Victor Söderström (born 26 February 2001) is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenceman for Brynäs IF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).[1] Söderström was selected 11th overall by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2019 NHL entry draft.
Playing career
Söderström joined Brynäs IF as a 14-year old, playing through their junior ranks before he was elevated from the J20 SuperElit and made his professional debut in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) at the age of 17 during the 2018–19 season on 18 October 2018. He was signed to his first professional contract by Brynäs, agreeing to a two-year deal through 2020 on 8 November 2018.[2]
On 21 June 2019, Söderström was selected by the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL), 11th overall in the 2019 NHL entry draft. The Coyotes traded up from the 14th overall with an additional second round pick to obtain the selection.[3] Söderström signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Coyotes on 7 July 2019.[4]
In the 2019–20 season, Söderström was assigned on loan by the Coyotes to continue his development with his Swedish club, Brynäs IF. He featured in 35 games from the blueline, reaching new career highs with five goals and 16 points in the regular season,[5] before the playoffs were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Söderström returned to the Coyotes organization when he was added to the return-to-play roster and remained with the club through the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs but did not play.[6]
With the 2020–21 North American season to be delayed, on 1 September 2020, Söderström returned to Sweden in joining second-tier club, AIK of the HockeyAllsvenskan, on loan until the commencement of the Coyotes 2020 training camp.[7] He made 12 appearances with AIK, registering six points, before leaving his loan stint in the Allsvenskan to join the Swedish World Junior team. Once the North American season returned, Söderström missed Arizona's training camp but was named to the Coyotes' taxi squad. He made his NHL debut on 22 January 2021 versus the Vegas Golden Knights.[8] Söderström scored his first NHL goal on 7 May 2021 against Josef Kořenář in a 5–2 win over the San Jose Sharks.[9] He also played for Arizona's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, scoring two goals and 10 points in 32 games.[10]
Söderström split the 2021–22 season between the Roadrunners and the Coyotes. He repeated the feat during the 2022–23 season, but got into 30 games with the Coyotes registering nine points.[10] He was assigned to Tucson to start the 2023–24 season.[11]
Following his fourth season within the Coyotes organization, Söderström's rights were transferred to the Utah Hockey Club after the Coyotes suspension of operations. As a restricted free agent with Utah, Söderström opted to return to Sweden in signing a two-year contract with his original club, Brynäs IF of the SHL, on 15 September 2024.[12] On 7 March 2025, Söderström's NHL rights were traded to the Chicago Blackhawks.[13]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2017–18 | Brynäs IF | J20 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2018–19 | Brynäs IF | J20 | 14 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2018–19 | Brynäs IF | SHL | 44 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Brynäs IF | SHL | 35 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | AIK | Allsv | 12 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Tucson Roadrunners | AHL | 32 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2021–22 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Tucson Roadrunners | AHL | 32 | 3 | 16 | 19 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Tucson Roadrunners | AHL | 44 | 2 | 19 | 21 | 28 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2022–23 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 30 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Tucson Roadrunners | AHL | 62 | 9 | 23 | 32 | 34 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| SHL totals | 79 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| NHL totals | 53 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Sweden | U17 | 8th | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2018 | Sweden | HG18 | 
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2019 | Sweden | U18 | 
|
4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2020 | Sweden | WJC | 
|
7 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 6 | |
| 2021 | Sweden | WJC | 5th | 5 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 23 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 10 | ||||
References
- ^ "Victor Söderström player profile". eliteprospects.com. January 2, 2019. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
- ^ "Klart: Victor Söderström Skriver Rookiekontrakt Med Brynäs" [Victor Soderstrom signs senior contract with Brynas] (in Swedish). Brynäs IF. November 9, 2018. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
- ^ Layman, Matt (June 21, 2019). "In drafting Victor Söderström, the Arizona Coyotes got their guy". Arizona Sports. Retrieved June 21, 2019.
- ^ "Coyotes sign Soderstrom to three-year, entry-level contract". Arizona Coyotes. July 7, 2019. Retrieved July 7, 2019.
- ^ Newman, Logan (August 31, 2020). "Coyotes loan defenseman Victor Soderstrom to AIK in Sweden". Arizona Sports. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
- ^ Morin, Richard (July 17, 2020). "Amid drama-filled season, Coyotes' top prospects finish it off by preparing for playoffs". The Arizona Republic. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
- ^ "AIK Hockey Lånar Oliver Wahlström och Victor Söderström" [AIK receives Wahlstrom and Soderstrom on loan] (in Swedish). AIK. September 1, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2020.
- ^ Marshall, John (January 22, 2021). "Coyotes hand Golden Knights first loss of the season, 5-2". Toronto Star. Associated Press. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
- ^ "Kessel, Soderstrom lead Coyotes past Sharks 5-2". ESPN. Associated Press. May 8, 2021. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
- ^ a b Mastey, Remy (July 25, 2023). "Can Victor Söderström Earn a Permanent Roster Spot With the Coyotes?". The Hockey News. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
- ^ "Coyotes' Victor Soderstrom: Dropped to AHL". CBS Sports. October 9, 2023. Retrieved November 22, 2023.
- ^ "Victor Soderstrom returns to Brynas" (in Swedish). Brynäs IF. September 15, 2024. Retrieved September 15, 2024.
- ^ "RELEASE: Blackhawks Add Aku Raty, Victor Soderstrom and Shea Weber from Utah". NHL.com. March 7, 2025. Retrieved March 8, 2025.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or The Internet Hockey Database