Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - What is BIG Elmer Soderblom’s ceiling with the Penguins?
Episode Date: June 1, 2026Most people overlooked the Penguins' acquisition of Elmer Soderblom, but after 20 games, he has proven he can be a valuable young piece for the team! Patrick and Hunter continue their season in review... series today by taking a look at the 6’8” Swede who showed he can blend size and skill like few other players. (1:30) So, where does Soderblom fit going forward? Can he build off a strong start to his Penguins tenure, and what is his ceiling? Then, it was a tough weekend for the Penguins’ farm clubs, as the Nailers bowed out of the Kelly Cup Playoffs in five games, the Baby Penguins are down 2-0 going to Toronto for the Eastern Conference Finals, and now it’s gut-check time. (12:50) Finally, a BIG upset in the IIHF World Championships as Canada stunningly goes home without a medal. (27:20) Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors! HimsTo get simple, online access to personalized, affordable care for ED, hair loss, weight loss, and more, visit https://Hims.com/LOCKEDONNHL. Indeed Now, you can speed up your hiring process with a $75 Sponsored Job Credit. Just go to https://indeed.com/podcast right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Terms and conditions apply. KALSHI For a limited time, download the Kalshi app and use code LOCKEDON to get ten dollars when you trade ten. Kalshi. Trade on anything. Gametime Download the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDON for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime. FanDuel Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now new customers can bet just five dollars and get one-hundred and fifty dollars in bonus bets if your first bet wins. Visit https://FANDUEL.COM to get started — Play Your Game. 5-Hour ENERGY Get candy-flavored chaos with Fruity Rainbow 5-hour ENERGY®️ Shots - available online at https://5hourENERGY.com or Amazon FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Transcript
Discussion (0)
When the penguins acquired Elmer Sauter Bloom at the deadline, it felt like a nothing trade.
Just something to ensure the penguins had some depth in the bottom six.
But after 20 games as a penguin in the regular season and five in the playoffs,
he might just be something.
Let's talk about it all on a brand new Locked On Penguins podcast.
You're Locked on Penguins, your daily podcast on the Pittsburgh Penguins,
part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day.
Happy Monday, one and all, and welcome in to a brand new locked on penguins podcast.
I am one of your hosts, Patrick Damp, joined as always by the one and only Hunter Hodes.
If you're like us and you spend too much time on your phone, you can find me across most social media platforms at synonym for wet.
Hunter is on Twitter at Hunter Hodes, and you can find our show's Twitter account at L0 underscore Penguins.
Let's get going here, Hunter.
We've got a lot of updates on the farm system.
The Wheeling Nailers fought to stay alive in the ECHL Eastern Conference Finals,
but it wasn't enough ultimately falling in game five.
The baby penguins are shockingly down two to nothing to the Toronto Marleys
in the AHL's Eastern Conference Finals,
and there's plenty of controversy surrounding that fact.
But before we get into any of that,
we're going to continue our season in review series with the 6 foot 8, 252 pounds
suede acquired by the penguins from Detroit for a 2026 third round pick, and that is
Elmer Soderblom.
We didn't think much of this trade at the time.
In fact, I can't even remember if we talked about it.
We might have had a passing mention of, hey, the penguins made a move at the deadline.
Here's who they got, and we kind of left it at that.
But like I said, we didn't think much of it.
He comes to Pittsburgh, plays in 20 regular season games, puts up five goals,
five assists with Pittsburgh, finished the year in total with seven goals, six assists,
13 points.
He's certainly not a superstar in waiting, but his size only being 24, he'll be 25 when
the season begins next year.
In getting that second chance here in Pittsburgh, it looks like he very much.
could blossom into a reliable long-term bottom six to middle six option here for the penguins.
First off, that I do have to say, I think your brain might be turning to mush for your memory,
because we did talk about him a little bit at the trade deadline.
We busy discussed who he is a little bit, the trade, and he's still young enough kind of fits into
that mold of player that Kyle Dubas was going after.
So you just got work on your memory there a little bit.
My, my friend, we didn't go fully.
in depth into it, but we still talk about just because it was in line with other trades that
Kyle Dubas had made. For example, you know, Philip Thomasino, just trying to acquire younger players
who weren't fitting with their older teams in seeing what they can do here in a fresh new
environment with also a fresh new coaching staff. And right away, you can tell the penguins had
something here. So Soder Blom was really doing a great job using his size to his advantage in his 20
game sample of Penguins. You discussed it.
five goals, 10 points in 20 games.
