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<\/p>\nArvid and Elmer S\u00f6derblom\u2019s father, Martin, recalls his two future NHL players\u2019 childhood in Sweden as one of competition that never went too far.<\/p>\n
Maybe that\u2019s what they led him to believe, but Arvid said that wasn\u2019t the actual truth.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it went over the line a few times,\u201d Arvid said.<\/p>\n
Ah, brothers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had this little rink in the area where we live, sometimes, yeah, we would leave there like enemies and then we would settle it later in the day,\u201d Arvid recalled. \u201cBut, yeah, sometimes, whether it was me that was cheating or him that was cheating, it would be some fights down there sometimes. I think that\u2019s just how it is with brothers close in age, just battling and having fun and just competing. It was fun, for sure. And then, I don\u2019t know if all the competitiveness has gone away.\u201d<\/p>\n
It hasn\u2019t \u2026 and probably never will. But that\u2019s probably also one of the reasons both are in the NHL \u2014 Arvid, 26, with the Chicago Blackhawks and Elmer, 24, with the Detroit Red Wings.<\/p>\n
With just two years between them, they\u2019ve had each other to push and pull for 20-some years.<\/p>\n
Their development curves were also aided by playing opposing positions. Arvid, who was inspired by fellow Swede Henrik Lundqvist, chose to be a goalie. Elmer picked forward.<\/p>\n
On top of that, their parents built them a makeshift hockey area, which was about 32 feet by 10 feet, in their backyard, where they could perfect their crafts against each other. When it was cold enough, they froze it over.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would put my gear on, and my brother would just shoot at me for hours,\u201d Arvid said.<\/p>\n
Elmer is the younger brother, but they were mistaken for twins because Elmer was just as tall as Arvid for a lot of their childhood. Arvid recalled being the taller one for a short period, but then Elmer hit puberty, and it was all over. Today, Arvid stands 6 feet, 3 inches. Elmer is 6-8.<\/p>\n
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\n As children, the S\u00f6derbloms met Hockey Hall of Famer and Swedish goalie Henrik Lundqvist. (Courtesy of the S\u00f6derblom family)<\/p>\n
At Elmer\u2019s size, the natural position would seem to be defenseman, but he showed a knack for scoring early on, and with Martin, who played professionally in Sweden, coaching the two kids growing up, he encouraged his youngest son to stick with forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the beginning, he liked to score a lot,\u201d said Martin, who is a physical therapist for the Fr\u00f6lunda Hockey Club<\/a> in Sweden. \u201cThat was his main thing. He liked to score and he did score a lot. I thought, yeah, OK, let him do that. He tried to play defense and he tried to be a goalie once or twice, but he liked to score a lot of goals and be a forward.\u201d<\/p>\n Elmer\u2019s route to the NHL went through Fr\u00f6lunda. When he showed some offensive promise on Fr\u00f6lunda\u2019s under-20 team during the 2018-19 season, the Red Wings decided to use a sixth-round draft pick on him. He scored 29 goals in 36 games the following season in the under-20 league. With Martin on the bench, Elmer made his SHL debut that season, too.<\/p>\n Elmer broke out with 21 goals<\/a> in the SHL during the 2021-22 season, and the Red Wings brought him to North America the following season. He bounced between the AHL and NHL his first three seasons and has been permanently in the NHL this season. He plays left wing on the Red Wings\u2019 third line.<\/p>\n \u201cEspecially with a player like that, his size, and still can make plays and skate and all that,\u201d Arvid said of his brother. \u201cI think for him just to find his way in the league and find a good role on that team, I think he can be a great player there for years to come.\u201d<\/p>\n Arvid\u2019s NHL path was different. He went undrafted. He also made his Fr\u00f6lunda SHL debut with Martin on the bench, but Arvid wasn\u2019t projected in the same way as Elmer had been. Fr\u00f6lunda loaned Arvid out to lower-division teams to get him playing time. In the 2019-20 season, Arvid, then 20, showed some promise in Sweden\u2019s second division and had a .924 save percentage in 32 games. He got a full-time shot in the SHL with Skellefte\u00e5 AIK the following season and had a .922 save percentage in 22 games.<\/p>\n The Blackhawks had signed European goalie free agents in the past, and they thought Arvid was only going to get better. They signed him to an NHL entry-level contract in May 2021. He spent time in the AHL and NHL for two seasons and has been in the NHL for the last three seasons.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was kind of cool, he kind of always just knew that he had potential and knew that he was good enough, so he kind of just stayed patient and (did) the work, kind of trust the process,\u201d Elmer said of Arvid. \u201cKind of how I try to learn from him as well.\u201d<\/p>\n Arvid helped set the standard for all his siblings. They also have a younger sister, Vera.<\/p>\n \u201cArvid has been the most disciplined of them his whole life,\u201d their mother, Susanne, said. \u201cI mean, really disciplined. He got upset if we ever suggested missing a practice. Can we travel maybe during Christmas? No, that ended many years ago. Arvid was the oldest, so he was really, really disciplined and dedicated and passionate about his thing, very meticulous. Just doing his thing every single day.\u201d<\/p>\n Martin added, \u201cAnd I think Elmer and Vera saw that and followed him.\u201d<\/p>\n \n The S\u00f6derbloms: Susanne, front, and left to right, Arvid, Vera, Martin and Elmer. (Courtesy of the S\u00f6derblom family)<\/p>\n Vera has also excelled athletically, but she opted for basketball. She\u2019s a 6-3 starting junior forward at the University of South Carolina Upstate. But growing up, she was roped into the brothers\u2019 hockey competition.<\/p>\n \u201cThey put Vera \u2026 they geared her up in the goalie setup and they\u2019d shoot pucks and some balls at her,\u201d Susanne said.<\/p>\n Martin said: \u201cIt was a lot of competing in the family. \u2026 Who was the first to the car? Who was the first to whatever?\u201d<\/p>\n Arvid was the first to the NHL. He made his season debut on Jan. 1, 2022. Elmer\u2019s NHL debut came later that year, on Oct. 14, 2022. The brothers met in an NHL preseason game in 2022, when Elmer scored on Arvid. Their first NHL regular-season game together was earlier this season, on Nov. 9. Elmer had a prime opportunity to score again, but Arvid denied him by stretching out his right leg. Arvid joked he was going to make a picture of the save his phone\u2019s screensaver.<\/p>\n \u201cSomeone sent me a picture of him coming in, like it\u2019s the two of us in the picture, and he got the scoring chance there,\u201d Arvid said. \u201cI think that\u2019s a fun picture, a good memory, but, no, I\u2019m not going (to) put it as a screensaver.\u201d<\/p>\n SODERBLOM STOPS SODERBLOM \ud83d\udc40<\/p>\n A huge save by Arvid on his brother, Elmer! pic.twitter.com\/SjbJKAkAYI<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Susanne_Arvid_Vera_Martin_Elmer_2016-e1765477126583.jpg\")
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