Being the first openly transgender athlete eligible for the SMJHL draft is no easy feat, let alone when you were born in a country not necessarily accepting of your identity, but here Latvian ice hockey sensation Viktor Anderson is, shaping up to be one of the top prospects in the SMJHL draft. It has been a long journey full of struggle, sacrifice, and true self expression and SMJHL Today is here to take you behind the scenes with the phenom himself to see just how he got to this point from being born in Riga, Latvia where the Daugava River meets the Baltic Sea to preparing to finding a new home thousands of miles away where the Missouri River meets the Mississippi River.

Our story begins in Riga, Latvia 18 years ago as Kristaps and Dvesma Anderson give birth to a child in Riga’s top maternity hospital. Kristaps Anderson came from a broken family and relied on his pure athletic skill to get him a role coming off the bench for Riga FC. Unfortunately, after only 3 years playing in the Versliga for Riga Kristaps tragically shattered both his legs in an aggressive tackle incident that went wrong. Dvesma had moved to Riga from the Latvian countryside to pursue a career as an IT Specialist. These lovebirds were now pregnant, and the doctors feared Kristaps would never walk again. So Dvesma and Kristaps came to an agreement. Kristaps would stay home with their child while Dvesma continued to pursue her career as an IT Specialist. Through rehab and surgery Kristaps fortunately did regain the ability to walk again but not without a severe lingering limp that prevented him from playing football ever again. However, through perseverance and hard work Kristaps managed to get himself a job as Riga FC’s equipment manager. Three years after Viktor was born the couple gave birth to another child, Jazeps.

“My parents were madly in love when they met and got married within 9 months. 3 months later and they find out they are pregnant with me. Then my dad broke his leg while my mom was pregnant with me. That kind of life altering change where you can’t provide for your family really changes a man and I think how you come out on the other side has a lot to do with luck but also character and karma, and the way my parents powered through their struggles when I was young inspires me every day to be the best hockey player I can be.”

Growing up Viktor had a lot of energy and struggled finding an outlet for his rising aggression. When he was 6 and Jazeps was 3 his parents decided to enroll him in mites ice hockey. It was here that Viktor found his home, where he threw everything, he could muster into becoming the best ice hockey player he could become. While Viktor was showing up to practices at 4 AM to get extra time in on the ice and only eating lean chicken and broccoli to enhance his performance, everything seemed to be coming easy to Jazeps no matter how much he “slacked off” in Viktor’s eyes. This frustrated Viktor and the brother’s found themselves often competing for their coach’s attention and the admiration of their father, who was encouraging both boys to try and pick up where he left off with professional sports. Unfortunately, at age 14 tragedy would strike Viktor and Jazeps, and the entire Anderson family. On their way to an early morning practice at the ice rink down the street from their house Jazeps and Viktor were struck by a drunk driver crossing the road.

“I remember it like it was yesterday, I saw the headlights coming right for me and I froze. I know it was only a few seconds before contact, but it felt let like an eternity. Jazeps yelled my name and shoved me as hard as he could. I remember hitting the ground and seeing the SUV slam his limp body into the dimly lit streetlamp in front of me and I knew then that he was dead on impact. I jumped up off the ground and ran over to the driver’s side door. I couldn’t see I was so angry; I’ve never lost control like that before, and my vision was just red. I swung open the driver’s side door and just as I think I’m about to beat this man to within an inch of his life I realize there is a small child in the back seat who is bleeding down their forehead. Oh, and the man I was so angry at was unconscious and barely breathing. The stench of alcohol was pouring out of the car, and I could see beer cans all over the passenger’s side floor. I took a deep breath regained my composure. In that moment I knew it was too late to save my brother but not too late to save the man who killed him and this child. I quickly pulled out my cell phone and called 112, the emergency number in Latvia. I then went around to the passenger’s side back seat and open the door. To my surprise the child was responsive, I remember talking but I can’t remember what I said. I just remember thinking I have to get them through this, no matter what.”

In what would become the biggest tragedy Viktor had faced to date, his brother died saving Viktor’s life. Depression and post traumatic stress disorder became part of Viktor’s daily routine and for 6 months Viktor found no interest or desire to do the thing he once loved, ice hockey. During this very formative time in Viktor’s life is when he first started to question his identity. You see, Viktor was assigned female at birth and his given name is Magone. From a very young age it was apparent that Viktor was interested in things that were typically associated with masculinity. However, in Latvia the LGBTQ community is not widely accepted and it is still illegal for gay marriage. While it is not illegal to transition medically to a different gender you have to provide proof of medical procedures to have your gender marker changed on your ID in Latvia. There is also limited access to these treatments, and they are virtually nonexistent outside of Riga, in rural Latvia.

