Photo courtesy of www.sun-sentinel.com

Fantasy Summary

Middle-six center. Dual-threat because he can make plays and finish them as well. An offensive Swiss-Army knife.


Observations

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June 2023 – After helping the Bears win the Calder Cup as the 1C, yes the production did not match but the Bears are a team that spread out the scoring, Borgstrom signed a two-year deal with HV71 in the SHL. Pat Quinn

January 2023 – Borgström signed with the Capitals in hopes to develop to become an NHLer, but the signing was a head scratching one as the Capitals are loaded up front with one-way contracts. That lead to Borgström being sent to the AHL, where he has stayed all season so far. The hope would be for him to lead the Bears in points but unfortunately he just sits fifth, with 17 points in 31 games. It is a slightly better points per game than the last time he was in the AHL (2019-20) with 0.55 now versus 0.47 then. Hopefully this can transition Borgström to become a bottom six NHLer as the top six seems to have passed him by. Pat Quinn

June 2022 – In 54 games this season with the Panthers, Borgström put up four goals, three assists and a -14 rating. While many believe he has not been the offensive threat they expected him to be, he only played four games with the Panthers before being traded to a lackluster offensive team in Chicago. This past season, he has shown progress in his defensive game which was always a struggle for him in the past. Borgström has one more year left on his contract before he becomes a restricted free agent, meaning he has one year to show the Blackhawks management if he is worth a long term play otherwise he may be moved before the trade deadline. As the Blackhawks rebuild, he could have a chance to show what he can do if placed further up the lineup. Puneet Sharma

April 2021 – Borgström was traded to Chicago in a five-player, six-piece trade just prior to the trade deadline. One of the best college players in recent memory, Borgström has struggled to translate his game fully to the next level. With more resources from a development perspective in Chicago, there may be room for him to rebound his career. Pat Quinn

January 2021 – Currently without an NHL contract, Borgstrom will remain in Finland, where he has enjoyed a recent stint with Helsinki (Liiga). While newly appointed GM, Bill Zito, has not ruled out the possibility for a return during the 2020-21 season, both parties would like him to build up confidence and feel comfortable with his game before making further decisions on his future. He has one goal and three points through six games played overseas. Dave Hall

June 2020 – Florida’s handling of Borgstrom to this point has been questionable. However, if we are to place all to that to the side, the time for Borgstrom to become a mainstay on the Panthers roster is the 2020-21 season. The maneuvering back and forth between the AHL and NHL is no longer beneficial for his development. Florida needs to provide him time to gain his footing at the NHL-level, even if it’s just in a bottom-six role to start. Unfortunately, fantasy owners will most likely have to wait another year before he is placed in a position to make a real impact. Of course, there is always the chance he gains momentum throughout the beginning of the season and becomes an asset for the second half of the 2020-21 campaign. John Gove

April 2020 – I’ve said it all season and I’ll say it again: Borgstrom is ready to make the jump to the NHL and handcuffing him to the AHL is only doing his development a disservice. That said, fantasy owners who have Borgstrom on their roster should keep a close eye on him, next season, where he’ll either be traded to an NHL club that will use him effectively or he may be given a regular role in Florida’s bottom-6. Keith Fries

 

February 2020 – Still playing with the AHL’s Springfield Thunderbirds, Borgstrom has shown excellent positional versatility bouncing in-and-out of the center position, filling in where holes in the line-up need to be filled. Fantasy owners should keep that in mind for the future when setting their rosters, looking for consistency in their bottom-six. Keith Fries

 

November 2019 – Down in the AHL, Borgstrom is proving to be a reliable back-checker, shadowing the opposition and creating turnovers. He is strong in the faceoff circle, showing good strength and a fast stick. Borgstrom looks more than comfortable and ready to make the next step as an everyday NHLer. I’ve heard the expression before: “you’d rather overcook your prospects than undercook them.” Well, if Florida keeps him in the AHL for much longer, they’ll burn him. Keith Fries

 

December 2018 – Borgström was finally called up on December 14th. He is the top prospect in the Panthers’ system, and will likely get a chance to play on the second or third line right away. He has 22 points in 24 games in the AHL this season.  Jokke Nevalainen

 

November 2018 – Borgström was sent down to the AHL at season’s start because the Panthers had too much depth at forward. But he hasn’t been brought down by that surprising demotion and instead he’s had a great start to his season. 14 points in 14 games is excellent production for a 21-year-old rookie but even a long-term injury to Vincent Trocheck wasn’t enough to get him promoted to the big league. The Panthers can’t keep him down forever.  Jokke Nevalainen

 

March 2018 – Henrik Borgström has signed his three-year entry level contract with the Florida Panthers. The Panthers are making a push for the playoffs, and Borgström is expected to make his NHL debut before the regular season is completed. Jokke Nevalainen

