If Lina Ljungblom's season in the SDHL ends prior to the PWHL's mid-March roster freeze, she could join PWHL Montreal for a stretch run.
If Lina Ljungblom's season in the SDHL ends prior to the PWHL's mid-March roster freeze, she could join PWHL Montreal for a stretch run.
With the final pick, 90th overall in the 2023 PWHL Draft, PWHL Montreal selected Sweden's Lina Ljungblom. It was a significant pick for several reasons, primarily that Ljungblom, 21 at the time, was the youngest player chosen and also the first player chosen who spent last season in Europe, and remained under contract in Europe.
Within days of the draft however, it became clear that due to her current contract with MoDo in the SDHL, Ljungblom would need to play out her season in Sweden.
With the SDHL playoffs set to begin this week, that could all change, and if MoDo does not advance to the league finals, Ljungblom's season will be over before the PWHL's mid-March roster freeze date.
That means conceivably, Lina Ljungblom could join PWHL Montreal down the stretch, and given her play in the SDHL this season, she could also provide a secondary scoring boost.
Last season Ljungblom scored 17 goals and 30 points in 32 games for MoDo in the SDHL before exploding for seven goals and ten points in seven games at the World Championships for Sweden.
This season, Ljungblom has already recorded career bests in goals with 22 and points with 45 in 35 games for MoDo.
According to the PWHL's rules, any player who declared themselves eligible for the PWHL Draft is currently a free agent and eligible to sign if not contracted by another team, which includes players like Ljungblom, who rights are protected by Montreal.
The SDHL playoffs begin February 22, with the championship series scheduled to open March 14. The semi finals will end no later than March 11, roughly a week before the PWHL's roster deadline.
Minttu Tuominen, a draft pick of PWHL Minnesota is another player who could potentially join the league in the next month. After winning a Chinese League title with KRS Shenzhen, she's back in Finland's Naisten Liiga with Kiekko-Espoo.