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jtam · 03-17-2020, 08:53 AM

[1602 words - Draft Media Bonus X2 (3204) - Ready to be Graded]

S53 SHL Draft Profile: Rikard Hammarberg – S52 SMJHL Rookie – Anaheim Outlaws – by J. Botchford Jr.

Selected: 28th OA – Hamilton Steelhawks.

There wasn’t much fanfare when Rikard Hammarberg declared himself eligible for the draft for S52 SMJHL. There wasn’t a spectacular junior season, nor was he there for the rookie showcase. He hasn’t represented his country yet. All in all, there hasn’t been much footage of Hammerberg prior to the SMJHL draft. With a spectacular class of rookies coming in for the S52 draft, Hammarberg was lost amongst the multitudes.

Rikard Hammarberg hails from Ange, Sweden and played junior hockey in the depths of the Sweden. Never really been hailed a superstar, his work ethic was what caught the eyes of some of the scouts that came to Sweden to scout the likes of Magnus Liljestrom and Elias Pettersson. “He might not have the top end skill that most first rounders, but with his work ethic, his ceiling can rival the top players.” said Thomas Lindholm, a scout from the SHL. “He plays hard, has good offensive instincts and is selfless with the puck. He hounds the puck in the defensive end, but that sometimes leads him to be out of position, so that’s one side of the game he needs to work on.”

Come S52 SMJHL Draft, it truly wasn’t surprising that Rikard was not selected in the first round. Come the second day, when most of the exciting junior players were already taking pictures with their new teams. Rikard sat in the stands with his parents. Round after round came and went, and it wasn’t until Round 5, the depths of the draft where it is all crapshoot, that Rikard finally heard his name called. It didn’t matter to Rikard, whether he was drafted in the 1st round, or the 5th round, tears rolled down his face as he finally has the chance to play the game he loves in a professional level. With hugs to his family, he walked down to the draft table where Anaheim selected him in the 5th round, 48th overall. Shaking the hand of the GM BDonini, Rikard vowed that Anaheim did not make a mistake and will work hard from day 1.

Entering the Anaheim locker room was the first taste of professional hockey for Rikard. Hammarberg was jolted in the intensity of training camp, vomiting multiple times during the bag skates, but completed all the drills and then some, working on his shooting after practices. His bread and butter had always been his offensive game and translating it to the smaller ice surface of North America was going to be a challenge. “I suddenly didn’t have the room to make plays, guys would be on me so quickly,” said Hammarberg, “I had to completely figure out my positioning again. Defensively, I really need to improve.”

The preseason started with Rikard plying his trade in the third line along side Ethan Price and Bale. He notched his first point in game 11 of the preseason to start his tally of points in the junior league. His 1st goal in the SMJHL pre-season came in the 39th game of the preseason, where he scored the first goal of game against Colorado. Rikard streaked down the right wing, stopped and wired a wrist shot past Samat Beibitzhanov. While it took a long time before his first goal, he had been racking up assists, and at the end of the preseason, Rikard had a statline of 3g-11a-14pts. While it was a good warm-up run, Rikard knew that once the season started, the intensity will rack up and that pre-season laurels should not be rested upon.

