Hockeysvergige.se’s Ronnie Ronnqvist spoke with Red Wings prospect defenseman Anton Johansson in the wake of Anton’s 4-point preseason game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.
What follows is roughly translated from Swedish:
Swedish talent for the fight with Crosby: “Became a little pissed off”
Anton Johansson showed his front foot during Detroit’s pre-season.
Overnight on Wednesday, the talented prospect scored four points in the big victory against Pittsburgh – and ended up in a fight with superstar Sidney Crosby.
“He just got a little grumpy because I boxed him out,” Johansson told Hockeysverige.se.
Anton Johansson is in Detroit to try to take a spot in the NHL. His preseason could have started worse. In his last game, a meeting with Pittsburgh, he accounted for four assists when Detroit won 7-4.
“I played in two games. The first was against Columbus. There we lost in a shootout. The second game was against Pittsburgh, and there we won 7-4,” says Anton Johansson to hockeysverige.se and continues:
“I think it felt good in both games. First, I played in the the rookie tournament. It was very nice for me to get back in the game and get some game situations from my two games there.”
“During the NHL pre-season, I feel like it’s just been about moving forward and I feel better and better every day that’s gone by. You learn so much and it’s fun”
You had four assists in the pre-season match against Pittsburgh. What was behind the numbers?
“That I took the puck to the finish, shot so that they were controlled and some rebounds. Just getting through the pucks creates modes [of scoring]. Especially over here when there’s a lot of goals and the players are intense. I think that’s the recipe.”
Happened in the grill of Crosby: “Just got a little grumpy”
Anton Johansson played a pretty straight hockey in the attacking zone, even on the big rinks in Sweden. This game, he thinks, fits him well.
“Yeah, I think so. My way of playing fits pretty well over here. I want to play a straight hockey game, and when I get down on the edge shoot from all places. You can do that over here because it’s so much tighter.”
In addition to four assists, he ended up in a lighter handcuff with a certain Sidney Crosby.
“We came out one against one. He tried to pull me. I just checked with my body and didn’t do a lot of stuff. Then he sent me into the penalty box a little nicely.”
“When I got up, I was going to box him out. Then he got a little pissed off that I did that, but it wasn’t really anything special.”
“Of course it’s incredibly huge to meet guys like that. I have incredible respect for them, but you can’t show too much.”
Did he say something to you or was it mostly a bit of pushing?
“He just got a little grumpy because I boxed him out and thought it was interference or something.”
#HFscrums – September 22nd, 2026
— HockeyFights.com (@hockeyfights) September 23, 2026
Sidney Crosby v. Anton Johansson
Penguins vs. Red Wings – #NHL #LetsGoPens #LGRW
This is not a #HockeyFight, but you can always see them on https://t.co/NfcqpI8axR pic.twitter.com/apQICtTaBe
Key lessons in the AHL
You have finished both of the last few seasons in Grand Rapids. What benefit have you had from that now that you’ve gone over [to North America]?
“I learned a lot about how the game is over here. The tough game, but above all also when it’s a smaller rink. How to handle it in different situations.”
“It has helped me a lot now that I have come over to camp ,and made me extremely well-prepared for what is to come.”
What is the biggest difference between playing on a Swedish team compared to the teams in the NHL and the AHL?
“You play in a slightly different way. Here you have to be a little more thorough, because there are many more skilled players. You get slammed backwards if you are not hefty and thorough, especially in the systems of play and in yourself.”
And beside that?
“Of course there is more money over here. For example, you fly to and from the matches. Everything is served on a silver platter, so that’s magical.”
Aiming at NHL spot
Right now, Anton Johansson is in Detroit, and his hope is to start the season there.
“The first goal will be to try to get myself onto the NHL team. After that, we’ll see. I want to be a leader back in the AHL, and probably get to make my NHL debut. When it comes, I’ll see, but right now the priority is one to beats me into the NHL.”
Have you received any indications from management on how they look at your pre-season so far?
“No, nothing special. Just that I’m going to continue playing. I know when it felt good and didn’t feel good.”
If you end up in the Grand Rapids at the start, do you have the patience to maybe stay there for a big part of the season?
“Yes, I do. Now it may not be a great comparison, but it’s a little bit the same as when I was in the junior leagues. That I was up a little later up on the A-team, than some others, so I will absolutely have patience.”
Hopes to return to Leksand one day
How was the feeling of having to leave Leksand when you were on the team that left SHL?
“It didn’t feel good. I already knew beforehand that it was my last season in Leksand, so there was nothing that was hidden that way. It was more like that it felt terrible to leave that way, and certainly not the way I had expected my six years in Leksand to end. Of course it was too bad, but Leksand will come back stronger.”
Do we see you in the Leksand jersey again in 15 years when you return to Swedish hockey after a long NHL career?
“I hope so. It’s hard to answer that now, because I’m 22 years old, but if the body feels good, there is absolutely an opportunity for it.”
