Nils Lundkvist Wins Lars-Erik Sjoberg Award
Award is given annually to the Rangers’ top rookie in training camp
Defenseman Nils Lundkvist has been selected as the New York Rangers’ top rookie in training camp, as selected by the media.
OFFICIAL: #NYR defenseman Nils Lundkvist has been named this year’s winner of the Lars-Erik Sjoberg Award, which is given annually to the top Rangers rookie in Training Camp as selected by the media. pic.twitter.com/bNl5GfuTm8
— New York Rangers (@NYRangers) October 11, 2021
From the press release:
In the preseason opener against the Islanders on Sept. 26, Lundkvist was one of two Rangers (Adam Fox) to skate in over 20 minutes with 21:11 TOI. On Oct. 1 in New Jersey, Lundkvist found his way on the scoresheet with an assist on fellow Swede, Mika Zibanejad’s goal. Playing in the second of a back-to-back on Oct. 2, in Boston, Lundkvist helped lead the Rangers to their overtime win with two assists in the first period of that game. For his final act of the preseason, Lundkvist recorded a shot in 18:44 minutes of ice time in the Blueshirts’ 6-2 win against New Jersey at Madison Square Garden
The Rangers’ rearguard notched three assists in four preseason games, and stood out in a positive way on the blue line. Lundkvist came into camp as a the favorite to win the right defense spot on the third pair, and overcame competition that include other top prospects such as Braden Schenider and Zac Jones.
The Lars-Erik Sjoberg Award was first presented in 1988, and it honors the memory of Lars-Erik Sjoberg, who was the Rangers chief European scout for eight years. Recent winners of this award include Filip Chytil, Lias Andersson, and Adam Fox.
