Brandon Svoboda’s summer plans won’t offer an abundance of free time.
The Level Green native is getting a head start on schoolwork at Boston University next month.
And there was a little matter of winning the Clark Cup for the second consecutive season.
After winning the United States Hockey League championship last season as a member of the Youngstown Phantoms, Svoboda was traded to the Fargo Force in February.
Just over three months later, Svoboda lifted the Clark Cup over his head again May 18, helping the Force win the title for the second time in franchise history.
“Obviously, being traded was hard at first,” Svoboda said by phone. “I won a championship with Youngstown, and it was only an hour away from my family. Being in Fargo was unbelievable, though. Everything we had there was first class, and they brought me in as if I started there in September. It really felt like home to me. Winning the Clark Cup again was just so surreal. Our team was so bought in and had each other’s backs no matter what.”
A third-round draft pick (No. 71 overall) of the San Jose Sharks last year, Svoboda primarily was deployed as a center with Youngstown. With Fargo, he found more time on the right wing of the second line.
“We didn’t really lose a lot through the year, but we did have a couple of kids that moved on for a couple of different reasons,” Force coach Brett Skinner said. “We thought adding his experience … when there was the option to go ahead and get him, it was a no-brainer as far as our needs throughout our lineup. He played predominantly center in the past, which is always a good asset to have, but we did have a spot high up our lineup for a good right-shot forward to play on the wing. He fit that bill really well and ended up settling on the wing with us.”
At 6-foot-3 and 208 pounds, the 19-year-old Svoboda offers a blend of size and speed uncommon at the junior level.
“There are times where a college or a pro team might be excited about a big kid, but he’s got to get his feet under him, maybe get a little bit stronger,” said Skinner, a former NHL defenseman. “But Brandon, to be at the age that he’s at and to be able to skate the way he does and his size, it’s a little bit unique. He’s a big boy. He’s all of (6-foot-3), and he’s a thick kid. So you can see why San Jose invested the draft capital that they did in him. For us at this level, to back (defensemen) off and hold onto pucks down low and have the skillset on top of his size and skating was something that we were very fortunate to get.”