Sure, he’s no Victor Hedman, but he is a Swedish defenseman. The Flyers have selected Simon Bertilsson with the 87th overall selection. He was ranked at 71st by the International Scouting Service.
According to Hockey’s Future, Bertilsson might have received more attention from other teams if he were drafted in a year without so many strong Swedes ahead of him. He was a stay at home defenseman with his team in Sweden, but apparently he can also contribute on the offensive end.
From NHL.com…
Played for Team Sweden at the 2009 Under-18 World Championships and was often paired with [first round pick] Oliver-Ekman Larsson on the top defensive pairing – the two have played on the national team together for five years and are good friends off the ice. Bertilsson, a defensive minded defenseman, had a plus-five rating at the tournament.
