At the World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth, Team Sweden opened their tournament on a high note, defeating Team USA Blue 7-0.
Red Wings prospect Anton Johansson scored the game’s first goal on a bit of a knuckler, and Johansson played very well overall, displaying spare, smart two-way form;
Axel Sandin Pellikka did not play, but Sweden’s coach, Magnus Havelid, told the assembled media that everybody would play in 3 games, and that ASP had to spend a day in the gym lest his club team GM in Skelleftea get pissed off if Axel doesn’t work out hard enough. He’s not hobbled in any way presently.
Here are interviews with Johansson, who was happy with his game but understandably less than exalted after his team’s dominating one-game effort:
And coach Havelid started his remarks to the assembled press by saying, “It’s just one game, one game,” and his enthusiasm waned from there. The Swedish locker room could be heard with raucous emotion, but coach Havelid wants us to assess his team after Game 4 on Friday:
