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Flyers sign defenseman Linus Hogberg to entry-level deal; still trying to lure Wyatt Kalynuk

The 21-year old Swedish defenseman became the eighth member of the Flyers' 2016 draft class to sign with the organization.

Flyers assistant GM Brent Flahr said newly-signed defenseman Linus Hogberg still has work to do when it comes to getting stronger, “but he’s pretty mobile and sound defensively. The best part of his game is probably his transition and getting the puck up ice out of the defensive zone.” (AKIRA SUWA / For The Inquirer)
Flyers assistant GM Brent Flahr said newly-signed defenseman Linus Hogberg still has work to do when it comes to getting stronger, “but he’s pretty mobile and sound defensively. The best part of his game is probably his transition and getting the puck up ice out of the defensive zone.” (AKIRA SUWA / For The Inquirer)Read moreAKIRA SUWA

Two days before they would have lost his rights, the Flyers signed puck-moving defenseman Linus Hogberg to an entry-level contract on Saturday.

The two-year contract has an annual cap hit of $925,000, according to CapFriendly.com. The deal starts in 2020-21.

“He still has to put on some weight and get stronger,” assistant general manager Brent Flahr said about the 6-foot-1, 176-pound Hogberg. “But he’s pretty mobile and sound defensively. The best part of his game is probably his transition and getting the puck up ice out of the defensive zone.”

Hogberg, 21, who is from Stockholm, Sweden, was selected by the Flyers in the fifth round (139th overall) of the 2016 draft. He has spent parts of five seasons playing in the Swedish Hockey League, the country’s top division.

He is expected to play for the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms next season.

After making his SHL debut in 2015-16, Hobgerg had nine goals and 34 points in 181 games, and he helped Vaxjo win the 2018 national championship. This season, he had 14 points and a minus-14 rating in 50 games for Vaxjo.

When the Flyers selected Hogberg in 2016, then-general manager Ron Hextall called him the team’s “sleeper” of the draft.

Hogberg, who represented Sweden in the 2018 World Junior Championships, became the eighth member of the Flyers’ 2016 draft class to sign with the organization. The others: German Rubtsov (first round); Pascal Laberge (second round); Carter Hart (second round); Wade Allison (second round); Carsen Twarynski (third round); Connor Bunnaman (fourth round); and Tanner Laczynski (sixth round).

Flahr said the Flyers are still negotiating with offensive-minded defenseman Wyatt Kalynuk, their seventh-round selection from the 2017 draft. The promising Kalynuk, 23, has decided to forego his senior season at Wisconsin, so he can become a free agent later this summer.

The 6-1, 180-pound Kalynuk was an all-Big Ten selection this past season after collecting 28 points, including seven goals, in 36 games.