“Stepping onto the ice for the first time with the team for our first home game was such an amazing experience. Hearing cheers when my name was called with all the lights was surreal. It was then I realized I was in the big leagues. The rinks I played in Sweden do not compare to the atmosphere the Saloon had in our second game of the season. We had lost in the first game and I was itching to perform better. I was abysmal in my faceoffs. In fact, I think my whole season, my faceoffs really needed work,” reminisced Hammarberg, “There was a lot of my game that needed work. Playing day in and day out with the pros exposed the deficiencies in my game that I needed to work on.” Rikard has always been very critical of his game. Dissecting what he needed to work on, Rikard picked a part of his game and worked on that fervently every practice. Rikard wanted to produce offensively in a limited role but playing in a brand-new continent and on a different sized ice surface, and against significantly better opposition proved too much for Rikard. Soon after the start of the season, Rikard was dropped to the more defensive oriented 4th line in favor of fellow countryman Taylor Johansson, an undrafted rookie. That demotion stung Hammarberg, but he did not let that affect him. He took it as an opportunity to refine his defensive game, which he acknowledged since the pre-season that he needed to work on. He was unable to replicate his pre-season form, sporting a disappointing 5g-4a-9pt season, with an ugly -21 +/- and a sub 50% face-off percentage at 48.11%. His frustrations boiled over on the last game of the season, picking up an uncharacteristic ejection after instigating a fight to defend a teammate. “Rikard will be the first person to tell you that his season did not go the way he wanted,” said Coach and GM BDonini, “He worked hard, but its hard in the SMJHL, its not an easy league. We worked on his game throughout his season with some improvements. I think his hard work paid off in the playoffs”

Playing in the playoffs was a completely another beast to Rikard. Continuing in his 4th line role, he shored up his defensive game. With the playoff intensity ramping up round by round, Rikard, who seemed to always rise up for the big games played well in the 3 rounds of the playoffs. Rikard scored series clinching goal in their 2nd round series against the Vancouver Whalers. Getting into the dirty areas near the net, Rikard corralled a rocket of a shot from Ziggy Tambo, that clanged off the post, outwaited a sprawling White Goodman before roofing the shot to give Anaheim the series win to move on to the 3rd round. With a dominating 4 game sweep of the Carolina Kraken, Rikard and Anaheim moved on to the Four Stars Cup final against St. Louis. Earning the coach’s trust, Rikard was promoted to the third line in a more offensive role and Rikard rewarded the coach’s trust with an excellent series, scoring a goal in a losing effort in the series clinching game 4. Continuing to earn his reputation as a go-to player in the biggest of games, Rikard notched a huge assist the game 5 win over St. Louis to win the Four Stars Cup. While it had been a tough season for Rikard, the joys of winning the Four Stars Cup in his first season exceeded all his expectations. Winning a professional championship in his rookie season validated his hard work, Rikard knows he can continue to contribute in a more offensive role. Rikard’s statline for the playoffs ended with 2g-2a-4pts with a -4 +/- rating and a face-off percentage inching closer to 50% at 49.35%.

With the junior season officially over with the Four Stars Cup win, there wasn’t much time for celebration, as the S53 SHL Entry Draft loomed around the corner. Rikard’s stock went up with the Four Stars Cup win, but there is still significant holes in his game that there is little chance Rikard will work his way into the first round. There was talk on the draft floor that Rikard could be taken in the second round, but many pegged Rikard to be a 3rd Round selection, besting his previous selection in the 5th round. Flanked by his parents at the S53 SHL Entry Draft, Rikard was selected in the 2nd round, 28th overall by the Hamilton Steelhawks. “I am always very honest with my game, and I am always finding something to work on. I know there is a lot to work on this offseason, but I know I will work my way into Hamilton’s lineup as soon as possible. I have confidence in my ability, and I have confidence that I will rival the top forwards in my draft class.”

When I sat down with Rikard to reminisce over his season after the season, he was mostly serious, still getting used to being interviewed in English. But when asked about his highlights of the season, his eyes lit up. There was no doubt what his favorite highlight of the season was. “First professional goal. Away game. Colorado. I jammed the puck past Beibitzhanov after Bale shot it and Barkov blocked it. I’d love my first goal to be pretty, but I am very happy with how I got my first goal.” Rikard beamed. “While I loved my first goal, winning the Four Stars Cup with Anaheim in my first season, has to be my favorite memory this season. I can’t wait to go back to Ange with the Four Stars Cup in hand to show my friends back home. It is validation that I have arrived in North America, and I am playing my favorite sport.”

“I’m here to stay, and I’m here to win multiple championships in any league I play in.”

The sky is the limit for this youngster, even if his mentality is so grounded.

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