 

March 2018 – Borgström has won the NCHC Player of the Year award which is given to the best player in the conference as voted by the coaches of each NCHC team. NCHC is the most difficult conference in NCAA hockey, so winning this award is no easy task. Borgström was also recently named a Top 10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award. Jokke Nevalainen

 

March 2018 – According to GM Dale Tallon, a lot of teams inquired about Henrik Borgström at the trade deadline but the Panthers were not willing to trade him. “Everybody’s high on him, and we’re higher on him. He’s the real deal…. we’ll be a better team with him in the lineup long-term.”, Tallon said about Borgström. Jokke Nevalainen

 

January 2018 – With 35 points in 23 games, Borgström is only one point behind the league lead, and his 1.52 points-per-game average ranks third in the league. It’s also good to notice that all the players who are ahead of him in the scoring race are older than Borgström who is only 20 years old. Borgström is most likely ready to turn pro after his college season is over but it remains to be seen if he wants to do that or not. Jokke Nevalainen

 

March 2017 – The Panthers received a ton of criticism when they took the lanky, previously undrafted center 23rd overall, as many thought he would have still been available for Florida’s second round selection. In his freshman year with the University of Denver, Borgström has done a fantastic job of silencing those who doubted his first round selection and is showing the rest of the hockey world why the Panthers simply couldn’t risk missing out on him. Borgström leads the University of Denver in goals and points with 21 goals and 38 points in 33 games and was voted the NCHC’s Rookie of the Year. Previously categorized as a playmaker, Borgström has shown his goal scoring ability this year with his dazzling hands and greatly improved shot. He still has a great deal of work to do in improving his play in the defensive zone as well as in building strength, however his offensive flashes and highlight reel goals this year have given us a taste of what he has to offer at the NHL level. Joel Gluss

 

July 2016 – The Florida Panthers selected Borgström with the 23rd overall pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. The 6’3 center scored 29 goals and 26 assists for HIFK U20 while making major strides in 2015-16 season. He’s a creative player who can make unpredictable plays with the puck. Borgström has great hands, stickhandles well in tight areas and smoothly enters the offensive zone. He’s calculated in puck possession and has a deceptive wrist shot with a very quick release. Areas in which he’ll need to improve are face-offs and physical game. He protects the puck well but could be more involved in the physical game without the puck. Also, his defensive game is a work in progress. Borgström has grown a lot over the past few seasons, so his skating might not be perfect at this point but his separation speed is quite impressive. He will attend the University of Denver next season. Marco Bombino

Attributes
Fantasy Upside 4.0
NHL Certainty 2.5
Country FIN
Position C
Roster Type Europe
Shoot/Glove Left
Date of Birth August 6, 1997
Height 6‘3”
Weight 185 lbs
Drafted 2016 Round 1; Overall: 23

Stats

 Season Team League GP G A TP PIM      Playoffs GP G A TP PIM 
 2011-2012 Jokerit U16U16 SM-sarja Q1 0 00 0|        
 2012-2013 Jokerit U16U16 SM-sarja Q9 1 78 0|        
  Jokerit U16U16 SM-sarja32 20 2141 16|Playoffs10 2 810
 2013-2014 HIFK U18U18 SM-sarja30 8 1220 6|Playoffs5 1 01
  HJK U18U18 Mestis1 0 00 0|        
  Finland U17 (all)International-Jr1 0 00 0|        
 2014-2015 HIFK U18U18 SM-sarja21 12 2537 4|Playoffs12 7 815
 2015-2016 HIFK U20U20 SM-sarja40 29 2655 20|Playoffs4 4 26
  Finland U19 (all)International-Jr3 1 23 0|        
 2016-2017 Univ. of DenverNCAA37 22 2143 16|        
  Finland U20WJC-206 0 00 2|        
  Finland U20 (all)International-Jr10 0 33 2|        
 2017-2018 Univ. of DenverNCAA40 23 2952 18|        
  Florida PanthersNHL4 1 01 0|        
 2018-2019 Florida PanthersNHL50 8 1018 4|        
  Springfield ThunderbirdsAHL24 5 1722 8|        
 2019-2020 Florida PanthersNHL4 0 00 2|        
  Springfield ThunderbirdsAHL49 11 1223 10|        
 2020-2021 HIFKLiiga30 11 1021 8|Playoffs8 2 35
 2021-2022 Chicago BlackhawksNHL52 4 37 22|        
 2022-2023 Washington CapitalsNHL1 0 00 0|        
  Hershey BearsAHL55 8 1321 10|Playoffs14 2 46
 2023-2024 HV71SHL50 16 1834 33|Relegation7 2 57
  Finland EHT6 1 12 2|        
  Finland (all)International6 1 12 2|        
 2024-2025 HV71SHL17 6 1117 4|        

Highlights