After coming off such a great season in S53, where we managed to win the Four Star Cup, this season feels like the absolute pits in comparison. The team couldn’t seem to string together passes let alone wins, and my player felt like he got worse instead of getting better. There was no pattern of consistent performance – I’d be doing well one game, and then absolutely terrible and awful the next game with no reason or rhyme – and I was so frustrated. I thought it was my build, and I shifted to be more defensive to let my partner players take a more offensive role, but that only seemed to help just a little, and didn’t really help the situation much if at all. Considering the fact that I could barely claim 3 milestones compared to the full 6 for last year’s set of milestones, it seemed that this year was destined to be disappointing. I am unsure whether to attribute this year to strategies, tactics, or just FHM fickleness, because it seems like the team as a whole was struggling to achieve the performance that we had last year. It still feels like there is a secret setting where winning the Cup makes everything doubly as hard in FHM. Next season, I am called up to Winnipeg, probably playing 3rd pairing minutes. I hope to basically hold my own in that role against higher TPE players, and if I come out with a positive plus minus and a Corsi above 50 percent, I will call that a win. Ten points might be a stretch considering the lack of production I had as a SMJHL player but that is also my goal for the first season in the major leagues.


Being out of the playoffs makes it a bit painful for me to continue watching. I do keep up with the progress of the teams through the conference finals, and will maybe watch a game or two of the finals, especially if it concerns the teams where I have friends playing (go Anaheim!) but in general once it’s done, I’m also done. I am personally going back to Ornskoldsvik to spend some time with family, but I am also putting time in to be ready for the World Junior Championship, and also the IIHF tournament that is coming up. This will be my last World Juniors, and Team Sweden is looking strong, so hopefully we have a chance to get into the gold medal round like we did last year – and this year I won’t be satisfied with silver. I want that gold medal, and then after that I will continue to get ready for the SHL season coming up soon as I want to make sure I am not going to let the Winnipeg Jets down when it comes to my turn to get on the ice.


Sergei doesn’t seem to be want to be found, so maybe he’s just had enough of his overbearing older brother Andrei trying to track his every move. It seems like Sergei has taken precautions like using a VPN to cover his internet presence, and removing social media accounts, so that it is harder to find out where he is and what he is doing. If Sergei was smart, he would also seek to live in a country that doesn’t have an extradition treaty, and maybe changing his name – he could go by Sergio, perhaps, and maybe he could also grow a moustache to help disguise himself. That way, Andrei can’t find him as easily and he could have a life that is more stress-free and relaxed.


Being that I am more familiar with the World Junior Championship landscape and how the different teams are constructed, I think that Team Sweden has a very solid, mature roster mostly made up of sophomore players and older, which means they have a good chance at the medal rounds. Funnily enough we have a surplus of good defenseman (and one defensewoman) whereas we are lacking in forward players, ending up having to take a few loan players to fill out our rosters. So on the back of our strong defensive play, I think we’re definitely in the play for a medal of some kind. Of course, you can’t discount the perennial powerhouses Team Canada and Team USA, and Team UCORCAL looks scary as always. The fact that Jack Kanoff went to Team DACH also makes them that much stronger. Still, I think like last year, we have the ability to surprise people and take out wins where we shouldn’t have.






Hamilfilm