Login

DaftRaincloud · 05-14-2019, 04:54 AM

Catching Up With Jonas Larsen

Article by Chris Simpson for Puck Life Magazine

June 2019 issue

The last time I met with Jonas Larsen it was in a little apartment in Portland. He had just been picked up by the Anchorage Armada and was packing his bags and getting ready to head for a new life in a new state. The young Norwegian winger was looking forward to making an impact on his new team. It's arguable whether or not he has done that. He was originally paired on the third line with fellow winger Stavros Halkias but has recently been moved down to the fourth line with less than stellar performances, putting up only 12 points through 45 games - with only 5 of those points coming from way of scored goals which he considers his biggest strength. The Armada currently sit at the fifth spot in league standings and are closer to losing position to the approaching Anaheim and Kelowna teams than they are to gaining ground from Vancouver or Lethbridge. So how big of an impact has Jonas had and what are his thoughts on his current situation?

I flew out towards Anchorage early in the morning. It was a long flight and I wanted to get there before dark so the red eye was the unfortunate best choice for me. My flight landed and Jonas was waiting for me at the airport. He helped me load my bags into the back of his SUV and we set off towards his new apartment in the heart of the city.

[Image: downtown-anchorage-e14e21b2-8cdc-4f3a-99...e-750.jpeg]

Anchorage, Alaska

His new apartment was very similar to the first. Sparsely decorated, little character. I'm sure he spent very little time here and most of it with his team or out about town.

"So, how are you liking Alaska?" I figured I would start with a bit of a soft ball question.

"Oh it's so great. Definitely reminds me of being back home in Norway like I thought it would. The people here have all been so great to me and they are very invested in the team. Lots of love here."

"So let's get down to brass tacks," I started in. I let him have the easy question, now I wanted to dig in deep. "Fifth in the standings and you've only produced twelve points so far. Has this season gone the way you wanted it to go?"

Jonas paused for a moment. "No, of course not." he stated frankly. "If things had gone the way I wanted them to go we would be sitting in the number one spot right now and I would be playing at a point per game pace."

"Okay," I started in "How much responsibility do you allow yourself to take for the position you're in right now?"

"Personally I put a lot of blame on myself regardless of what others say one way or the other. I'm aware of how my scoring looks now compared to where it was in the past."

"But surely you have to understand the difference in level of competition alone." I rebuked.

"I do, I do." Jonas admitted. "But I have certain standards for myself that I expect myself to meet. And right now I'm not meeting those. And I look at the stats and I read what people have to say about me in the publications and on social media. I'm not stupid. I agree with a lot of what they say though."

"And what are you going to do moving forward?" I asked.

"Well, I need to put more work in. Just keep grinding out practices as hard as I can and lean on my teammates to learn whatever I can. I'm lucky to be surrounded by talented individuals and they have a lot to teach me as long as I'm just willing to open up and absorb that information."

Following this short interview Jonas took me around to some of his favorite spots around the city. This included a little Ethiopian food joint that he swore was the best food in the city and of course taking me down into the Armada practice facility. Nearby? Some graffiti on a warehouse building proclaiming "GO BOATS." Yeah, Anchorage was all in for this hockey team. I watched as Jonas took some practice shots on the ice in a mostly empty practice facility.

"You here by yourself often?" I asked.

"Sometimes I can't sleep and I'll just come down to get some shots on net. I find that it helps me empty out my mind and just focus on the game." He said before taking another heavy slapper. Just slightly left of net.

"You must have a key then." I joked.

"Oh absolutely. I'm pretty sure everyone on the team does, but you'd have to ask them." Another shot. This time the favorite sound of any skater and the bane of every goalie's existence rang through the air - the pinging of the puck hitting the back bar of the net. Jonas was shooting about 15% on the season thus far and even though he wouldn't admit it hearing that sound after a miss was definitely a relief.

My flight was coming up so Jonas took me from the practice facility straight to the airport. While sitting at my gate waiting for my flight to board I came to the realization that this would be the last time I saw Jonas during this season. I'm looking forward to seeing him next year and seeing if what he's been working on translates to the ice.

[Image: anchorage-airport-istock-resized_c6ef7a6...c29066.jpg]

My last view of Anchorage - the airport

Tomasnz · 05-14-2019, 05:15 AM

Boats!

DeletedAtUserRequest · 05-18-2019, 10:29 AM

good read +1

|

|

|

|

Grapehead · 05-18-2019, 02:28 PM

Jonas Larsen is a prospect to watch

Navigation

Extra Menu

About us