P.J. Axelsson also to Frölunda

Left winger Per-Johan Axelsson, 11 seasons with the Boston Bruins, has signed a 4-year contract with Frölunda in the SEL. He will join the same team as Joel Lundqvist and also the club where he started his senior career.

- Frölunda is the club in my heart. I have always wanted to come back here. Now it suited well in and I'm looking forward to experience nice things again with the team. Saw that Joel Lundqvist was talking about winning the Swedish Championship. That sounded good.

I thought Pebben (as he is called over here) would continue his NHL career. I guess the chance of him returning to Frölunda increased a lot though, when the team, where he played his whole NHL career, decided not to give him an offer.
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Joel Lundqvist's back in Frölunda

Not much going on at the moment, so I have been enjoying the summer. Here are some news though.

Since May, there has been articles now and then about forward Joel Lundqvist and where he will play next season. Lundqvist played for the Dallas Stars last season and had a rough season with injury problems that made him miss half of the season. Dallas ended up not re-signing him, so he became an UFA this summer.

Most have pointed towards Lundqvist going to his old SEL team Frölunda, unless something interesting would come up at the other side of the pond, and now it's official. According to Lundqvist's agent, Lars Cederström, he will play for Frölunda and if the contract wasn't signed yesterday, it will be within the next few days. The contract is on six years with a clause (NHL-out clause I'm guessing) after each season according to the agent.

Frölunda now got 16 forwards under contract and players like Washington's first round pick in the 2008 NHL Draft, Anton Gustafsson, and Atlanta's 34 overall pick in 2009, Carl Klingberg, could be two of the first ones to be loaned out to the affiliated team Borås in HockeyAllsvenskan.
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Engqvist stays one more year in SEL

The two-way center Andreas Engqvist participated in the development camp of the Montreal Canadiens last week and Montreal obviously liked what they saw as he now has signed a 3-year contract.

Peter Wallén, the agent of Engqvist, commented about the signing at Expressen.

- They have been after Andreas for a while now. We had discussions with a lot of clubs too, but in the end we thought this was the best alternative, says agent Peter Wallén.

- Andreas is very happy and satisfied. Montreal is an NHL team with a rich history.

It is already decided though that Engqvist will be loaned out and play another year in the SEL with Djurgården.

- He was injured half last season and we all thought it was good that he gets to play a full season in the SEL before he comes over, says Wallén.

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Rickard Wallin to Toronto?

According to the reliable blog, Johans Blogg, Swedish center Rickard Wallin is returning to the NHL. This time to the Toronto Maple Leafs though instead of the Minnesota Wild.

Earlier this year, Wallin signed a 4-year extension with Färjestad in the SEL. As you might remember though, he was one of the players in Hockey in Swedish's list of SEL players with an NHL-out clause. A clause which he supposedly has used now.

Wallin had a SEL career-high of 45 points in 55 games this season, which placed him 10th in points in the league. He later went on to win his third Swedish Championship title and then play in his third straight World Championship.

This will be his second attempt at making it in the NHL. So far Wallin got 19 NHL games with the Minnesota Wild under his belt and he produced 6 goals and 4 assists in those games.
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Available SEL players?

It's July and the NHL Free Agency Frenzy has started again.

As there still is no transfer agreement between Sweden and the NHL, players with SEL contracts have to have an NHL-out clause to be able to sign with an NHL team.

I found a list that consisted of players with an NHL-out clause, but it only listed some of the SEL teams. I ending up using it as a base to assemble a list with players with a SEL contract, but who are available to sign with any NHL team (at least now in July).

The list is probably still missing a lot of names as it's hard to get info about these things, but I will update it if I find out about any other players.

