Söderblom Making Opening Day Roster Should Be a Surprise to No One

Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty ImagesWe really should’ve seen him coming. No, not just because he’s a monster of a man at 6’8” and 246 pounds. We should’ve seen Elmer Söderblom’s meteoric rise up the Red Wings prospect ranks coming for a long time, and his making the opening night 23-man roster should come as no shock.

It’s wild to say that about a sixth-round pick who was taken just three years ago. It’d be a safe bet that most sixth-round picks over the last 20 years didn’t make the NHL by age 21. And yet, Söderblom skipping over the AHL entirely to start his American career in Detroit isn’t that surprising. That is if you’ve been paying attention to the young Swede’s growth as a player…