The Carolina Hurricanes' 2023 second-round pick continues to impress, this time showcasing his talent in the World Junior Summer Showcase earlier in the week.
The World Junior Summer Showcase is a collaborative effort to help Team USA, Finland and Sweden finalize their World Junior Championship roster.
Unger Sorum made it onto the team as a substitute after a few older players pulled out, but he ran away with the opportunity.
Fresh off of signing his ELC with the Canes in mid-July, Unger Sorum put up five assists in the four game slate.
His five points also led Team Sweden and tied him for second in points amongst the whole showcase.
Unger Sorum was doing what he does best, making plays and setting up his teammates.
Take a look at some of his plays throughout the showcase:
Those first three assists all came on the first day of the showcase where Team Sweden dominated USA Blue 7-0.
Unger Sorum really showcased a knack for getting pucks across the crease. He facilitated the puck well in tight and found those open men consistently.
He works to push into those dangerous areas and isn't afraid to try and make a play.
Unger Sorum picked up his last two points in the last two games of the showcase, the first coming thanks to a secondary assist on a 5-on-3 goal in a losing effort to USA White and the second one coming against USA Blue again.
I also wanted to circle back to Day 1 with this clip. While Unger Sorum doesn't pick up a point here, his defensive play in the neutral zone springs Felix Nilsson for a breakaway goal.
Unger Sorum's tremendous performance led to a steady increase in his play time as he moved from the third line to Team Sweden's first line over the course of the showcase.
He also had deployment on the team's top power play unit, where he picked up three of his points.
Despite being a smaller 17-year old, Unger Sorum held his own and wasn't afraid of getting physical either.
Here's what a few writers had to say about Unger Sorum's performance:
Tony Ferrari - The Hockey News
-"One of the most impressive forwards for the Swedes from start to finish at the showcase was Unger Sorum. He routinely made plays in the offensive zone to set his teammates up in excellent scoring positions. He engaged physically and looked to let his opponents know that nothing would come easy.
"The outlook for Unger Sorum on the Swedish world junior team is interesting as he has the skill and production to play in the top six but the work ethic and speed to play in the bottom six. He may ultimately be relegated to a lower spot to allow older players a chance to prove their worth higher in the lineup, but he's a nice contingency option to have."
Steven Ellis - Daily Faceoff
-Day 1 - Talk about a great U-20 national team debut. The freshly signed 2023 draft pick had [three assists] in an absolutely dominant showing. He was quick, aggressive on the puck and finding lanes through traffic. Those points were well deserved.
Day 4 - Another good afternoon for FUS. He had a nice look on the Hannes Hellberg power-play goal to make it 4-1 and also wasn’t afraid to get physical too. It got him in trouble with an interference play, but he still looked good.
While Unger Sorum may not make the final cut simply because of his age - he's just 17-years old - he certainly earned the right to be on the radar.
He's talented enough and he isn't afraid to play whatever style is required of him.
What's clear though is that Carolina has perhaps once again struck gold in the second round as he's truly looking to be a special player.
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