Victor Söderström

July 2024- Utah Hockey Club has issued Soderstrom a qualifying offer, keeping him as a restricted free agent. Much like Jan Jenik, who was traded to Ottawa, Soderstrom could also be dealt for a fresh start with a new organization. He spent the majority of 2023-24 in the AHL for Tucson, leading team defenseman in scoring with nine goals and 32 points. Soderstrom appeared in three scoreless contests with Arizona. Once considered the team’s top prospect, he’s slowly slid down the depth chart. Originally a John Chayka draft pick, current GM Bill Armstrong has leaned more towards big, mobile defenseman like Dmitri Simashev and Maveric Lamoureux. His AHL play has been good, Soderstrom could still earn a permanent NHL spot, it just looking unlikely with Utah. Keith Duggan

October 2023- Coming off his ELC, it was expected Soderstrom would start the year with Arizona. Instead, the Coyotes placed Soderstrom on waivers and he was sent to Tucson to begin 2023-24. If Arizona runs into injuries on the blueline, he will be a top candidate for a recall, but this does not look good for a player that was once considered the team’s top prospect. Keith Duggan

June 2023- The clock is slowly starting to tick on Soderstrom, who has progressed slowly from a quality young SHL defenseman to one struggling with consistency in North America. He still projects as a top-six d-man, but just a few years ago Soderstrom seemed a sure-fire top pairing guy. His hallmark remains his smooth skating and mobility, qualities that keep him as a top prospect for the Coyotes. He had nine assists in 30 games with Arizona, seeing his average ice and power play time increase as the year went along. Coming off his ELC, expect Soderstrom to remain with Arizona for 2023-24, managing play five-on-five and effectively running a second power play. Keith Duggan

March 2023- After posting decent numbers with Tucson, two goals and 21 points in 44 games, Soderstrom was recalled on February 11th. Expected to remain with Arizona to finish the campaign, they will be able to get a view if one of their top prospects is ready. Soderstrom is currently on the last year of his ELC and would need waivers to be assigned to Tucson next year. Soderstrom has six assists in 18 contests so far but five of those helpers have come in the last 10 games. Keith Duggan

October 2022- As Soderstrom did not have a really strong 2021-22 season and Arizona signing some depth defenseman this past summer it was expected he might spend another year in the AHL. Still, it was a little shocking to see Soderstrom an early cut from Coyotes camp and he will start 2022-23 with Tucson. In the last year of his entry-level contract, Soderstrom needs a good breakout campaign to remain in Arizona’s rebuild plans. Keith Duggan

June 2022- It was surprising to see the extremely skilled and Arizona top defense prospect Soderstrom not earn a full-time spot with the Coyotes last year. While he did play 16 scoreless games with Arizona, he spent the majority of 2021-22 with Tucson. It may feel like he’s been around for a long time, it’s important to note Soderstrom is still only 21-years-old. With Tucson, he was one of their top defensemen when in the lineup, putting up three goals and 19 points in 32 games. Keith Duggan

October 2021- The Coyotes gave Soderstrom every opportunity to make their 2021-22 roster and he didn’t disappoint. After a strong preseason, he made the opening night roster. Since then, it’s been an adjustment for the young defenseman playing for a Coyotes squad expected to finish very low in the standings. Two weeks into the campaign, Soderstrom is scoreless and found himself a healthy scratch for one game. Keith Duggan

May 2021- Much like Barrett Hayton, Soderstrom struggled offensively in the AHL before wrapping up the campaign strong. He finished with two goals and 10 points in 32 games, good for 23rd among rookie defensemen in the AHL. Four of those 10 points came in his last four games. With the Coyotes out of the playoff picture, Soderstrom was recalled and played the last two games of the year with Arizona. He didn’t disappoint, playing very well, including scoring a beautiful first NHL goal https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w0nIL5u9q6Y . The Coyotes expect him to take a serious run at a roster spot next year. Keith Duggan

