Stian Solberg hasn’t had much of an off-season yet. In May he played in his first IIHF World Championship in Prague, then in early June was the NHL Draft Combine in Buffalo, followed by the Draft itself in late June in Las Vegas. There, the Norwegian defenseman was chosen 23rd overall by the Anaheim Ducks. From there, he went directly to the Ducks’ Development Camp in Irvine, California July 1 to 5.
“I haven't had much holiday yet, really. Everything has gone a bit in one go,” he said from his home in Oslo, where Norwegian hockey website Nitten.no caught up with him.
Solberg said of the Development Camp experience, “It was fun, lots of activity, lots of training. Scott Niedermayer was there, Ryan Getzlaf came in. There were several former players who said hello during the week. I hope I made a good impression.”
He must have, as the day after the camp ended, the Ducks signed the 18-year-old to a three-year entry-level contract worth $2,925,000 US.
Until now, Solberg has spent his entire career in Oslo playing for Vålerenga but before the draft, he had already committed to playing next season for Swedish club Färjestad BK. Most expected the contract with Anaheim wouldn’t change that, and he confirmed that when asked.
“I will play in Färjestad for at least one season,” said Solberg. “That’s all I’m focusing on now. It turned out the way I wanted.”
Färjestad, based in the city of Karlstad, has long been a popular destination for Norwegian players as it’s only about 100 km from the border. For Solberg, Karlstad is about a three-hour drive from Oslo, which he will make before the start of training camp on August 1.
Until then, Solberg said, “I will train a bit and have a bit of vacation before I go. I’m really looking forward to getting started over there and playing a lot of games.”
Solberg is one of several young prospects on the Färjestad roster, which includes fellow Anaheim prospect Damian Clara in goal, 22-year-old Carolina Hurricanes prospect Joel Nyström on defense, 20-year-old Vancouver Canucks prospect Lucas Forsell up front, and it recently added 25-year-old Slovak Marián Studenič, who has NHL experience.