Lars Jonsson, D (Brynäs) - 53GP, 9G, 12A, 21P
Riku Hahl, C (Frölunda) - 52GP, 7G, 24A, 31P
Johan Holmqvist, G (Frölunda) - 49GP, 2.15GAA, .917SVS%, 2SO
Per Ledin, LW/RW (HV71) - 58GP, 11G, 12A, 23P (AHL)
Mikko Lehtonen, D (Frölunda) - 41GP, 15G, 15A, 30P
Janne Niskala, D (Frölunda) - 35GP, 9G, 10A, 19P
Rickard Wallin, C/LW (Färjestad) - 55GP, 18G, 27A, 45P

Also, for the fun of it, here are the current three SEL Free Agents that had most points last season plus a joker:

Fredrik Bremberg, LW (Djurgården) - 53GP, 17G, 40A, 57P
Mika Pyörälä, LW/C (Timrå) - 55GP, 21G, 22A, 43P
Niklas Anger, RW/LW (Djurgården) - 51GP, 23G, 19A, 42P
Peter Forsberg, C (MODO) - 3GP, 1G, 2A, 3GP

The all-time leading scorer in the SEL, Bremberg (did you know that?), and the guy with the funny lastname, Anger, will probably not attract interested from the NHL and might head out in Europe (KHL?). Pyörälä might be looking to try and make it onto an NHL roster through camp/AHL.

Forsberg? Well who knows about his future? Probably not even him.
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Pääjärvi - another year in Sweden or...?

Here comes some more news about the Swedish players available for the 2009 NHL Draft.

Left Winger Magnus Pääjärvi-Svensson was interviewed by the newspaper Sydsvenskan, where he talks about the NHL Combine that took place about a month ago.

Magnus has said for a while now that he will play one more year with the SEL team Timrå IK before making the jump. This gets confirmed once again in this interview as he says that he told the NHL teams the same thing at the Combine. He also says following to Sydsvenskan though:

- If I get drafted by the right team, then maybe...

Sydsvenskan speculates that the right team could be a team that offers him a lucrative contract with promises of ice time in the NHL right away.

Pääjärvi-Svensson, who started his career in Malmö Redhawks (I love pointing that out), is ranked between 4 and 10 in the upcoming draft by the bigger scouting services.
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Kenny Jönsson retires

Defenseman Kenny Jönsson announced today, at the age of 34, that he has played his last game of hockey. The announcement was made in the newspaper Helsingborgs Dagblad, that had made a longer interview with Kenny.

- I feel that I'm satisfied. I don't have the passion that is needed to play another season. Maybe I've had enough after 19 seasons at senior level, he says.

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- It feels good to have taken this decision and I'm proud to be able to finish at the top.

At the top is exactly where Jönsson finished. At the World Championship this year, he wasn't on the ice for a single goal against and had the best plus-minus in the entire tournament. His performance earned him a spot on the All-Star Team.

If we rewind back to the early 90s, we find an 18-year-old Kenny Jönsson in the Rögle BK team that got promoted to the highest division in Sweden for the first time since 1969. The year after, in the 1992-93 season, Jönsson was named the Rookie of the Year in the SEL and he eventually gets drafted by the Toronto Maple Leafs at 12th overall in the 1993 NHL Draft.

Before he made the jump over the pond, he played in two World Junior Championship finals (two All-Star Team appearances and voted Best Defenseman in 1994), was the Junior of the Year in the SEL in 1994 and was part of Sweden's gold medal winning team at the 1994 Olympics.

Jönsson's time in the Leafs jersey was short-lived as he already after 89 games was traded to the New York Islanders in a deal that brought Wendel Clark back to Toronto.

The Islanders were where he ended up spending most of his NHL career and he played there from 1996 to 2004. While Jönsson doesn't exactly have much awards etc from his NHL career, except for a spot on the NHL All-Rookie Team, he was always considered one of the most underrated players in the league. His career high ended up being 14 goals and 40 points in the 1997-98 season.

When the NHL lockout started in 2004, Kenny returned to his beloved Rögle that were outside the SEL again. When the NHL players returned to the NHL for the 2005-06 season, he decided to stay in Sweden. In this season, as a HockeyAllsvenskan player (!), he became the first player to win the Olympics and the World Championships in the same year (together with seven other Swedes). Not only that, he was also named the MVP of the Olympic hockey tournament and later was awarded The Golden Puck in Sweden.

Rögle, lead by Jönsson, ended up spending four seasons in HockeyAllsvenskan until they surprisingly were able to get promoted to the SEL after the 2007-08 season. This season, which ended up being his last, Rögle managed to stay in the SEL against all odds.

- I have won big titles, been promoted to the SEL with Rögle twice and received nice individual awards. I have gotten to experience so incredibly much more than I ever thought when I started.

Now he will concentrate on his own company and will for example open a car wash in Ängelholm, the town where Rögle plays.

