Stian Solberg (born December 29, 2005) is a Norwegian professional ice hockey defenceman for Färjestad BK of the

Swedish Hockey League The Swedish Hockey League (officially SHL; sv, Svenska Hockeyligan) is a professional ice hockey league, and the highest division in the Swedish ice hockey system. The league currently consists of 14 teams. The league was founded in 1975, an ...

(SHL). He was drafted 23rd overall by the

Anaheim Ducks The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division, and play their home games at Honda Center. ...

in the 2024 NHL entry draft, becoming the second Norwegian ever selected in the first round, following Michael Brandsegg-Nygård.

Playing career

Solberg grew up playing

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

, and began playing hockey at a rink adjacent to the soccer field. He began playing defence at 14, when a teammate urinated in the shower and the coach gave Solberg his roster spot as punishment. Playing his junior career with Vålerenga Ishockey, he made his debut with their senior club in the EliteHockey Ligaen (EHL) as a fifteen-year-old. In the 2022–23 season, Solberg recorded a goal and three assists in 18 EHL games. He was selected 96th overall by the Regina Pats in the 2023

Canadian Hockey League The Canadian Hockey League (CHL; french: Ligue canadienne de hockey ‒ LCH) is an umbrella organization that represents the three Canada-based major junior ice hockey leagues. The CHL was founded in 1975 as the Canadian Major Junior Hockey L ...

(CHL) import draft. Despite being drafted into the CHL and receiving offers from multiple Swedish clubs, Solberg chose to remain in Norway for the 2023–24 season, signing a one-year contract with Vålerenga. In the regular season, he recorded 15 points in 42 games, adding nine points in 17 playoff games on a run to the league finals. In April 2024, he signed a two-year contract with Färjestad BK of the

(SHL). Entering the 2024 NHL entry draft, Solberg stood out for his elite physicality, fluid skating, and aggressive yet patient play. Initially seen as a fringe choice to be picked in the first round, his projection improved dramatically in the months leading up to the draft, and by the month of the draft he was seen as a potential top-15 pick.

International play

Making his World Championship debut at the Norway at the 2024 World Championship, Solberg was the youngest player at the tournament. In a lopsided 4–1 preliminary round loss to Canada that saw the Norwegians held without a shot for nearly 42 minutes, Solberg scored the team's lone goal. He would finish the tournament with two goals and an assist and be named one of Norway's top three players at the event.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Solberg, Stian 2005 births Living people Anaheim Ducks draft picks Ice hockey people from Oslo NHL first-round draft picks Norwegian ice hockey defencemen Vålerenga Ishockey players