This story comes from IceHockeyGifs on Twitter: Red Wings prospect and Frolunda HC defenseman Simon Edvinsson spoke with Rakapuckar’s Henrik Lehman regarding his status as having recovered from an illness.
Edvinsson’s SHL team is taking a break from playing hockey until mid-November, but Edvinsson is ready to take part in the Swedish World Junior team’s Four Nations Cup, the final warm-up event prior to the World Junior Championship.
What follows is roughly translated from Swedish:
When the National Junior Team’s exhibition games take place in Angelholm, Frolunda’s 18-year-old successful defenseman will, after all, be involved.
“I feel good now, fully healthy, no defects,” reports Simon Edvinsson.
But last week, the time after [Farjestad’s] Pontus Widerstrom’s heavy check on October 30th, it was really difficult.
“I was sick, really sick,” says Edvinsson, who doesn’t want to go into detail as to what exactly happened to him.
But he says it wasn’t the coronavirus.
“No, it was other stuff. But I’m fine now.”
His head is also okay. In all probability, the young Frolunda defenseman probably never suffered a concussion, but because he played a little awkwardly against Farjestad, that made the diagnosis more difficult to make:
“It took 3 days, in any case. I had a headache before, but I was a little sick vs. Farjestad, and I couldn’t tell the difference between a headache, whether it was a concussion or an illness.”
Edvinsson was a little bit, as he puts it, “tired in the head” even before the game in Karlstad. Maybe not so smart to play, then?
“Things that you have to learn. I’m young and eager, and don’t say everything when I feel badly.”
Next time, will you tell coach Roger Ronnberg or someone in the coaching staff?
“Exactly.”
Down in Angelholm [with the national team], Edvinsson will get back into game shape again, as Sweden meets the Czech Republic (on Friday), Finland (Saturday) and Russia (on Sunday). It remains to be seen whether Edvinsson is with everyone else, or whether the national team coach Tomas Monten possibly goes around people.
Next week, there will be games all over again. Frolunda will go to Mannheim (for the Champions Hockey League’s round of 16) on Tuesday the 16th, and the SHL will start up again on Thursday the 18th.
Is that tiring for a young guy?
“No, this (going to the national junior team) will be calm,” says Edvinsson.
He’s been praised by [teammate] Ryan Lasch, by most experts, and when I spoke with Dan Cleary, the Detroit Red Wings’ Assistant Director of Player Development last week, the NHL veteran said this with a smile about the successful young Swede:
“Take the opportunity to enjoy him, there’s not a chance that he’ll be here for any longer than this season.”
“No, we had already figured that out, Dan,” I thought.
Edvinsson on this fall: “It’s actually exceeded my expectations.”
