Filip Sveningsson might be the best Flames prospect nobody is talking about

The Calgary Flames have quite a few exciting players in their system. But tucked away in the Swedish junior and secondary pro circuits for the past couple of seasons, 2017 seventh round pick Filip Sveningsson has quietly put together a really exciting resume.

The season after being drafted, Sveningsson was a point-per-game player in Sweden’s SuperElit junior league and helped push HV71 to a league title. This past season he made the jump to the pros, playing a full season in Sweden’s secondary circuit – HockeyAllsvenskan – with IK Oskarshamn. He led the league in scoring by an under-20 player and helped Oscarshamn get promoted to the Swedish Hockey League. He turned 20 in July, with the only real blemish on his past couple seasons being a quiet World Juniors.

“I think I had a really good year as a first year pro,” assessed Sveningsson at Flames development camp. “Had a great group of guys, too. The promotion was such an unbelievable feeling. So tough to get promoted nowadays, too.”

Promotion to the SHL is tough. Oskarshamn finished second in the Allsvenskan, nine points behind first place AIK. Their reward was a grueling five game series for the league championship, followed by a seven game series against Timra IK (which needed five overtimes).

“It’s a funny way to get to the SHL,” said Sveningsson. “The whole team was so thrilled. The whole town exploded when we accomplished the promotion. Like I said, so excited.”

Next stop for Sveningsson is a full-time crack at Sweden’s top league – a natural progression in his step-by-step development plan that’s seen him play well in the top U20 league and the secondary pro league in successive seasons. Sveningsson has 13 SHL games under his belt from his 17 and 18-year-old seasons, but zero points. He’s hoping to change that stat line.

“I want to show that I can produce on that level, too,” said Sveningsson. “I know of course it’s going to be tougher, but I think I am ready to take that step. I want to be a producing guy, play tough, I want the whole package. I think it’s really important for me and I think I’m ready to take that step.”

The 2019-20 season is the final one on Sveningsson’s Swedish contact. He’s aware of the opportunities potentially available to him on the other side of the Atlantic, but he doesn’t want to rush his development – when he comes over to North America, he wants to be ready to contribute.

“I told Ray [Edwards, Flames director of player development] and the other guys in the staff that i don’t want to rush it,” said Sveningsson. “I think I gotta take it at my pace and not rush. There are many guys in my age this year that want to play SHL, because SHL compared to Allsvenskan is better on the paper, but I think for me to play in Allsvenskan it improved my offensive game a lot. I learned how to be smarter and producing against bigger guys, so I think that was the main thing for me.”