Red Wings prospect and Rogle BK center Theodor Niederbach had a rough start to the World Junior Championship yesterday, taking 2 minor penalties and a major penalty in Sweden’s 3-2 win over Switzerland. It was a particularly difficult performance given the steps forward that Niederbach has taken over the course of the summer.
Niederbach will try to re-set and refocus when Sweden takes on Austria on Friday, August 12th (2 PM EDT start on TSN and the NHL Network), presuming that he doesn’t get suspended for the 5-and-a-match penalty situation.
Niederbach spoke with SHL.se’s Johannes Haggelund on Monday regarding the World Junior Championship, moving to Rogle BK from Frolunda HC, and Simon Edvinsson. What follows is roughly translated from Swedish:
Niederbach: ‘Wants to be a player who contributes to us going far’
After four consecutive seasons with Frolunda, Theodor Niederbach now belongs to Rogle. Before the SHL starts, Niederbach, together with the Junior Crowns, will try to win a WJC gold. “We know that we have the material to go far,” says Niederbach, who also discusses his decision to sign with Rogle, and what it’s like to share a room with Simon Edvinsson.
At the end of December of last year, it was announced that the World Junior Championship was cancelled due to COVID-19, but now it’s time for the tournament to start again. On Wednesday, the WJC started for the Swedes. One of the players included for the second year in a row is Theodor Niederbach, 20.
“It’s obviously fun [to take part]. Nice to get the chance again. It’s a bit special because the tournament is played before the season starts,” says Niederbach.
Is it any different for you going into this tournament, considering that you’ve played in the WJC before?
“Maybe I have some benefits from having been there once before, as I know what’s coming. But most of the people who are here have either played in the WJC or the Under-18 World Championship. Many of them know what it takes to win, how to prepare, and things like that. The WJC itself is still special, and having done one before, it’s only a positive,” says Niederbach.
He thinks we [Swedes] can have high hopes for this year’s edition of the Junior Crowns.
“We have many talented players and many players who can take on different roles. At the same time, we must be humble and take each game individually. We must not look too far ahead. We have to take it game by game and see how far it goes. We know that we’ve got the stuff to go far,” he says.
What expectations do you have for yourself?
“My personal expectations are very secondary. I want to be a player who contributes to us going far. Whether that means hard work or scoring goals doesn’t matter to me. I will give everything I can to make it as good as possible,” says Niederbach.
Shares a room with Simon Edvinsson
When SHL.se gets a hold of Niederbach in Edmonton, the team has practiced in the morning, and a quieter afternoon in the hotel awaits them.
“Maybe I’ll take a nap, but otherwise I’ll be passing the time checking out the town a bit. Maybe take a walk or watch TV and some shows,” says Niederbach.
He shares a room with his former teammate from Frolunda, Simon Edvinsson.
“We’ve shared rooms throughout last season, so it works well,” says Niederbach.
Do you have similar routines?
“I’m perhaps a bit more of an early riser than he is, and I’m a bit faster in the morning, ha ha. Otherwise, there are no problems,” he says.
Niederbach joined Frolunda’s organization in 2018 from KB 65. He debuted in the SHL in the 2020-2021 season, and played a total of 20 games, as well as being loaned to MoDo in the Hockey Allsvenskan. Last season, Niederbach gained more confidence. He thanked his confidence by scoring 16 points (9 goals and 7 assists) in 51 SHL games. Now, however, Frolunda is a closed chapter, at least for this time. For the coming season, the Detroit-drafted 20-year-old will belong to Rogle BK, and in May, he transferred to the Angleholm-based team.
“It’s going to be fun. I know I’m going to a good team. A team that wants to win as much as I do. It’s a team that I understand has the hunger to win. They want their SHL gold. They’ve won the Champions League and the regular season title, but it’s SHL gold that you’re playing for. That’s why I’m going there, because I know that there’s an extremely high amount of hunger [to win] there. At the same time, there are good opportunities for my development. I’m very much so looking forward to the [upcoming] season,” says Niederbach.
