Knights On Ice’s 2020-21 preseason Golden Knights Top 25 Under 25 series ranks the top 25 players under the age of 25 currently in Vegas’ system. The KOI staff created their own Top 25 Under 25 ballots. Each individual writer’s ballot was then used to generate a composite score that forms the final ballot.
Continuing our Top 25 Under 25 series of promising young players in the Vegas Golden Knights’ system for the 2021 season, Jonas Rondbjerg, a forward with the Henderson Silver Knights, opens up the list at the No. 25 spot.
Jonas Rondbjerg
- Position: LW
- Age: 21
- Currently playing: Henderson Silver Knights/Rungsted Seier Capital (Denmark)
- Nationality: Danish/
Rondbjerg, a third-round pick in Vegas’ first ever draft class, had some expectations to meet heading into last season. He was ranked No. 10 on this list last September. He had played a large chunk of the season with Vaxjo in the SHL as a teenager and made an impact in the World Juniors, which not many Danish players do.
And then he got hurt in one of his first shifts in the AHL. He missed the entire season from that point on, and he has played just two games (of 27) in Denmark so far this season. Injuries are becoming a problem for what was once a promising prospect.
Rondbjerg’s 15-spot descent is thus explained by health concerns.
But he’s still a prospect with the ability to make a difference offensively:
The last shot of development camp was a shootout winner from Jonas Rondbjerg. #VegasBorn pic.twitter.com/U30YeqpeOp
— Jesse Granger (@JesseGranger_) June 30, 2018
Jonas Rondbjerg (#5, VGK 2017 3rd round) picks up his second assist in his second game in the Danish Metal League after spending a year recovering from an injury in the AHL. #VegasBorn #VGKProspects pic.twitter.com/ELimwHh9Tu
— Jack Manning (@NHLJackManning) December 30, 2020
But Rondbjerg will earn minutes in the AHL this season not because of that offensive potential but because of his two-way game. He’ll look to be a bottom-six forward for Henderson in the club’s first two seasons, as he signed a three-year deal in the summer of 2019.
Rondbjerg has had to shake rust off in the Danish league this season. Injured in October of 2019, Rondbjerg hadn’t played hockey in more than a year. Yet he still has the size to be an effective player in both ends of the ice and a skill set that could impress when the AHL drops the puck on Feb. 5.
To improve his standing in these rankings, Rondbjerg will need to show up offensively and stay healthy.