March 2021- Soderstrom started the year on the Coyotes taxi squad but with injuries on Arizona’s blueline, the young defenseman got to make his NHL debut. He appeared in two games, not seeing a ton of playing time (13:41 TOI average) but looked good, impressing with his poise and calm play. The Coyotes want him playing a lot so when the AHL season started, Soderstrom was assigned to Tucson. Surprisingly he’s struggled in the AHL so far, adjusting to the North American game. Don’t expect that to last but he most likely plays out this year in the AHL. Keith Duggan

January 2021- Despite Team Sweden not advancing past the quarterfinals in the 2021 World Junior Championships, Soderstrom continued his stellar play. He finished with five assists in five games, good for fourth in scoring among blueliners. Soderstrom played well in the AIK before the WJC, but with the NHL starting back up, he headed to Arizona when the tournament ended. As of right now, he’s been assigned to the Taxi squad but when the AHL season starts up, the plan is to have Soderstrom join Tucson. Keith Duggan

September 2020- After being part of Arizona’s expanded roster for the 2020 play-in/playoff’s, never seeing any game action, the Coyotes have announced that Victor Soderstrom has been loaned out to AIK (Allsvenskan). While the plan was to have Soderstrom spend 2020-21 in North America, with when the campaign will start in question, this is a smart move to have the young d-man get quality playing time. Keith Duggan

March 2020- After a very strong World Junior Championship for Team Sweden, where Soderstrom racked up one goal and six points in seven games, he returned to the SHL for Brynas IF. While his five goals and 16 points in 35 games don’t jump out at you, the SHL is a defensive-minded league, Brynas struggled as an team, missing the playoffs and finishing with the sixth-worst offense and Soderstrom is still very young. He played huge minutes for Brynas, though, and a good case could be made that Soderstrom was the team’s best defenseman on a night-to-night basis despite the fact he played most of the campaign as an 18-year-old. Before the coronavirus hit, the plan was to fly Soderstrom to North America when his SHL season ended to most likely finish the year playing for Tucson. For now, the plan is to have him come to Arizona this summer to train and make a strong run at a roster spot on the Coyotes. Keith Duggan

December 2019- Soderstrom has made Team Sweden for the 2020 World Junior Championship. He’s in the midst of an excellent season so far in the SHL for Brynas IF. He leads the team in scoring for defensemen with two goals and nine points in 15 games. That’s already two more points than last year when he had seven in 44 games. Keith Duggan

October 2019- After a strong training camp with the Coyotes and nearly making the team, Soderstrom will instead return to Sweden and again play for Brynas IF. He had been living with team captain and countryman Oliver Ekman-Larson while in Arizona. “I feel like I could play right now,” Soderstrom said of his NHL candidacy, “but it’s about what’s best for my long-term development.” He was eligible to play in the AHL but his camp and the Coyotes management felt it was best for him to return to Sweden. Keith Duggan

June 2019- The Coyotes moved up in the draft by trading their 14th and 45th selections to pluck Soderstrom 11th overall Friday night. For a second year in a row, the Coyotes selected a player higher than ranked on most mock drafts, but one General Manager John Chayka and the scouting staff felt very strongly about. Keith Duggan

June 2019 – Söderström was officially measured at 6-foot-0 and 182 pounds at the NHL Draft Combine.  Jokke Nevalainen

February 2019 – Söderström has been spending most of this season at the top level in Sweden in the SHL, and he’s been given a good role where he gets to play good minutes and also sees time on the power play. Söderström may actually be the second-best defenseman in his draft class. He’s a strong puck-mover who likes to join the rush but he’s also a very strong player defensively. His hockey sense is very high, and he uses it at both ends of the rink. He’s a very smooth and talented skater who is capable of playing big minutes. He also has a good shot, and he’s able to get it through traffic pretty frequently. It’s also a good thing for NHL teams that he shoots from the right side. At 5-foot-11, Söderström isn’t big but he likes to throw his weight around. It’s pretty easy to project him as a middle-pair defenseman but he has upside to become a number two if everything goes well.  Jokke Nevalainen