Wisborg Wisdoms

 After the move to the Swedish mainland it gives a chance to see some SHL action. Living in Malmö it is time to see some live hockey from an NHL farm league.

Yesterday I went to scout at a heated derby between the two most southern SHL teams in Sweden, Malmö-Rögle. Malmö is a so-so team and has not shown much life in about 20 years while Rögle comes from a small market but has big success in recent years. Rögle has historically had a good success at development talents while Malmö usually revert to buy finished products.

So this big southern derby filled the stadium to the max. It was a remarkable big crowd from the visiting team, who loves to beat up Malmö. To spice it up Malmö has two Donut-prospects so was also a scouting trip to Malmö Arena, to see Nicola Pasic (NHL draft 2019 #189) and Dominik Badinka (NHL draft 2024 #34).

The crowd was up to it and the teams were at it from start, with 3 goals in the first 5 min of the game. The visitors Rögle took the lead three times during the game to see Malmö tie it up each time. The game ended 3-3 at end of regulation and went to shoot out where Malmö was cooler in front of the exited crowd. Ending score 4-3 to Malmö, a long awaited derby win.

Nicola Pasic (F) scored the second tying goal from his wing. A nice toe drag around the defender and a top shelf shot was a treat. Nicola is a good skater and a good stick handler. A bit undersized at 5 10 but that is showing less and less importance. He is now 24 years old and is drafted by New Jersey. He will surely be a top line player in Sweden in a few years but will have to step up a bit further to have a chance to get to the NHL, but he could be a nice fit in New Jersey if he is given a shot.

Dominik Badinka (D) is a young defender at 18 years old. He plays top minutes in a second pairing. He is a good passer, good skater and offensive instincts. He could use some more muscle and use his body more as many young defenders. He will be NHL ready in about 5 years. He is drafted by Carolina and might have a challenge to crack the line up there, but they drsfted him high so they probably have faith.