Canadiens, Adam Engström Agree To Entry-Level Deal
03/05/2024 15:28
10:51 a.m.: Engström’s ELC does not contain a European assignment clause, Radio-Canada’s Marc Antoine Godin reports. He also does not have a valid contract with an SHL club for next season. If he doesn’t make the Canadiens’ roster out of camp, he’ll spend the season with AHL Laval.
8:28 a.m.: The Canadiens have agreed to terms on a three-year entry-level contract with 2022 third-round pick Adam Engström, per a team announcement. The Swedish defenseman could now see his first North American action next season.
Engström, 20, spent the 2023-24 season with Rögle BK of the Swedish Hockey League, where he posted four assists in 15 playoff games in their run to the league championship series as the ninth seed. In the regular season, he took a step forward from last year’s solid rookie showing, posting four goals, 18 assists, 22 points and a -10 rating in 51 games.
The 6’2″ left-shot defender is part of a surplus of young defenders in Montreal. He becomes the tenth U-23 defender under contract with the Canadiens. Of that group, only he, 2023 fifth-overall pick David Reinbacher and 2021 late-round choice William Trudeau didn’t see NHL games this season.
He projects as a more offensively-minded blue liner, lighting up the Swedish junior circuit in his limited action in 2022-23 with 13 points in seven games. Most of that campaign was spent getting his first lengthy stint in the pros, recording 16 points and a -7 rating in 43 games for a strong rookie showing. Engström was also named to Sweden’s roster for the 2024 World Juniors, where he posted a goal and two assists with a +6 rating in seven games.
Engström’s ELC will cover him through the 2026-27 season, after which he’ll be a restricted free agent. With two professional seasons under his belt overseas, he could challenge for an opening-night roster spot next year, but an assignment to AHL Laval is more likely, with many other young defenders on the cusp challenging for roles. A loan back to the SHL is unlikely but not ruled out.