His best game to me, even though he only had one point in this game,
it was March 31st, in my opinion, against the Red Wings.
He was all over the ice and that one using his size to advantage along the boards,
winning puck battles down low.
You could not get the puck off him.
And I think it was almost like a mini FU to the Red Wings for getting rid of them
because he was one of the best players on the ice for the Penguins in that game.
played really well down the stretch.
Scored two goals against the Panthers in that huge back-to-back
that basically clinched the Penguins their playoffs while before they
officially clinched it against the Devils on that Thursday.
But had three goals and five points in the month of April.
I was a huge fan of the way he played for this team.
And even into the playoffs, Pat, only has one goal in one point in five games.
But I don't really think he was an issue or anything like that.
He was still doing a good job, winning.
puck battles being very tough to get the puck off of his stick using his size to his advantage.
I see him as a player that will be starting in the bottom six for next season.
I kind of had him at least right now in my mock lineup.
And again, very early, happy June to everyone out there.
By the way, there's going to be a lot of fun content coming to the show this month.
Right now, and this can change.
I have them on the third line because I have Avery Hayes winning that fourth line spot
next to Blake Luzot and Connor Dewar.
I have Elmer Soder Blom in that third line spot with Ben Kindle,
and I kind of have him right there with Justin Brzo as well.
Again, that's only right now.
That can change.
But just with the way that he played down the stretch,
he deserves to be in that starting 12 for next season as of right now on June 1st.
I think they see him as a player that can play all 82 games next season if he is fully healthy.
They have something here.
Again, I know it was only a 20-game sample with the Penguins Pat,
but I think as of right now, they have something there.
He was really good down the stretch.
He was, and he was just as good in the postseason.
He was a rare bright spot in the Penguins lineup against the Flyers in that first round series,
made a difference in every game he played.
And he did all of the things that you brought up about what he did as a penguin.
He was really good down low.
He used his size to his advantage to,
get a spot in front of the net, whether it was as a goalie screen or to get chances in the
slot. He was just physically imposing on the opponent and it included the flyers as well in the
playoffs. And it's a good microcosm of what a bottom six player looks like in today's NHL
because, yeah, he's big. Yeah, he's strong, but he's not by any means slow. Now, don't get it
twisted. He's not going to win any fastest skater contests, but this isn't a slow,
hulking big guy whose entire existence in the NHL is just to be big. He's got some soft hands.
He's got some wheels for his size. And if he can continue to grow into that kind of player,
he brings you a lot of value. And I'm right along with you in, I think you should put him right into
that third line to start the season next year. Give Ben Kindle both of those big guys, give him
the twin towers, let him take advantage of the fact that those two are going to play really well
along the walls and down low. He'll be able to get opened up a little bit more because of the way
those guys are going to play down low and the way they're going to use their size. And the other thing
to keep in mind here is that he does have team control up to this point.
He's on the last year of a $1.125 million deal after next season, he's an RFA.
Depending upon what he does next season, he'll probably be in line for a raise.
But barring some absolutely ridiculous season, he's not going to cost you that much more going into next off season.
He'll probably be in line for a raise because he does seem to fit well here.
He does seem to be figuring it out.
and if he can keep that positive momentum going forward,
you'll have to pay him a little bit more,
but it's not going to make or break your cap situation.
So end of the day,
if I got to give Elmer Soderblom a grade for his time in Pittsburgh,
it's going right along with the theme of our season in review from this year.
And it's giving players you didn't expect a really good grade.
I got to give them a nice solid A.
Yeah, A minus somewhere around there.
He was way better than I expected him to be.
So great job from him.
I also really like his net front play.
That was a really underrated aspect of his game as well.
Just showcase some really soft hands around the front of the net,
some really nice moves as well.
So that's another part of his game that I liked.
His underlines, again, only 20 games,
225 minutes of 5 on 5 ice time.
They're a bit mixed by.
I expect that to go up next year,
plus three goal differential,
about 48% of the expected goals share, 48% of the scoring chances,
but above water and high danger chances for it 50.5%
and then 58% for high danger goals for.
So I expect his expected goal share and the scoring chance share
to personally go up next season,
playing next to someone like Ben Kendall,
Justin Brazzo, if he is also still on this team and he's not moved this summer,
I was a big fan of the way he played,
fit damn music system perfectly.
So for me, A, A minus, and I'm excited.
see what he can do in a full season next year before he potentially gets a raise.
