Henrik Borgström (Helsinki, Finland) chose the collegiate route at DU over offers to play professionally in Finland or in the Canadian Hockey League’s major junior system.

The Florida Panthers‘ first-round pick initially struggled producing for the Pioneers, though not for a lack of preparation, as Borgström notoriously is the last skater off the ice following practices. A three-point (2G – 1A) night against Boston University on Oct. 15 ignited the freshman’s hot hand. As soon as Borgström experienced that familiar puck striking the twine, his game instantly altered. A once frustrated center missing wide-open shots, Borgström quickly propelled the Pioneers offensively.

With a 6-foot-3, 185 pound frame, Borgström is a force on the puck; with meticulous puck-handling he  almost effortlessly alludes players throughout the blueline before firing lethal shots on net or assembling an open passing lane.

“He’s so long, he’s so quick and so powerful,” said Head Coach Jim Montgomery.  “When he’s tenacious on pucks he takes over games. He’s unstoppable when he’s tenacious.”

In his 22 appearances of the 2016-17 campaign, Borgström has amassed 25 points (14G – 11A). Seven of Borgström’s 14 tallies were converted on the powerplay. The outgoing 19-year-old boasts a 1.14 points per game average. After faceoff specialists Quentin Shore (Denver, Colorado) and Gabe Levin (Marina del Rey, California) graduated last season, Borgström has stepped into the vacated role. He currently executes a 47.5 faceoff percentage clip.

Even after missing six games, due to illness and an extended absence representing Finland for the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Juniors Championship in Montreal, Borgström is the current leading goal-scorer for the Pioneers. Within the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC), DU’s top-line center is in fourth place for goals. Against fellow classmates on the national level, Borgström is fifth.

“The kid is special. When he wants to take over a game, he can do it, and you don’t see that too often at this level,” Montgomery said.

Borgström is Denver’s fourth first-round NHL draft pick in program history and first since Beau Bennett went 23rd overall to the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2010. Bennett left DU after two years to sign his NHL entry-level contract, a common path that the coaching staff is aware Borgström may also embark upon.

“He has NHL talent, [but] he’s not a pro yet,” Montgomery said. “I think he’s aware of that. He came this route and turned down a lot of money to come to Denver from Finland already. So for him, it’s about getting to the NHL at the right time, and we’re going to make sure that we share with whoever helps him, his parents and when they advise him. We have a good relationship with Florida, too.”