Of Swedish Red Wings-related note today: Rakapuckar’s Henrik Lehman posted a lengthy write-up regarding Simon Edvinsson’s participation the the upcoming World Junior Championship for Sweden. What follows is roughly translated from Swedish:
“Christmas is coming: Hence this hockey highlight”
The 18-year-old was drafted 6th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in this summer’s draft, and when I spoke to Arizona Coyotes Director of European Scouting Brett Stewart a few months ago, he spontaneously said: “What a theft by Detroit! HE could have gone much higher.”
That was pretty early in the fall, N.B. Simon Edvinsson had not done much more than promising good things, and you know how things have gone.
Almost dominant in the NHL at 18 years of age. A contributing factor in Frolunda’s success.
On a Swedish national junior team that’s said to lack that tip to fully challenge for gold, Edvinsson will of course be extremely important.
I spoke with Detroit’s Niklas Kronwall recently; he was on one of his several visits to Gothenburg, and barely knew where to start when it came to Edvinsson. “What’s left to say?” that was the message that his body language gave.
Then Kronwall thought about it, and highlighted what he was most impressed by, that Edvinsson can always offer his “B Game” on the evenings that he does not have his “A Game.”
A high minimum level in Sweden. The ability to play stable and good hockey when everything’s not right. Important not at least for a defenseman. Difficult enough for an experienced hockey player. Quite unusual to find in an 18-year-old.
But Simon Edvinsson is not just any teenager, either.
The guy from Kungsbacka, Sweden talked for a while about that when we spoke outside Frolunda’s locker room, about his understanding to act stably, to not take unnecessarily big risks, to be a player to be trusted, all that has probably come gradually over the course of the autumn, and can be connected to his senior hockey play.
This fall, I’ve almost sat and waited for the Edvinsson “dip” to come, but apart from a few games at the beginning of the season where the chances were a few too many, stability and a high minimum level have really been synonymous with Edvinsson’s game.
So (defensive partner) Christian Folin has also kept the junior under the master’s discipline and exhortation…
Despite the fact that Edvinsson has become the stable defender that Frolunda can trust, he’s never lost the will to beat older players, take the initiative, do things with the puck, try to create. His courage has never failed, although of course it has been (and will be) incorrect sometimes. The explanation I’ve received was good:
“We want to be a team that holds onto the puck, and if you lose it, then you just have to do everything to take it back.”
Mm. It’s not harder than that.
On Wednesday, the Swedish National Junior Team left Sweden, and they may have arrived in Canada by the time you read this, unless the coronavirus situation makes up for it, we’ll still have an entertaining, tickling WJC to look forward to, and at least for me it’s always the highlight of the season (so long as we wait to see what happens with the Olympics).
For those of us who follow Frolunda quite heavily on a daily basis, it will be very exciting to see how dominant Simon Edvinsson can be at the WJC. If there is a risk that he tries to do too much, given that it may be need, or if national team coach Tomas Monten manages to build a group where the stars stand out just the right amount (and are the best when it comes to them).
Edvinsson is a given star player at this level; goaltenders Jesper Wallstedt and Calle Clang, forwards Alexander Holtz and William Eklund as well.
A slightly defeated team. But an exciting team.
Tomorrow is just another day.
But the 26th is essentially “Christmas Eve”–and we’ll see if Sweden can step up for Russia