You talked about that, Pat.
I think, you know, the raise that you're, you know, kind of hinting at maybe 2 million,
2.5 million, because he's only on a 1.1.25 million cap it right now before he's an RFA,
so they'll have team control over him.
He's not really slated to be a UFA until 2930.
So they still have plenty of time.
Yes, he is arbitration eligible for next year, but don't think it's going to have to get
to that point.
especially if it has a good year, probably in the $2.2.5 million range in terms of a raise,
as of right now, at least that can change. But that's the way I see it.
Really nice opening stretch of games for Elmer Sotomblum. And I'm really excited.
I'm excited to see what he can do next year.
To your point, it really does help too that the penguins have an obscene amount of cap space
and really nobody right now that's in line for any sort of massive payday.
So if you got to throw Elmer Soderblom 2.25 million for a couple of years,
it's not going to derail your plans.
So hopefully he continues to develop,
but a very positive beginning to Elmer Sauter Blom's penguin's tenure,
we obviously will keep an eye on anything that happens with him.
We're going to keep our season and review series going all throughout this week
and throughout the month until we get through the roster.
but that is going to do it for our opening segment.
When we come back, wasn't a great weekend down on the farm for either team.
There's plenty of controversy and an elimination.
We're your place to hear about it.
So stick with us.
We're going to get into it when we come back right after this.
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we are once again.
Hunter. It was not a great weekend for the Penguins minor league teams.
The Wheeling Nailers, they bow out of the Kelly Cup playoffs in five games in the Eastern
Conference final. The Baby Penguins head to Toronto tonight down to nothing.
And we will get to the controversy in game two in just a little bit. But let's start with
the Wheeling Nailers are dearly departed who left the playoffs in the conference final.
They fought their asses off to keep the season alive on Friday night in game four.
Max Graham scores an overtime to get them the win, keep the season alive.
But that wouldn't last more than just a single day.
One day later on Saturday, Florida, they left no doubt winning six to one at West Banko Arena.
They score just 37 seconds into the game.
But the nailers, they hang tough.
They take that punch about five minutes later after they,
Everblade score. Nolan Renwick puts one in, but that would be it for our nailers.
Florida blitzes them in the second period, three goals in just about five minutes.
Not a whole lot you can do. Once again, Taylor Godier was solid for them over the weekend,
stops 32 of 34 on Friday, and then 21 of 27 on Saturday. But he was not alone in not having a great
game on Saturday on Saturday in game five so what can you do so one's tough for wheeling it's a
great season they made a lot of progress but the main point for us here on this show and it's
cold comfort to our friends down in west virginia the minor league teams they are playing meaningful
hockey which overall is very good for the system 100% and there's not much thing you can do
when you go up against a juggernaut like florida they've just been kicking everyone's ass
in these playoffs.
And unfortunately, they did it here as well, Pat.
I will be surprised at this point if they don't win the Kelly Cup final,
just with the way that they are playing.
You saw Wheeling try to, you know, start some stuff at the end of that game.
And, hey, they're upset.
They're emotional.
They know their season's about to end.
And they're trying to be like, hey, we're trying to take a chunk out of you guys going
into the offseason.
I understand it.
But I also want to say this.
if that was it for Taylor Godier and Wheeling,
and I personally do think it is
because I think the next stage of his development
is going up to Wilkesbury,
what a tenure it has been for him, Pat.
Just an outstanding career in the ECHL.
There are no two ways about it.
He was everything for the nailers.
He was created again this season,
930, same percent, well, 929 to be exact,
2.09 goals against average in the playoffs.
He was very, very good.
9-6-2, 9-22 save, 2.23 goals against average.
He gave them a chance to win every single night.
And if he's not there next year and again,
I think right now he's going to be in Wilkesbury as potentially the 1B.
I don't think he's going to be the full-time start,
but I think he's going to be there.
With that, just want to give him a round of applause for one hell of an ECHL career.
he is everything to that organization.
He did the right thing for the Nailers and for his career because he admitted early on that there was
frustrations about being back in the ECHL.
He figured he would be in line to get up to the HL.
Obviously, plans change, things change.
He changes his mindset and just decides, you know what, I'm going to go out, I'm going to play
as best I can.
I'm going to work on my game.
I'm going to improve and I'm going to do everything I can to become undeniable.
You brought up the numbers.
He leaves the nailers as one of the best goaltenders, not just in the ECHL,
but in that franchise's history.
He did everything that he could for the Wheeling Nailers.