“After losing my brother, at first I felt I had nothing to live for, then I realized that’s not what Jazeps would want for me. He would want me to keep fighting and become the best hockey player I can be. At 15 it started to become really apparent to me that I did not identify as female. I wasn’t sure how my parents would take me coming out, but they shocked me, truly. When I came out to my parents as transgender they immediately took action for not only my health and wellbeing but for my happiness. We packed up the whole family and took a ferry across the Baltic Sea and moved to Stockholm, Sweden.”

For those who are unfamiliar with transgender rights, Sweden has been at the forefront of this battle against hatred paving the way. In 1972 Sweden became the first country to fully legalize transitioning medically and on your legal documentation. They also provide free hormone therapy as part of their healthcare system and they have a great hockey community. It was here in Stockholm that Viktor was finally able to live his true identity and rekindle his love for the great sport of ice hockey. It is no simple feat returning to something that once caused you a great loss. But through the encouragement of Viktor’s new best friend Axel and his new girlfriend Astrid, Viktor was not only able to get back on the ice again but excel in a way he was never able to before.

“It’s no secret that testosterone can improve muscle performance and decrease recovery time. However, I don’t think a lot of people realize how much the validation and acceptance can improve your performance mentally. It’s impossible to just ignore it when you’re having gender dysphoria even if you aren’t able to label it and call it for what it is at the time. When I was finally able to deal with this part of my life, everything else around me improved, especially my confidence.”

After an impressive season with his high school team, Viktor was recruited by Djurgårdens IF Hockey to play left wing at age 16 with their J18 team. Viktor’s quick speed and soft hands quickly began setting him apart from the other players on the team. Within 2 months Viktor made the jump all the way to the SHL (Swedish Hockey Liga, not to be confused with the Simulation Hockey League), the top hockey league in Sweden. Immediately Viktor’s impact was felt when he stepped onto the ice with his first professional team. In his first professional partial season where he was called up halfway through, Viktor put up a shocking 20 goals and 13 assists for 33 points in only 34 games. As a 16-year-old Viktor finished second on his team in goals and fourth in points.

“I really had so much fun that first year with Djurgårdens IF, it felt like everything I shot at the net was going in. My teammates were great close friends and I finally felt accepted as my true self. I knew Jazeps would be proud of me, and it felt like a new beginning. A really exciting time in my life.”

Heading into the start of the 2019-2020 season Viktor Anderson had risen from an unknown name to a possible blue chip prospect with a real shot at heading overseas to either the Simulation Hockey League or the National Hockey League in his future. As the season began in Sweden, Viktor picked up right where he had left off with Djurgårdens IF. In the first 20 games Anderson posted 15 goals and 14 assists for a team and league leading 29 points. Then Covid-19 happened and what was once a promising season for Viktor to launch his career from came to a startling halt.

“It was hard of course, when you’re so hopeful for your future and something so out of your control freezes you in your tracks like that. Everyone in the world is collectively going through this pandemic so I know I’m not alone when I say times have been very difficult. At this point I had to really reevaluate my future and figure out what I was going to do. I sought therapy during this difficult time and was able to re-focus my attention on performing at the top of my game. I started working out at home in Stockholm and was able to improve my conditioning and strength greatly.”

As the world slowly fought through the pandemic and we saw the resumption of sports, Viktor geared up for the start of the Swedish Hockey Liga season and found himself training with some elite Simulation Hockey League prospects. Anderson found himself training with the likes of Luc Blouin, Kermit Murphy, and Gabe-Gooney-Waters-Harrak as they prepared for their upcoming seasons in the Simulation Major Junior Hockey League. It was during this time that Viktor Anderson was influenced to join the SMJHL and work his way towards the Simulation Hockey League as opposed to the National Hockey League.

“I remember as things slowly reopened I met with a coach on a zoom call known for at one time being so elite in the Simulation Hockey League that he actually “broke the league” and changed the entire way the game is played around the world. His name was Aaron Wilson and he used to coach for the Hamilton Steelhawks back in the day. Anyways he told me about an elite group of prospects he was getting together for a mini training camp to get ready for the upcoming season. The other three guys I had never met but I had heard about them from their fame over in the SMJHL. Kermit Murphy led his team in points that season with 56 and Luc Blouin was touted as one of the best defensive prospects when he entered the league. Both of them were coming off a rocky playoffs where Blouin was a -15 and Murphy only scored 1 point as his team (Detroit Falcons) were swept by their biggest rival in the playoffs the St. Louis Scarecrows. As for Gabe-Gooney-Waters-Harrak I knew he had a lot of elite growth potential after only one season in the league. Needless to say when Awils asked me to be a part of this elite training camp group I was shocked. I never thought of myself as elite enough to train and play with these guys, but I knew I could not turn this opportunity down. So I accepted his offer.”

