| STORIES |
- Saturday, June 25, 2011: First glance: 2011 draft
- Sunday, June 26, 2011: ‘Tools are there’ for mobile Backman
- Wednesday, December 21, 2011: Emerging Jensen explodes for rare hat trick
- Tuesday, January 3, 2012: Red Wings prospects grab WJC spotlight
- Wednesday, January 11, 2012: Quine’s quickness shines in Peterborough
- Tuesday, January 17, 2012: Backman’s two-way play leaves big impression
- Wednesday, October 10, 2012: Backman’s minutes on the rise in Sweden
- Wednesday, January 30, 2013: Shades of Edler in Red Wings’ Backman
|
| HISTORY |
2010-11
- Spent most of season at Swedish J-20 SuperElit level with Linkoping (27-2-18-20).
- Also appeared in six Swedish Elite League games with Linkoping but did not record a point.
- Didn’t get much exposure to scouts due to absence from Swedish national teams.
- Selected in the fifth round (146th overall) by the Red Wings in the 2011 draft.
|
2011-12
- Quickly became Swedish Elite League regular with Linkoping (42-1-7-8, plus-7, 60 shots).
- Finished sixth among Linkoping defensemen with 16:21 TOI per game, credited with just four hits.
- Won a gold medal with Sweden at the IIHF world junior championship (6-0-3-3, plus-5, 14 shots).
- Started the WJC as a spare and finished it logging top-pairing minutes in all situations.
|
2012-13
- Returned to Linkoping for second Swedish Elite League campaign.
- Emerged as top-three defender along with ex-NHLers Magnus Johansson and Niclas Havelid.
- Finished eighth among Swedish Elite League defensemen in scoring (52-2-24-26, 67 SOG, plus-5).
- Averaged 20:06 per night, third on team, but had just five hits, lowest on team among regulars.
- Helped Linkoping go two rounds in Swedish Elite League playoffs (10-2-4-6, 15 SOG, plus-6).
- Saw time with Swedish national team during season but didn’t crack IIHF world championship roster.
|
| SCOUT COMMENTS |
| “He’s close to 6-foot-3 and he’s very mobile, he thinks the game well, he keeps the game simple, he has a very good first pass, and he can also skate the puck out of trouble. He’s a good defenseman.” — Red Wings director of European scouting Hakan Andersson (June 2011) … “The thing we liked most is that his skating ability is very, very good, and he’s always skating with his head up and making the right play at the right time and not over-handling it. His decision-making under pressure was very good. He played a very solid and steady game defensively and he’s always in the right position at the right time. He’s not a heavy banging defenseman but he can separate his man from the puck. He just puts himself in the right position and makes people go into bad areas.” — Red Wings scout Mark Leach (January 2012) … “He’s Alexander Edler, that’s how he looks to me. He’s surprising everybody. He’s coming along very nicely. He’s good-sized, he’s really mobile, he’s playing with more confidence, he’s joining the rush more, he’s more comfortable skating the puck out of his own end when he has to. Everything he does is with more authority.” — Andersson (October 2012). |
| STRENGTHS |
| Extremely smooth on his skates with outstanding mobility in all directions … Veteran-like poise and vision, with the ability to lead the breakout with a crisp, smart first pass … Safe and steady, making few mistakes … Positions himself well defensively … At almost six-foot-three, has what scouts call a “projectable frame,” meaning he should have NHL size if he fills out. |
| WEAKNESSES |
| Doesn’t wow you in any individual area and lacks the dynamic element to be a high-end prospect … Tall but very slender without much strength … Finesse player who is not even remotely physical — he has been credited with almost no hits in Swedish Elite League play.
|
| PROJECTION |
| The Red Wings were always impressed with Backman’s mobility and two-way smarts combined with decent size. But in two Swedish Elite League seasons, the 2011 fifth-round pick has blossomed into a top three defenseman for Linkoping and is among the country’s top 10 defense scorers. He’ll return to the Swedish Elite League with Linkoping in 2013-14 and the Red Wings hope he’ll challenge for a spot on Sweden’s roster at the 2014 IIHF world championship. |
Player statistics powered by www.eliteprospects.com
| Season |
Team |
League |
GP |
G |
A |
TP |
PIM |
|
Playoffs |
GP |
G |
A |
TP |
PIM |
| 2007-2008 |
Linköping J18 |
J18 Elit |
21 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
14 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2008-2009 |
Östergötland |
TV-Pucken |
5 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
6 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Linköping J18 |
J18 Elit |
16 |
3 |
3 |
6 |
4 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Linköping J18 |
J18 Allsvenskan |
14 |
2 |
5 |
7 |
12 |
| |
Playoffs |
1 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| |
Linköping J20 |
SuperElit |
2 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2009-2010 |
Linköping J18 |
J18 Allsvenskan |
2 |
2 |
1 |
3 |
4 |
| |
Playoffs |
3 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
| |
Linköping J20 |
SuperElit |
33 |
4 |
5 |
9 |
38 |
| |
Playoffs |
6 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
10 |
| |
Linköping |
Elitserien |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Sweden U18 (all) |
International-Jr |
6 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
0 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2010-2011 |
Linköping J20 |
SuperElit |
27 |
2 |
18 |
20 |
34 |
| |
Playoffs |
3 |
0 |
2 |
2 |
4 |
| |
Linköping |
Elitserien |
6 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Linköping |
ET |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
4 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Mjölby HC |
Division 1 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
3 |
2 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Sweden U18/19 |
WJAC-19 |
4 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Sweden U19 (all) |
International-Jr |
7 |
2 |
3 |
5 |
4 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2011-2012 |
Linköping J20 |
SuperElit |
6 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
0 |
| |
Playoffs |
6 |
2 |
6 |
8 |
4 |
| |
Linköping |
Elitserien |
42 |
1 |
7 |
8 |
14 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Linköping |
ET |
5 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
6 |
| |
Playoffs |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Sweden U20 |
WJC-20 |
6 |
0 |
3 |
3 |
4 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Sweden U20 (all) |
International-Jr |
14 |
0 |
9 |
9 |
6 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Sweden (all) |
International |
4 |
0 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2012-2013 |
Linköping |
Elitserien |
52 |
2 |
24 |
26 |
34 |
| |
Playoffs |
10 |
2 |
4 |
6 |
4 |
| |
Linköping |
ET |
7 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
4 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Sweden |
EHT |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
Sweden (all) |
International |
5 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| 2013-2014 |
Linköping |
Elitserien |
- |
- |
- |
- |
- |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Player statistics © www.eliteprospects.com