An interesting note is that his older brother, Jörgen Jönsson, announced his own retirement earlier this year. Jörgen is not as known in North America as Kenny, but for example is a 2-time Olympic gold medalist, 2-time World Champion and 5-time Swedish Champion.

His career deserves its own post, so I guess I will save that one for later this summer.
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2008-09 Swedish hockey awards

The NHL season is on the final stretch, which also means the NHL Awards are getting closer. While the NHL Awards won't come close to the excitement of the Stanley Cup final, it's still always a big thing in the NHL.

Here in Sweden, there has never been a big tradition of handing out individual awards in hockey. Last couple of years though, more and more awards have been popping up.

The latest one was added this year and goes to the best defenseman in the SEL. What it is called? Salming Trophy of course, after the great Börje Salming.

As I'm all for these trophies, I've put together a list with descriptions of them and this year's winners.

Enjoy!

Le Mat Trophy
The Stanley Cup of the SEL, which the Swedish Champs win. It was donated by American film director Raoul Le Mat (founding father of ice hockey in Sweden) and MGM in 1926 and is the oldest trophy competed for by professional athletes in Sweden. It has been modified throughout the years and the current one is a copy of the original one, since the original one was stolen in the 50s.
Winner: Färjestads BK

Guldhjälmen (The Golden Helmet)
The Lester B. Pearson Award of the SEL, which has been handed out since 1986. The MVP of the SEL as decided on by voting of its players. You find a list of former winners here.
Winner: Johan Davidsson, HV71

Guldpucken (The Golden Puck)
Goes to the best Swedish player of the season that is playing in Sweden and has been handed out since 1956. Wikipedia compare it with the Hart Memorial Trophy, but it's not really anything like it since it's just for Swedish players and since even HockeyAllsvenskan players can get it like Kenny Jönsson in 2006. You find a list of former winners here.
Winner: Jonas Gustavsson, Färjestads BK

Håkan Loob Trophy
The Maurice Richard Trophy of the SEL, which has been handed out since 2006. The team of the player with most goals gets 1000 SEK for each goal the player has scored during the season and the money goes to the club's youth program. You find a list of former winners here.
Winner: Per-Åge Skröder, MODO

Rookie of the Year
The rookie of the year in the SEL, which has been handed out since 1990. All players under 25 with less than 25 regular season games before the season and all juniors are eligible. 4 candidates for the award are announced throughout the season. You find a list of former winners here.
Winner: Victor Hedman, MODO

Honken Trophy
Goalie of the season in the SEL as decided on by the hockey journalists, which has been handed out since 2002. You find a list of former winners here.
Winner: Johan Holmqvist, Frölunda HC

Salming Trophy
Defenseman of the season in the SEL as decided on by the hockey journalists, which is being handed out for the first time this year.
Winner: Marcus Ragnarsson, Djurgårdens IF.

Rinkens Riddare (The Knight of the Rink)
The Lady Byng Memorial Trophy of the SEL as decided on by the hockey journalists, which has been handed out since 1997. You find a list of former winners here.
Winner: Jörgen Jönsson, Färjestads BK

Coach of the Year
Coach of the season in the SEL as decided on by the hockey journalists, which has been handed out since 1992. You find a list of former winners here.
Winner: Per-Erik Johnsson and Tommy Samuelsson, Färjestads BK.

Junior of the Year
Swedish junior player of the season as decided on by the hockey journalists, which has been handed out since 1993. You find a list of former winners here.
Winner: Victor Hedman, MODO

Viking Award
The best Swedish player of the season in the NHL as decided by a vote among the players themselves, which has been handed out since 1976. You find a list of former winners here.
Winner: Nicklas Bäckström, Washington Capitals
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The SEL rejects transfer agreement

Once again, the SEL rejects a proposed transfer agreement between Sweden and the NHL. The SEL teams had a phone meeting this morning, where it was agreed on that they won't take the latest offer from the NHL.

According to Värmlands Folkblad, the proposal looked like this:

• A team will get 225,000 dollars for a player that leaves to the NHL for the first time.
• June 15 is the deadline for drafted players or players with no contract to leave for the NHL. July 15 this year, because of the late transfer agreement negotiations.
  
