Toronto Marlies defenseman Jacob Bengtsson has decided to take his talents overseas, signing with Brynäs IF in Sweden’s SHL league. At 25 years old, Bengtsson is choosing to opt out of his AHL contract, likely recognizing that his chances of advancing within Toronto’s system are slim. With this move, he’s returning to his roots—born in Stockholm and having played in AIK’s youth leagues, it seems like a fitting next chapter in his career.
With the Cincinnati Cyclones this season, Bengtsson appeared in 34 games, scoring a goal and tallying 11 assists, along with putting up a -5 plus/minus when on the ice. Bengtsson mainly saw time on the second/third defensive pairings alongside RD Rhett Parsons. In his last game with the Cyclones, he was paired with RD Elijah Vilio, helping the team pull off an important 4-1 road victory over the Iowa Heartlanders in Cincinnati’s first game in Coralville, Iowa this season.
While Bengtsson’s departure may seem like a big loss, the Cyclones have solid depth in the back end, so they should manage just fine without him. Steven MacLean (LD), standing at 6’7″, is one D-man who could step up and fill the void in the bottom pairings coming to mind. Although, it will be interesting to see how Jason Payne adjusts the lineup moving forward.
Before heading down south to Cincinnati a few months ago, he appeared in two games for the Toronto Marlies, spending most of his time on the third defensive pairing, not providing much for the team. In his 36 games played between the AHL/ECHL this season, he accumulated 16 PIM, which is not too shabby compared to others on the Cyclones.
After watching his games over the past few months, it’s clear that he’s a young and disciplined defenseman with a promising future back in Sweden. His reliability with the puck and impressive mobility makes him stand out on the blue line. However, what really impressed me was how he minimizes careless turnovers, limiting the “big plays”, one of the best attributes to have as a mobile defenseman.
Now, as he heads to Sweden to join Brynäs IF, he steps into a great opportunity with a team that currently leads the SHL standings by twelve points, with just ten games left in the regular season.
Discover more from Inside The Rink
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
