| Stian Solberg | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 29, 2005, Oslo, Norway |
| Height Weight |
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb) |
| Position | Defence |
| Shoots | Left |
| NHL team (P) Cur. team F. teams |
Anaheim Ducks Färjestad BK (SHL) Vålerenga Ishockey |
| Ntl. team |  Norway
|
| NHL Draft | 23rd overall, 2024 Anaheim Ducks |
| Playing career | 2021–present |
Stian Solberg (born December 29, 2005) is a Norwegian professional ice hockey defenceman for Färjestad BK of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) as a prospect to the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 23rd overall by the Ducks in the 2024 NHL entry draft, becoming the second Norwegian ever selected in the first round, following Michael Brandsegg-Nygård eight picks earlier in the same draft.
Playing career[]
Solberg grew up playing soccer, and began playing hockey at a rink adjacent to the soccer field. He began playing defence at 14, when a teammate urinated in the shower and the coach gave Solberg his roster spot as punishment.[1] Playing his junior career with Vålerenga Ishockey, he made his debut with their senior club in the EliteHockey Ligaen (EHL) as a fifteen-year-old.[2]
In the 2022–23 season, Solberg recorded a goal and three assists in 18 EHL games. He was selected 96th overall by the Regina Pats in the 2023 Canadian Hockey League (CHL) import draft.[3] Despite being drafted into the CHL and receiving offers from multiple Swedish clubs, Solberg chose to remain in Norway for the 2023–24 season, signing a one-year contract with Vålerenga.[4]
In the regular season, he recorded 15 points in 42 games, adding nine points in 17 playoff games on a run to the league finals.[1] In April 2024, he signed a two-year contract with Färjestad BK of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).[5] Entering the 2024 NHL entry draft, Solberg stood out for his elite physicality, fluid skating, and aggressive yet patient play.[6] Initially seen as a fringe choice to be picked in the first round, his projection improved dramatically in the months leading up to the draft, and by the month of the draft he was seen as a potential top-15 pick.[7][8] He would ultimately be selected 23rd overall by the Anaheim Ducks, becoming the second Norwegian ever selected in the first round, after former Vålerenga teammate Michael Brandsegg-Nygård was taken 15th overall that same day.[9] He signed an entry-level contract with the Ducks on July 5.[10]
International play[]
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Competitor for Norway
| ||
| Men's ice hockey | ||
| World Junior Championship | ||
| Bronze | 2022 Norway | Division I Group A |
Making his World Championship debut at the Norway at the 2024 World Championship,[2] Solberg was the youngest player at the tournament.[11] In a lopsided 4–1 preliminary round loss to Canada that saw the Norwegians held without a shot for nearly 42 minutes, Solberg scored the team's lone goal.[12] He would finish the tournament with two goals and an assist and be named one of Norway's top three players at the event.[13]
Career statistics[]
Regular season and playoffs[]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2021–22 | Vålerenga | NOR U20 | 11 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Vålerenga | NOR | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Vålerenga | NOR U20 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | Vålerenga | NOR | 18 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Vålerenga | NOR | 42 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 47 | 17 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 35 | ||
| NOR totals | 71 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 59 | 17 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 35 | ||||
International[]
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Norway | WJC (Div IA) | 
|
5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
| 2023 | Norway | U18 | 9th | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| 2024 | Norway | WJC | 10th | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| 2024 | Norway | WC | 11th | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | |
| Junior totals | 16 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 14 | ||||
| Senior totals | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | ||||
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Mark Masters: Hard-hitting Stian Solberg poised to make history for Norway at NHL draft (June 14, 2024).
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Tio talanger att hålla ögonen på under hockey-VM (sv) (May 9, 2024).
- ↑ Pats Make Pair Of Selections In 2023 CHL Import Draft (July 5, 2023).
- ↑ Jättetalangen nobbar Färjestad – stannar i Norge: "Blir kvar" (sv) (April 27, 2023).
- ↑ Välkommen till Färjestad BK, Stian Solberg (sv) (April 24, 2024).
- ↑ Stian Solberg – 2024 NHL Draft Prospect Profile (May 16, 2024).
- ↑ Kings Should Target a Pair of Norwegians in Round One (June 11, 2024).
- ↑ Surging Solberg on 'crazy' Habs question, extra attention from Leafs (June 13, 2024).
- ↑ Norwegian history made as Stian Solberg and Michael Brandsegg-Nygård go in first round of 2024 NHL Draft (June 29, 2024).
- ↑ Ducks sign Stian Solberg to three-year, entry-level contract (July 5, 2024).
- ↑ Scoring streaks, and whatever else (May 22, 2024).
- ↑ Canada cruises past Norway (May 16, 2024).
- ↑ Solberg brings physical play, 'warrior soul' into 2024 NHL Draft. National Hockey League (June 22, 2024).
External links[]
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or ESPN.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Beckett Sennecke |
Anaheim Ducks first round draft pick 2024 |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Stian Solberg. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Ice Hockey Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License 3.0 (Unported) (CC-BY-SA). |