• July 15 is the deadline for players drafted in the same summer. August 15 this year, because of the late transfer agreement negotiations.
• The NHL rights will last for two more years, which means the NHL teams can wait up to four years after the draft to sign a player without losing the rights.

One of the main concerns is the money that the teams get for each player. Mike Helber, C.E.O. of Linköpings HC, says the following to Aftonbladet.

- We aren’t satisfied with the compensation that we would get from the NHL. Essentially we are open to an agreement, but on our conditions that benefits Swedish hockey. We for example want that you get more compensation for older players compare to younger players, says Mike Helber.

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- For example if Johan Davidsson or Tony Mårtensson leaves for the NHL, the SEL clubs should get 500,000 to 600,000 dollars, says Mike Helber.

The first one of the deadlines is another issue, which the GM of Färjestads BK, Thomas Rundqvist, talks about at the official site of Färjestad. He understands the deadline of July 15 for recently drafted players, but says the following about the other deadline.

- Everything after June 1 makes it difficult for us in the work to get a replacement player for those we lose, says Rundqvist.

So most of it comes down to the SEL teams wanting to be able to find a replacement player in time and that they can afford a somewhat equally good player as the player leaving for the NHL.

The ball is now in IIHF's court and they will, together with the different European hockey associations, bring forward a new transfer agreement proposal between Europe and the NHL.
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Hävelid returns to Sweden

Swedish defenseman Niclas Hävelid has signed a one-year contract plus an option for another year with SEL team Linköping.

There have been a lot of talks about him returning to Sweden after this season. The discussions have been more about where in Sweden he would end up though rather than if.

In Linköping, Niclas will join his brother Magnus Hävelid, who is the assistant coach, and his good friend Johan Hemlin, the GM of Linköping.

Niclas Hävelid, who finished the current season with the New Jersey Devils, will now try to join the unique group of players that have won the Swedish Championship, the World Championship and the Olympics as he already has won the later two. He never got to win the Stanley Cup though in his 9 seasons in the NHL.
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Mathias Tjärnqvist returns to Sweden and Rögle

A short post from my vacation in central Sweden.

29-year-old forward Mathias Tjärnqvist has been a pretty successful penalty killer in the NHL with the Phoenix Coyotes, but they ended up letting him go this summer. He has been saying that he wants to stay in the NHL, but his agent said a week ago that Tjärnqvist is leaning towards a year in the SEL as the NHL offers have been so-so.

This has obvious started a bunch of rumors. Instead of going to one of the bigger teams like Linköping, HV71 or Frölunda though, he decided to return to the team where his hockey career started - SEL newcomer Rögle.

The contract is on one year and he will be getting a more offensive role there, playing on the first line.
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Dick Axelsson on loan to Sweden

21-year-old forward Dick Axelsson was picked up late in the second round of the 2006 NHL Draft by the Detroit Red Wings. He just comes off a great rookie season in the SEL, where he had 12 goals and 13 assists in 47 games and also got to play on the national team.

Detroit thought he had showed enough and signed him to a contract about a month ago. Not that surprising though, it became official yesterday that he will go back to Sweden and Djurgårdens IF on loan for one season.

- We're hoping that he will continue developing this upcoming season. He showed really good results in his rookie season and got every possibility to take the next step in his development, says Djurgården's GM Janne Järlefelt.

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Andreas Jämtin to the Rangers

Various Swedish sites are reporting that right winger and former Detroit prospect Andreas Jämtin has signed a two-way contract with the New York Rangers. 25-year-old Jämtin became Swedish Champion last season with SEL team HV71 and had an NHL out-clause in his contract.

He is one of those guys you either love, when he is playing for your team, or hate, when he is on the opposite team - an agitator and grinder with some scoring abilities.

It's the second player that HV71 loses to the NHL in the last couple of days. Jämtin's linemate Per Ledin, who basically is Sweden's answer to Sean Avery minus Avery's Hollywoodish side (dating celebs, interning at Vogue magazine etc), signed with Colorado Avalanche the other day.

Personally I'm a bit surprised that NHL teams are signing Swedish players with this kind of playing style, since it feels like they are pretty common in North America. I'm guessing though that Detroit's Stanley Cup win with 7 Swedes on the team didn't hurt the chances for guys like Jämtin and Ledin to get signed.
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