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Turd Ferguson · 04-03-2020, 05:55 PM

Linus Grimstad's Journey to the SMJHL
From the Arctic Circle to North Carolina
[Image: mz2qwAm.png]

Despite the draft being over, there are still young prospects making their way into the SMJHL. Teams looking to fill their needs have been looking to free agency to do so, and one such player who has taken this opportunity to move to a bigger stage is new Carolina Kraken center Linus Grimstad. Grimstad had gained some attention with the news that he’d be represented by SHL hall of famer and agent Turd Ferguson - who hadn’t been involved with the league in any capacity in over 20 seasons (and hadn’t made a major impact in almost 40). But outside of this and the five SMJHL games he’s played so far, there hasn’t been much reported about the young Norweigan.

Grimstad is originally from Tromsø, a city located 217 miles above the Arctic Circle with a population around 70,000. It’s a city not particularly known for producing hockey players. Tromsø’s only active hockey team was founded in 2004, only started playing professionally in 2011, and despite being located in Norway plays in Sweden’s third division. But despite the relative lack of popularity of the sport, Grimstad’s undeniable hockey talent has propelled his career forwards thus far.

Growing up in Tromsø, the most popular sports among kids Linus’ age were soccer (or association football) and cross-country skiing. Many people from the city had found success in these two sports, and as a result you’d be hard-pressed to find successful people in sports like hockey. But that didn’t stop Grimstad. “I immediately fell in love with hockey the first time I saw it,” he says. “A lot of my friends at the time were athletic too, but they played other sports. They tried to get me to play football but I only wanted to play hockey. Every day I practiced by myself until I was able to play with teammates.” He quickly began training with the aforementioned local team, Tromsø Hockey, and his talent would become clearly obvious - at 14 years old, he was playing better than many of the adult players - some of whom were at least twice his age.

Despite the team being in a relatively lower league, Grimstad’s talent would quickly be noticed by scouts from both Sweden and Norway. By the time he turned 16, he’d gotten many different offers and it appeared that the time had come for the forward to take his talent to the next level. Eventually, Linus decided to sign with Frisk Asker of the GET-Ligaen, Norway’s top division. But things wouldn’t necessarily get easier from there.

Even if he’d be staying in the same country, Grimstad was still making a big move, especially at such a young age. Asker, which is located in the Greater Oslo Region, is over 1,000 miles south of Tromsø. This made things very difficult: getting there by car is a nearly 24-hour drive, and while a flight to Oslo Airport is under 2 hours long it was still a difficult ask for Linus’ working-class family to not only afford the flight but also account for the days of work (and therefore income) that they might be missing through the visit. So even though there were the occasional visits from family members, this meant that for a 16-year-old Grimstad a long move would feel even longer.

As a result, Grimstad took a while to adjust to his new city and new team. He was playing against better players, he was away from the people and places that he knew. He was a teenager, only 16 years old, living in an apartment with a new teammate that he’d never met before in a city that he didn’t know. “There weren’t any offers from teams that were close to Tromsø,” Grimstad says of his move to Asker. “So I wanted to stay in Norway at that time, but I knew I would still be moving very far away. I chose Frisk Asker because they offered me the best contract, so I could help support my family. I knew they were a good team too. But I was so excited to play hockey that I wasn’t ready for how difficult things would be.”

During his first year, Grimstad’s mental health took a nosedive. He barely interacted with his teammates, and at times wouldn’t show up to practice. The only thing preventing him from quitting was his love for the sport, and even that at times was wavering. It wasn’t until the end of his first season that his coaches and teammates began to reach out to him. “At first I was scared that they thought I was lazy,” Grimstad recalls. “But they helped me a lot.” His coaches began to talk to him individually more often, and his teammates started to include him in group activities. And for the next few seasons, the results would become clear.

The young forward would begin to dominate games when playing for Asker’s youth team. He comfortably slotted himself into the team’s #1 center spot, and began to catch the attention of many more as one of Norway’s best young prospects. So when the senior team came calling, Grimstad was prepared. At the age of 19, almost three years after originally signing with Frisk Asker, he made his professional debut in the GET-Ligaen and got an assist to mark the occasion. The new level was a challenge, but Grimstad still managed to impress while spending time moving in between the fourth, third, and occasionally even second lines as Frisk Asker won the league.

It was during this time that he would meet the man who would take his career to North America. “I was leaving the arena after the game, and a man approached me in the parking lot,” Grimstad says. “He asked me if I had an agent, and I said no. I was very skeptical at first. He handed me his card and told me to call him later if I was interested. It was only when I got back home and looked up his name that I understood who he was.” The man who approached him was Turd Ferguson, who had been scouting the country for a new client and saw potential in Grimstad. Grimstad called the number, decided to hire Ferguson after consulting with his family, and soon he would be crossing the Atlantic. “I had always wanted to play in North America,” Grimstad explains. “And I understood that this was my opportunity.” At first, he was concerned about leaving for the next season, given his problems when originally leaving Tromsø. But the chance that this provided not only to follow his dream but also support his family to a greater capacity convinced him.

Very early on, the SMJHL draft was ruled out as an option. Teams didn’t send many scouts (if any) to Norway, and as such Grimstad was almost unknown. Instead, Ferguson decided to set up workouts for Grimstad with multiple SMJHL teams with a view towards signing as an undrafted free agent close to the start of the season. It was a risky move. But it very quickly paid off, as Grimstad garnered offers from two teams; he eventually chose to sign with the Carolina Kraken, who had offered to help his family get jobs in Charlotte in order to help the 20-year-old acclimate to a new country.

It’s hard to tell exactly how things will pan out in the future, especially with the Season 54 SHL draft looming in the future. Grimstad has the raw talent to be a first-round pick, but it’s currently projected that he’ll be drafted in the second or third round. Things could change between now and the draft, depending on either how he performs in the SMJHL or whether or not some teams are willing to take a risk on him a bit earlier due to his high ceiling. Grimstad is a natural playmaker who has great hands, is skilled at setting up his teammates, and is very good at faceoffs. But there are also concerns about his lack of physical presence and concerning defensive abilities. Some might see these faults as fairly ironic, considering his agent’s history as an enforcer who moved from center to the blueline. These are things that his coaches in Carolina will likely try to help him with so he can improve as a player. But as things stand, we’ll have to wait and see whether or not Grimstad can make an impact in his new surroundings.

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dankoa · 04-03-2020, 07:53 PM

good to see you back around here man, been a minute

Turd Ferguson · 04-03-2020, 08:46 PM

04-03-2020, 07:53 PMdankoa Wrote: good to see you back around here man, been a minute

Thanks! League's changed a lot since I was last active, I'm enjoying being back so far

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