And I'll tell you right now.
I'll get me the best, to be honest.
And I will tell you right now, having worked for that team,
having been in that community for multiple years,
that means something.
That means something to that down.
That means something to that fan base.
He will be a legend there.
He will be a player that fans talk about for years to come.
When I was down there, season ticket holders,
fans of that team would talk about,
especially the 2016 team and a couple of teams before that
in those players like they were gods.
Taylor Godier, absolutely going to join that group of players.
So hats off to him for a solid year.
I'm excited to see what he does next year into training camp and what he does to push to make it to the HL level.
Speaking of the AHL.
Now we got to talk about the controversial ending in game two in Wilkes-Bair.
Let's set the stage.
Overtime, the score is tied one-to-one.
Michael Posetta on the Marleys shoots the puck on net.
Murshov comes to the top of the crease to try to block her in away.
He bumps into Mark Johnstone, the puck goes into the net.
On the ice, it's rolled no goal.
A long review happens.
The call is reversed.
Toronto wins.
We go to Toronto down 2 to 0.
Here's the rub, Hunter.
They were not reviewing that for goaltender interference.
They were reviewing it to see if Johnstone punched the puck into the net,
which he did not.
The goal counts.
And this all comes from the,
incredible Tony Androquatus of inside
AHL hockey does a great job, great resource for the minor
leagues, you should follow him on Twitter, subscribe to his site,
it's worth every penny. Here's what he says. In the
HL, you cannot challenge for goaltender interference,
nor can the refs review goaltender interference. So here's the
thing. The baby penguins didn't get screwed per se, but they do end up
the victim of what is a really stupid system.
A very outdated system as well.
Like, how are you not able to review goalie interference?
Because honestly, Pat, that's also, if they were allowed,
what they should be looking at as well,
because there was some contact there.
If you watched that replay five, ten times like I did,
you can tell that there was some contact there
between Johnstone and Mershov.
I do think Mershov should have played it a little bit better,
in my opinion.
I don't really see the need to.
you know, stick your arm out in the way that he did.
But it was just a very weird, bizarre play that for the HL,
they need to update the rules a little bit.
You should be able to review goal interference because I think
Maryshov and then would have had a pretty good case there.
Outside of that play, Wilkesbury's goal scoring has just completely gone away to start
this series, which has now been the case in the playoffs.
They've been able to score goals at will.
You do have to give credit to the Marley's goaltender pat.
he has been really good in these playoffs, especially in this series.
He is matching Sergei Mershov blow for blow so far.
Don't get me wrong.
Mershom, I think, has been very good in these playoffs,
especially still in this series.
You mentioned how you wanted a little bit more from game one.
I wasn't as harsh on him.
Game two, he was splendid.
He was making a lot of really big saves when the game was still,
you know, really close to keep them in it,
buy them time for Tanner how to tie it.
Well, you know, that was the textbook, Tanner Hale goal, right in front of the net, cleaning up the garbage.
He's a rat for a reason.
I love watching him.
I hope that he's going to make a difference in the middle, six to bottom six for the Pittsburgh Penguins at some point here in the next year or two.
We'll have to see if there's a spot for him in the lineup.
But I like the way his development is going.
But the Marley's goaltender is standing on his head, doing a great job, really limiting Wilkesbury's attack.
And the Marley's are playing a frustrating system as well.
So that's also part of it.
Now, series shifts to Toronto.
Wilkesbury has been good on the road in the playoffs.
So can they find a way to get right back into it tonight?
That's going to be the question.
Harrison Brunick, you know, I feel like I'm on a broken record at this point.
He's been the best player in the playoffs for me for Wilkesbury.
By him, by a mile.
It's night and day what we saw from the first nine games of the NHL for him versus what you're seeing now.
And I know it's the HL, it's not the NHL, but he looks more relaxed, he looks more confident,
he's jumping into the play a lot more, he's defending better, his skating looks to be even more crisp.
Kirk McDonald and the rest of that staff are doing a really great job with his development.
And I think this should excite every Penguins fan everywhere.
So I wanted to kind of end it with there.
So those are some of my main thoughts from game two and just the series in general.
100%. This is, I don't want to say complete vindication for Kyle Dubus and the coaching staff and the developmental staff on Harrison Brunick because it's the thing I always say on this pod.
Some of these prospects, some of these draft picks and younger players, we're like we are as fans like little kid on Christmas.
