If you don’t know much about Vegas Golden Knights third-round-pick Jonas Rondbjerg, we don’t blame you. Had he not been selected by Vegas, there’s a good chance you would never have had reason to know his name (at least not in the foreseeable future, he’s still pretty raw).
But, he was selected by the Golden Knights. It is our job to research and pass along the information so you can tell your friends all about this prospect fresh out of Denmark.
Wow them with your in-depth knowledge of this 6-foot-1, 194-pound winger.
Like Erik Brannstrom, Rondbjerg is a Swedish Hockey League product having played most of his 2016-17 campaign in the Växjö Lakers HC organization at the J18, J20, and SHL levels (junior hockey and men’s pro leagues). He played well offensively at the J20 level putting up 31 points in 42 games, but he failed to get on the board in five SHL games.
He also played 22 games for Denmark in international competition where he had 11 goals and 21 points at all levels.
These are not flashy numbers, which is likely why he was a third-round pick, but they are solid. And you can’t ask for much more from a 17-year-old playing against players who can be anywhere from a year to three older than him.
That was before playing in Denmark’s U17, U20, and their pro hockey leagues. And this is where this prospect gets interesting.
Rondbjerg was 15-years old at the time. You read that right. He was so good that the Nordsjaelland Cobras organization put a 15-year-old player on a men’s league team.
In 2014-15 as a 15-16-year-old, he had 35 points in six games on the U17 team, he then moved to the Denmark’s 2nd division pro league, scoring 14-points in 11 games before moving up to the top pro league. There he scored three goals and added an assist in 30 games.
He is said to have high hockey IQ and “excellent instincts”, though it must be said that these phrases come up a lot in scouting. He’s a strong skater and is said to have very good balance and maneuverability. He is a skilled player who plays a very strong two-way game. He’s responsible on the defensive end, has very good instincts and skills through the neutral zone, and competent in the offensive zone.
Though not a flashy player, or the type of high-potential, high-level prospect like some of the others, he’s definitely a prospect to keep an eye on going forward. He’s played against men most of his hockey playing career and that can only bode well for his hopeful transition to the North American pro game.