The Arizona Coyotes, before they became the Utah Hockey Club, selected Victor Soderstrom in the first round (11th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft. During the 2024-25 season, Utah traded him to the Blackhawks along with Aku Raty and the contract of Shea Weber for a fifth-round pick in 2026.
Now, the Blackhawks have flipped the rights to Soderstrom to the Boston Bruins in exchange for a 2025 seventh-round pick and defenseman Ryan Mast.
Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) on X🔔we’ve got a Friday afternoon trade
📰 ➡︎ https://t.co/u1Zm3Eag36
Before turning pro with the Providence Bruins (AHL) and Maine Mariners (ECHL), Mast played major junior hockey for the Sarnia Sting of the OHL. When he was there, he showed some offensive talent, but it hasn’t translated to the pro level.
The Rockford IceHogs will try their hand at getting more out of him in 2205-26 now. At 6’5″ and 220 lbs, he’s a big boy. He’ll fit right in with some of the larger players that Rockford will have on the back-end.
The Blackhawks probably weren’t signing Soderstrom anyway, so getting another defenseman looking to get something out of their pro hockey career, along with a draft pick, makes sense. This is an organizational depth trade at this time.
Mast is a tad bit younger than Soderstrom, who has made his NHL debut. In 53 NHL games played, Soderstrom has one goal and ten assists for 11 points. On the defensive side of things, there is a lot to be desired based on his draft status. Time will tell if this trade pays dividends for either the Blackhawks or Bruins.
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