We want to rip the packaging open and play with the toy right away, but we got to have some patience.
and everybody saw Kindle and Brunich make the team out of camp and thought,
here we go, game on, let's ride.
It was obvious.
Kindle was ready.
It was obvious Brunich was not.
And I don't want to, maybe I shouldn't say obvious that Brunich was not.
He had some flaws.
He had some positives.
And it would have been easy for the penguins to go, you know what?
Let's let them work on it here.
Let's let him work on it in the NHL.
And they made the right call to send him back to junior, let him dominate down there.
and now he is dominated with the baby penguins throughout this playoff run.
So it looks like they made the right call on Harrison Brunick.
Yeah.
And you're right about the Marleys.
Actyamov in net has been sublime.
He has been really good.
There is a side of it like you said where the baby penguins offense has dried up.
A lot of it is thanks to Act the Amov just holding the fort down because it was a mirror
image or not a mirror image it was a photo negative from game one to game two the penguins in game one
they got a lot of shots they didn't really threaten but act the armov made the saves game two
didn't get as many shots but they threatened a lot in act the arm of was there to make saves their
defense was there to block shots so toronto is doing a really good job in front of him and i'll say
this the thing that sucks about the game two loss is
Hirashov's going to get remembered for making a bit of a baffling decision in that game winner,
which otherwise he played a great game.
He made a lot of huge saves, was solid throughout.
But as it happens in the playoffs, one bad decision swings the entire game.
So this is huge for the baby penguins.
They go back to Toronto for hopefully three games,
the first being tonight at 7 o'clock,
they will look to get into the wind column against the Toronto Marleys.
And they're going to have to because staring down 3-0 would make this a lot more difficult than it needs to be.
But obviously, with the nailers out, which sucks, gives us one less thing to keep our eye on,
but we will be keeping our eye on the baby penguins in the AHL's Eastern Conference final.
We'll have an update for you on the Tuesday edition to let you know what happens between the Penguins in Marley's tonight.
So make sure you're subscribed.
Make sure you're following us on social media.
That way we can be your spot to get all of those updates on these penguins prospects.
But that is going to do it for this middle segment.
When we come back, Hunter, I think Canada might have some problems.
we're going to talk about that when we come back right after this.
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We're closing out the Monday edition of Locked-on Penguins.
Thank you so much for hanging out with us on another gorgeous day in Pittsburgh or wherever you are.
Patrick Damp right alongside Hunter Hodes.
And I'll finish our final segment with a simple question.
and then I will give it context.
Is Sidney Crosby washed?
Team Canada coming home from the world championships,
just like their American counterparts,
empty-handed after they lose in the semi-finals to Finland
on Saturday, 4 to 2,
and then Sunday in the bronze medal game,
they lose 3 to 2 in overtime to Norway.
With that said, congratulations to Norway.
Yes.
who get their first ever medal at an I-IHF event.
So congratulations to them.
That is a monumental achievement for that country's hockey program.
Finland, they took home the gold with a 1-0 overtime win over Switzerland.
Now, Hunter, I joke.
I laugh about saying is Sidney Crosby washed and, oh, Canada,
and oh, no, Canada and all that good stuff.
but Crosby was held off the score sheet in both of those games.
Well, we're not going to sit here and click-paid people with stupid washed arguments.
I know you were just messing around.
Yes.
You know, but I think with Canada, that's crazy because I felt for sure they were going to win gold in this event as we get more serious in this conversation.
Now, it's always fun to joke about stuff, especially Team Canada with hockey and all that.
But in all seriousness, I'm stunned that they walked away empty-handed from this tournament.
I know Finland was playing really well going into that semifinal,
but I still felt at the end of the day, at the end of the day,
excuse me, the candle was going to win that game just with the way that they were rolling,
the roster that they brought.
Congrats to Finland, though.
They win that game.
And then they win the gold medal game, won nothing in overtime.
Awesome stuff for Finland.
I want to shout out Sasha Barkov as well.
misses the entire season, comes the World Championships,
and absolutely lights it up for his country.
Dude is a legend for Finland and obviously the Four Panthers as well.
That's going to give him a lot of momentum going into the all season.
And then also pure heartbreak for Switzerland,
that's three straight gold medal game losses for them.
We'll see if the fourth time is the charm next season for them.
But going back to Canada, they lose that game to Finland.
Okay, I was like they're playing Norway.
and I know Norway pushed them in the preliminaries, Pat.
That was a great back-and-forth 6-5 game,
but I still felt that, okay, Canada's probably going to win runs here.