Viktor then promptly boarded a plane and traveled to Hamilton in Ontario, Canada for six weeks to train with three elite prospects from the SMJHL. During this time the four hockey players created very close bonds and through fostering these relationships Viktor knew he wanted to play in the Simulation Hockey League just like these guys aspired to someday. However, these were not the only relationships Viktor was able to cultivate when he was in North America, it was here that he met veteran SHL player manager Vik. Vik had run the gambit in the Simulation Hockey League as a player manager having one from being considered a scourge in the league, to getting permanently banned, to returning and becoming a well-respected member of the league again. Unfortunately for Vik it had been several years since he had a player worth something in the SHL. After being invited by Awils to view their practices and training sessions for a few weeks Vik approached Viktor.

“I knew I wanted to join the Simulation Hockey League someday and here was my chance right in front of me. I knew what I needed to do. I called my girlfriend Astrid to tell her the news, but it was not as exciting to her. I knew I had to make a decision then and there to chase the love of my life or stay with a woman I had a great amount of love for. In the end I made the only choice I was ever going to make. I signed the contract with Vik.”

This was a huge break for Vik, he knew he needed to bring a prospect into the game that was different than the players he had worked with before. Someone with a similar or slightly higher ceiling to that of former first overall pick represented by Vik, Jakub Trocheck who reached 849 practice hours , but with a higher floor than the last player Vik represented right wing Mega Tron who reached 602 practice hours. Viktor Anderson was eager to immediately join the SMJHL entry draft at this time, but Vik being a seasoned veteran of the SHL advised Anderson to play one more season in the Swedish Hockey League with Djurgårdens IF and wait until the S61 entry draft for the SMJHL, which rumors had it would be a reddit class. Reluctantly Anderson returned to Stockholm to play one more season with Djurgårdens IF.

“Honestly I didn’t want to do it, I thought I knew better and that I was good enough already to join the Simulation Major Junior Hockey League, but sometimes you have to eat your words. I came home and tried to stay as focused as I could on the game in Sweden, but my mind was already in North America. Looking back now I needed to go through that struggle to understand how to focus on the present moment and the task at hand.”

The struggle Viktor is referring to was his start to the 2021 season. With expectations lofty coming off a very impressive Covid shortened season in his first game on the ice Viktor injured his thumb. He would unfortunately need surgery and be out 4-6 weeks. In another shortened season Viktor managed to put up 13 goals and 13 assists for 26 points in 30 games. In the playoffs Viktor reaggravated his injury and had to sit out as his team was taken down in seven by Brynäs IF.

“Injuries are hard and I was devastated at first, I felt like I went against my gut and it could have ended my career. Now that I am past that point I feel silly for reacting so extremely in my head to a minor injury. Everyone goes through injuries in their career and it can be crushing to your confidence. I think I needed to go through that to show myself I could get through whatever life was going to throw at me. At this point I was on the phone with Vik and he says to me “Okay it’s time, go ahead and book a flight we are going to drum up some hype around you for the SMJHL entry draft.” I think he knew I was ready to move on from Sweden and I had developed my defensive game enough through camp with Awils and working with our defensive coach in Sweden to be able to play the North American style of play.”

So once again Viktor Anderson boarded a plane and headed to North America for the S61 SMJHL entry draft. Once arriving in Regina, home of the expansion Regina Elks franchise in the SMJHL and home to the S61 SMJHL entry draft, Vik went to work doing the paperwork to get Viktor Anderson registered for the S61 SMJHL draft and the S62 SHL draft. The first step for any player joining the SMJHL is the evaluation of skills, or some people refer to it as creating a player. No player registering initially for the SMJHL entry draft may have above or below 155 practice hours. With Vik’s experience and Viktor Anderson’s impeccable skills the initial registration and evaluation went extremely quickly.

“The process to approve me for the draft was so quick I was impressed. I registered and about 30 minutes later was approved by the SMJHL intern for the entry draft. That was when the real work began, I have to admit it was a little overwhelming at first and I could definitely tell Vik was still getting back into the swing of things when we first got here. We missed a couple of the slam dunk opportunities for practice hours prior to the draft because he forgot they existed and I didn’t really know what I was doing either.”

