it feels really good to have them with me.” 

FPH: “You weren’t in Montreal at last summer’s Entry Draft, how did you find out that you were selected by the Senators?”

Nordberg: “I was actually sitting at home. I was sitting with my family and some that were close to my family, with my agent – sitting down watching. I was ranked from everywhere from the second to the fifth round. I wanted to stay home and practice one more week than everybody else. So, watching it on tv when I got the call I was drafted. Anders Ostberg (Senators European Scout), then Trent Mann (Senators assistant GM) called.”

FPH: “Do you have goals set for next season?”

Nordberg: “Of course, the World Juniors is something I want to play. It’s something I’ve wanted to play since maybe I was 10 years old. So, that’s one goal I want to reach, but of course, I’m going to go back to Sweden in the SHL (Sweden Hockey League). I hope get a top “D” spot on my team. From now it’s only going to work if I work on things that are going to make me better.”

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FPH: “You played for multiple teams last season. How tough was it mentally, adding to the fact you were always adjusting to new teammates?”

Nordberg: “It was tough. I was going to school at the same time, studying online. I was loaned to the Lakers (Växjö) in the Sweden Hockey League. Later they won the SHL championship. After one month there, I went to another team, Tingsryds (Hockey Allsbenskan) in the south in Sweden. So, it was a little bit up and down for me last season. Hopefully, I find a place where I can be for one to two years – where I can get plenty of ice time – where I can go work on my game every day.”

FPH: “There was talk last season that you were leaving to play in North America. Are you able to expand on why you remained in Sweden?”

Nordberg: “I was going to go over to Youngstown in the USHL, but Södertälje, their GM stopped me. He didn’t want to let me go. I was talking to Södertälje. They didn’t give me any ice time there, so I wanted to go somewhere else. Then I got loaned to Växjö. And then a little bit later on, maybe I could go to an OHL team, but I was already signed. So, there was a little bit back and forth.”