Detroit Red Wings: 3 newcomers to track in Thursday’s season opener
By Bob Heyrman
Mathias Brome
The Detroit Red Wings will never shy away from giving a European player that has flown under the radar a shot at the NHL level. Insert Damien Brunner. Brunner, the Swiss-product, recorded 12 goals and 26 points in 44 games with the Red Wings and tried his luck with the New Jersey Devils before heading back to the Swiss-League where he still competes at 34 years old.
It’s kind of funny how things change. If Swedish forward Mathias Brome were able to score 12 goals and total somewhere between 25-30 points in 56 games this season, most of us would be ecstatic.
General manager Steve Yzerman took a flier on Brome last April, signing the undrafted 26-year old winger to a one-year deal. After a strong showing in back-to-back seasons playing in the SweHL league with Orebro HK followed by a good training camp in Detroit over the past couple of weeks, Brome is on the opening night roster slated to start his NHL career on Detroit’s third line.
Brome is expected to start playing alongside veterans Sam Gagner and Valtteri Filppula.
This past Winter, Brome recorded four goals, 16 assists, totaling 20 points in 23 games. Brome projects as more of a set-up man, similar to Filppula, so I certainly hope Gagner has a reliable crop of sticks ready to go because someone needs to shoot on that line, and all signs point to him.