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The William Strömgren you saw in the first half of the 2023-24 season and the William Strömgren you saw in the second half of the season could almost be classified as two different players. It’s not uncommon for players to come to North America from their European roots and take some time to settle into the pace and the rink dimensions here. For Strömgren, the moment everything started to click into place was around the midway point of last season.
Strömgren’s stunning run during the Wranglers’ quest to clinch a playoff spot then his individual performance in the post-season caught the attention of the FlamesNation staff and landed him a spot at number eight in this year’s prospect rankings.

William Strömgren

Left Wing, Shoots Left
Born June 7, 2003 (age 21) in Ornskoldsvik, Sweden
6’3”, 185 lbs
Drafted in the second round (45th overall) by the Calgary Flames in the 2021 NHL Draft.
Prior to making his journey to the Flames organization, William Strömgren played for multiple Swedish teams across a variety of elite and super elite leagues. In his draft year alone, he played in six different teams including two that represented his home country on the International stage. Even in short spurts of time with teams around this time, Strömgren still found ways to be effective.
In his junior career, he played in the SHL and the J20 Nationell league for Brynas IF and Rogle BK. His standout year was in 2021-22 when he put up 36 points in 44 games with Rogle BK J20. In his most recent international representation, Strömgren played on Sweden’s U20 team for the World Juniors and earned an assist in seven games played.
After he was drafted in the second round of the NHL Draft in 2021, the Calgary Flames gave him some more time to develop back home before making the move to Canada. Strömgren signed his entry-level contract at the end of March 2023 and joined the Wranglers for the rest of the year on an amateur tryout. He played in two regular season games before the end of the year and was on the playoff roster but didn’t play in any of the post-season games.
Last season 23 out of Strömgren’s total 27 points were registered after Jan. 5. Before that, he had an assist in the season opener against the Manitoba Moose, an assist against the San Diego Gulls about a month later, then his first North American professional goal on Dec. 23 against the Colorado Eagles.
In playoffs last season, Strömgren had a huge highlight reel moment that will not be forgotten anytime soon. He has redefined the phrase, “The Strömgren Goal,” and that moment was captured to reflect on for the foreseeable future. Here is the goal if you have yet to see it yet.
Strömgren finished the 2023-24 regular season with seven goals and 20 assists in 68 games. This landed him eighth in team scoring. In playoffs, he played in all six games and registered four points in that run consisting of one goal and three assists. He had two multi-point games that racked up these points. One in game two against the Tucson Roadrunners and the other in game four against the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
FlamesNation’s Mike Gould commented on the turnaround he saw with Strömgren this year:
“William Strömgren turned me from a doubter into a believer with his play in the second half of the 2023-24 season. He looked every bit like a future NHL difference-maker in his games down the stretch, skating with a ton of confidence and using his impressive frame to protect the puck and open up space in the offensive zone. I was critical of the Flames’ decision to pick Strömgren over Logan Stankoven in 2021 and was disheartened by his performance in the Swedish ranks over his first two post-draft seasons, but what we saw from him with the Wranglers last winter and into the spring gave me hope that Strömgren could still turn into a strong middle-six winger at the NHL level. I absolutely feel Strömgren could play games with the Flames as soon as this coming season, and even if he doesn’t, he should still emerge as one of the top forward prospects in the AHL’s Pacific Division. I see a tiny bit of Pavel Buchnevich in the way he moves with the puck.”

Expectations for 2024-25

This could be a season for Strömgren to shine as a top five producer for the Wranglers. The adjustment to North America as a second home and a different style of hockey feels like it has mostly run its course. Now it’s time for the winger to settle into the game that caught the attention of the Flames organization in the first place.
Strömgren might not be the Wranglers’ top-line winger to start, but he certainly can make a case for himself to be near the top half of the lineup. The opportunities his teammates got last season should also motivate him to try and earn his first NHL call-up within the next season or so. There isn’t a large rush for Strömgren to be up with the Flames but he’s in the organization at the right time if he wants to get noticed. Hopefully, that comes with some other plays and goals we can buzz about for months after they take place.