Vik quickly went to work making Viktor Anderson’s presence known to as many rookie GMs as possible. Posting often and regularly on the SHL forums and in Discord was a hallmark of any Vik represented player and Viktor Anderson was no exception to that rule. With an exciting scandal dropping Vik instructed Viktor to comment a little in one of the busiest threads the SHL forums had seen in a few weeks.

“That Hamilton punishment news was crazy. I thought it was totally reasonable for them to say Hamilton didn’t have to give up those rookies because that doesn’t really seem super logical, fair, or fun to me. These rookies had already agreed on these contracts so it wasn’t like these contracts weren’t even agreed on, if anything this was a clerical issue. However a 2nd round pick so far away does seem like a rather weak punishment. Regardless I’m not really interested in defending anyone’s actions including my own so when I posted in the thread I tried to keep it light hearted. Vik’s advice worked because I was contacted by all but 3 or 4 of the junior teams. It really made the junior draft a lot more enjoyable being scouted and not knowing exactly where I was going, I had never experienced anything that exciting before.”

Viktor Anderson’s draft stock really shot through the roof after the prospect tournament. Anderson was auto selected for the Tokyo Yoshi’s for a prospect tournament featuring every single player who declared for the SMJHL S61 entry draft. Out of all of these players Viktor finished 34th in scoring with 7 goals and 12 assists for 19 points in 40 games. He also had a +15 rating good for fourth in the league. Then came the playoffs where Viktor has historically struggled in his career. Unfortunately for him this was no different in this tournament as he scored no points in a single game elimination where his team lost two to nothing.

“The Tokyo Yoshi’s was a great way for me to bond with some of my fellow classmates. At the time I was enjoying the fun and the ride and also finding a lot of joy in helping out some less experienced players. Not everyone has been around the block a time or two and with Vik being my player manager I can’t get enough of old SHL stories. I also feel fairly comfortable helping out anyone, it’s my golden rule. I just want to be as helpful as I would want someone else to be.”

All of this leadership and Vik’s prior reputation of pumping out highly serviceable players and high locker room activity players led to Viktor Anderson being picked much higher than the mocks were projecting. Most mock drafts had Viktor Anderson going somewhere between 12-28. It came as a bit of a shock to everyone when the draft streamer called out his name at Eighth Overall drafted by the St. Louis Scarecrows. Vik had previous ties to the franchise with his last player and new General Manager SparkyDee did not hesitate to act on this opportunity to pull the trigger on someone many view as a guaranteed cap player (reaching 425 TPE) in the SMJHL.

“I talked with a lot of teams in depth before the draft but I had no idea where I would go, and I certainly never expected to go higher than the second round. Not that I don’t think I deserve it or am worth it, I’m just not always used to others seeing my worth. Having an underdog mentality has worked well for me at times and damaged me at others. Now that I am a first round pick, I am going to have to lead by example and set a standard of excellence for my fellow team mates.”

The St. Louis Scarecrows would draft four other rookies that evening including center Cody Sherman at 17th Overall, right defenseman Wendolene Ramsbottom at 32nd Overall, goalie Vincent Catalano at 60th Overall, and left wing Jason Lajeunesse at 65th Overall. Viktor would quickly form bonds with his new team mates on draft night. All five of the rookies decided to go out after the draft to bond and get to know each other.

“I remember after St. Louis decided to make their first pass at the 102nd Overall pick in the 8th round it really set in. We were all going to be teammates for an SMJHL team. We were all on our way to realizing our dreams that we had had since we were kids. I remember shedding a little tear then turning to my new teammates and asking if anyone wanted to go out for a drink. They were all down, and so we went out to a club in downtown Regina called Q Nightclub or something like that. It wasn’t really the vibes for everyone else, but it was the highest rated night club when we googled it and also LGBTQ friendly, so we bought a couple drinks and tried to dance a little bit. I remember Jason was the first to turn in, then Wendolene also went back to the hotel. So we’re dancing and feeling good and they say you guys don’t gotta go home but you got to get the hell out of here. So Cody, Vince, and I head over to Tim Horton’s. Being from Europe, I had never tried a Tim Horton’s before so I let Cody order me some kind of scone and an iced americano. We sat down at a table and got to talking. It turned out Vince and Cody would also be looking for someone to have as a roommate in St. Louis. I hadn’t even thought about this yet, but suddenly I realized I would be alone in a strange city. Even if my rookie contract was enough for me to buy a very nice house I didn’t necessarily want to live by myself. So we all agreed we would be roommates right then.”

