Habs' fans hoping for a quick arrival of defenseman Mattias Norlinder in North America won't be getting their wish come next season. The 19-year-old has officially signed a one-year extension with his current team, MoDo Hockey of Sweden's HockeyAllsvenskan.
As we reported here earlier, this was not an unexpected move. MoDo Hockey has the opportunity to make the jump back to the SHL, Sweden's top-tier league, in the spring. The team was relegated to HockeyAllsvenskan for the 2016-17 season after losing a qualifying series, and it's been there since. The team will take part in another qualifying series in 2020 to see if it can make it back. If they win, Norlinder will make the jump to the SHL along with the rest of the team.
Norlinder was selected in the third round, 64th overall, in the 2019 entry draft. While not a high draft pick, Norlinder has elevated his play in the last couple of years, showing glimpses of the potential to be a successful offensive defenseman at the NHL level. This season he has six goals and 14 points in 28 games with MoDo. He will represent his home country at the World Junior Championship taking place in the Czech Republic over the Holidays.
Norlinder's signing has been officially announced by MoDo itself on the team's website.
Source: MoDo Hockey