I like the tournament that Norway has had,
but I still think Canada is going to win
when you look at the talent disparity on each roster.
Nope, Norway said, hell of that,
we're going to play very plucky,
and we're going to play very stingy,
and they did a great job on a lot of team Canada's top players,
and they were able to win that game three,
and overtime. Congratulations to them.
And that's another reason why I like this tournament, Pat.
It gets these other countries in the spotlight, excuse me, more, like Norway, for example.
Not a lot of people who are thinking about them going into the tournament here.
More people are now that they won bronze, especially going into the 2027 world championships
and potentially other competitions as well.
Really nice job for them.
Sydney Crosby, I'll get back to a joke here.
Maybe he can stop going to the world championships now, right?
Again, I joke, this is obviously very good for his conditioning, his offseason plan,
because he's now going to get into his training and all that good stuff.
I just had to crack the joke that it's been two straight years, Sid,
maybe you don't need to go back now.
Yeah, but you also know what a psychopath that he is.
Yeah.
Losing now, he is going to go until he either wins again or dies.
There is no middle.
He is the embodiment of the annoying TikTok faux motivation sound of it's not over until I win.
So he's just going to keep going back as long as he can until he puts a gold around his own neck.
So I'm also stunned at this.
I looked at that.
I said it on the show.
I looked at the Canadian roster.
And I was like, yeah, this team ain't screwing around.
Like they're upset that they have not done well.
over the past couple of years on the international stage.
So they're bringing every big gun they have at their disposal to get back on top.
And unfortunately for them does not pan out.
And the thing I want to expand on a little bit here, Hunter, is I completely agree
with what you said about what this tournament does for some of these countries.
I said it on your other show with the hockey news, Pucks and at with our good friend Kelsey Sirmats,
The thing that this tournament does, and we know the value of the Olympics, we know the value of things like the World Cup and the Four Nations face off and all of that good stuff.
But that is the peak.
That is the top of the top.
And we know for the most part what countries are going to finish near the top.
They're going to medal.
They're going to be in the medal rounds.
They're going to be in the finals, whatever bracket they come up with.
but tournaments like this inspire smaller countries to build their hockey program.
So when you see these Switzerland, when you see countries like Switzerland in Norway,
and even Finland to an extent, as good as Finland is,
and they get victories in these tournaments,
especially over the big hockey countries, your Sweden's,
your canadas, your USA's, there's going to be.
people in that country who see that happen and think, I want to be on the team that does that
the next time around.
So the world championships to us here in North America may be a little, you didn't go to
you didn't make it far in the Stanley Cup playoffs or you didn't make the playoffs, go play
in your little world championships.
But for the rest of the world, it helps grow the sport.
Yeah, it's also kind of like a proving ground for some of these players.
They're also pat trying to get NHL contracts like NHL teams in.
downing staffs, they look at this tournament as a way to really scout some players who maybe
are not getting enough love, just using that as an example.
I'd be like, hey, we see something here the way that he is playing on such a big stage.
Maybe we can sign him to, you know, a one way or a two-way contract, a one or two-year contract,
somewhere along there where we can bring him into our system, see how he does in the
HL, maybe promote him to the NHL, something like that.
So I also think the World Championships, it's a way to really look at players who could be ready to make the jump to the HL slash NHL that maybe aren't getting enough love from other people.
You know, Switzerland, you know, they've been building for a while now.
And that's a country that, you know, they've done obviously well at the World Championships.
I like even their Olympic roster with how strong it has gotten over the last few years.
And they're only going to keep building as well.
And I hope we do see the same now for Norway that they were able to win.
bronze great accomplishment for them congratulations to that country all their players that was awesome
but now that's over we have the sandlin cup final and we're going to preview that tomorrow
because as boring as it's probably going to be of a series i still think the hockey sicko
with me is like i'm going to watch every second of this because i love the tactics part of the
game and i think you're going to see a lot of that in the series you're damn right and that is a
good way good place for us to end the monday edition of locked on penguins
As Hunter said, we will have our Stanley Cup final preview as well as an update on the locked on penguins bracket challenge.
We'll continue our season and review series.
And we will recap game three of Baby Penguins versus Marley's on the Tuesday edition.
So once more, make sure you're subscribed.
Make sure you're following us on social media so you can be among the first to know when we drop those episodes.
But for now, for Hunter Hodes, I am Patrick Damp.
Thank you, as always, for tuning in.
And we will talk to you again on Tuesday.