So when Viktor Anderson boarded the plane from Regina to St. Louis he had already cultivated friendships that he knew would last him a lifetime. The three roommates found a condo in the heart of St. Louis right by the waterfront of the Missouri and Mississippi river. The first and only week of SMJHL training camp has been a whirlwind for the three young rookies. It started with a small hazing ritual from the St. Louis veteran players (https://simulationhockey.com/showthread....pid3094607), followed by a really intense week of practice and training, interviews and media sessions, and now preseason has begun. In the first two games Anderson was rather unnoticeable and scored no points and had no shots on net and had some of the team's worst corsi percentage. Much of that may be attributed to the fact that the coach hasn't found the combos or strategies that work with the new additions to the St. Louis Scarecrows yet, or that no practice hours have been applied to the player's abilities yet. Regardless expectations are still astronomically high for the promising young left winger from Latvia.

"I love the area in St. Louis, it's very different than what I was used to in Europe and I'm happy to call it my home for at least the next four seasons. The hazing ritual was honestly the most terrifying thing I ever experienced and despite Vik's best efforts at explaining past playoff scenarios that led to this rivalry, all of us younger players and those who aren't as familiar with SHL and SMJHL history still seem to be kind of confused about why we all hate Detroit. That said it's fun to rally against a rival and I look forward to playing them this season in some heated games. I think we have a game against them tomorrow and I'm really looking forward to it, especially since I think we'll be shaking up the lines a little bit. I'm still adjusting to the North American style of play, it's very different than Sweden's style on the larger ice and the player's here are a lot faster, I'm no longer the fastest one by far. That said I really want to continue to grow my game and who knows? Maybe someday I will be the fastest winger in the Simulation Hockey League? But right now, what I am focused on most is turning in this work week in and week out to get my practice hours up and to bond with my teammates as much as possible. Someday I would like to be in a leadership role in St. Louis, and I hope we're able to work together to bring a cup to the Gateway to the West, it's been almost 15 seasons now since we had a cup here and I would love to be a part of the team who brings it back."

Stay tuned to see what this promising young prospect does in the coming seasons, something tells me that we haven't seen Viktor Anderson even remotely at his best yet. Below you will find SMJHL Today's grades and analysis of Anderson's current build/attributes. Until next time puckheads, this has been SMJHL Today's Meet The Prospect.

Player Information:
First Name: Viktor
Last Name: Anderson
Position: Left Wing
Handedness: Right
Jersey Number: 53
Height: 6ft 0in
Weight: 185 lbs
Birthplace: Riga, Latvia

Player Attributes:

Offensive Ratings: C+
Screening: C-
Getting Open: B-
Passing: C+
Puckhandling: C+
Shooting Accuracy: A-
Shooting Range: C
Offensive Read: C+

Overall Anderson’s offensive ratings are average for his practice hours and in order for him to perform offensively in North America he will have to greatly improve his offensive awareness and ability to get open. That said Anderson’s shooting accuracy can be considered elite for his level of practice hours. With his knack for burrying the puck and a quick path to improve his offensive read ability I feel confident he will be able to deliver offensively very quickly.

Defensive Ratings: C-
Checking: B-
Hitting: B-
Positioning: B
Stickchecking: C
Shot Blocking: D
Faceoffs: E
Defensive Read: C+

For a rookie left wing with his practice hours, Anderson has a very strong defensive build. His defensive read and stick checking will absolutely need to improve for him to be a fully utilizable forward in both ends, but the basics are there for him to build from and his physicality will be noticeable against the weaker forwards in the SMJHL.

Physical Ratings: C
Acceleration: C
Agility: C
Balance: C
Speed: B
Stamina: B-
Strength: C
Fighting: E

Anderson has a very strong natural physical ability most noticable in his speed. I would like to see him improve all of the physical abilities slightly over time starting with strength, acceleration, and agility, but for now at his current practice hours I do believe Anderson will be able to keep up physically in the SMJHL both in strength and quickness.

Mental Ratings: C-
Aggression: C-
Bravery: C-

I do believe Anderson has some of the strongest mental ratings for his practice hours right now. It is unusual you see someone so dedicated to the mental side of the game so young but I do believe Anderson has what he needs currently to engage in physical plays and keep his mentality strong throughout a game.

Overall Rating:
The Prospect[/b]

Need a sig :-/

I meant to make the text big but I made it small but I don't want to take away the doubles for editing after midnight so you get what you get lol

Need a sig :-/

This is awesome