Even before reaching the SHL, Ola Wagstrom was enamored with the hockey world and wanted to be involved with it in any way possible. He was able to land a job working as an equipment manager for the local SHL (Swedish Hockey league) team, the Malmö Redhawks. He loved it in spite of the long hours; he got to be close to the ice and witness his childhood heroes in action from the a rink-side vantage point. It was barely a job, it was more like getting paid to go watch hockey games. He learned a lot about what to expect on a game day if he became a player, and to this day, it is the reason he is quite respectful to the team’s staff and coaches. It taught him that a lot of people put in work behind the scenes to make sure that the players are able to hit the ice and not to take the minor personnel for granted.