Weekly Recap: Skellefteå Take a Stranglehold

Game 3

After splitting the opening pair of games, Skellefteå and Rögle headed to Ängelholm tied at one game a piece. 

The game was back and forth right from the get go as Skellefteå opened the scoring in the first period, but it took Rögle just 9 seconds to respond and tie the game. The second period saw no scoring but both teams had good chances and Skellefteå registered 12 shots on net, but both goaltenders stood strong and kept the game locked at on heading into the third period. 

Skellefteå was able to regain the lead in the early stages of the third period and held onto the lead for the next ten minutes. However, Rögle was able to tie it up with just over five minutes remaining in the frame. Unfortunately for them Skellefteå would respond just two minutes laterto take the 3-2 lead. That would ultimately be the game winning goal and Skellefteå was able to take the 2-1 lead in the series. 

Game 4

The fourth game of the series was, once again, a tight game and low scoring affair that saw just one goal from each team in regulation. Skellefteå was able to take the lead early into the second period and Rögle was able to respond late in the frame. The 1-1 score would remain until the final buzzer of regulation and, for the first time this series, the game would head to overtime. 

Rögle had a handful of good chances in the opening half of the overtime frame, including a breakaway opportunity for Henry Bowlby, but Linus Söderström was able to turn aside all the shots he faced. Skellefteå were able to break the deadlock and take the 3-1 series lead after a nice play was finished off by Andreas Johnson at the 12:20 mark of the first overtime period. 

With the win, Skellefteå now have an opportunity to win their first Le Mat Trophy since 2014 and break a streak of losing their last four finals appearances. Game 5 goes tonight, in Skellefteå. Puck drop is at 7:30. 

Linköping

It was a fairly busy week off the ice, especially for Linköping. LHC has made two new acquisitions as they have acquired defensemen Rasmus Rissanen and center Johan Johnsson. 

32 year old Rissanen has spent his entire SHL career with Örebro, who he has been with since the 2018/19 season. Previous to that he spent a number of years in North America playing with Carolinas AHL affiliate and played a handful of games with the Hurricanes as well. 

- I see myself as a two-way back who puts the defensive work first and foremost, but I also have no problem with keeping up with the offense to "join the rush", says Rissanen.

Johnsson, 31, has spent the past three seasons with Oskarshamn, but with their demotion this season, was looking for a new home in the SHL. 

- We think Johan is a team-loyal hockey player who works hard to do what many would consider the "boring" job. A rough worker who plays box play, against the best opponents and takes important draws. We see him as an important part of our squad in the sense that it is a distinct role player, says LHC's sporting director Peter Jakobsson.

Johnsson also has played with HV71 and has a total of 282 SHL games throughout his career. 

With the good news of their new acquisitions this week also comes some bad news for LHC fans and Marcus Högberg announced he will be heading back across the pond for another shot at the NHL. The 29 year old had an impressive season this year as he posted a 2.51 GAA, a .914 SV%, four shutouts and 21 wins in 40 appearances. 

- It obviously feels good to get this chance again. I wasn't really prepared for something like this to appear, but I'm very happy and excited to test my wings on the extreme world elite again, says Högberg

Jasek

Another Oskarshamn player looking for a new home in the SHL has found one this week. Lukas Jasek played his first SHL season this year, scoring 14 goals and 14 assists in 49 games played. The 26 year old forward also has experience in the Finnish league, the Czech League and the AHL. He announced recently that he will be joining MoDo for next season. 

- We think he can be very useful in our way of playing, it's something I've talked a lot about with the coaches. His way of playing hockey suits us well, it feels like; he works hard all over the court, is very skilled and likes to play with the puck, says MoDo's sports manager Henrik Gradin.

The new contract is valid for the next two seasons. 

Nässén

For Jukurit and new Timrå head coach Olli Jokinen has brought one of his former players to his new team. Linus Nassén will be returning to the SHL to play for Timrå next season. The 25 year old defender previously played for Växjö and has spent the past three season in Finland playing with Jukurit. 

- We are very happy that Linus is coming to us. We get a back who has his strengths all over the ice and has good experience from before. In addition, we see that Linus can continue to develop and take steps individually to help the team get better, says Timrå's sporting director Kimmo Kapanen.

The contract is valid until 2026.

Fröberg

Luleå fans have been waiting for a couple of weeks to see who their new GM would be after the club went its separate ways with Stefan Nilsson. The team announced this week that Thomas Fröberg will be taking over the role heading into next season. Fröberg has been the GM of Oskarshamn for the past five seasons. 

- I feel extremely inspired by the opportunity to lead the sporting activities of Luleå Hockey, which is one of the largest associations in Sweden, which is an opportunity that really few are blessed with, says Fröberg

Fröberg signed a three year deal and will be working alongside the teams deputy GM Ulf Engman. 

Hellkvist

Björn Hellkvist and Leksand are going their separate ways. The 47 year old has been head coach of Leksand for the past four seasons but will be returning to Hockey Allsvenskan. It was announced this week that he will be taking over as head coach of Björklöven.

- Björn will be rented out during the last year of his contract, which feels like a good solution for all parties. We had a good second part of the season with the management team that was added after Björn was forced to take sick leave and we believe in continuing with this team as intact as possible as the best for Leksands IF, says Thomas Johansson, General Manager.

Wikstrand

Michael Wikstrand announced this week that he is hanging up his skates for good. The 30 year old defensemen has had a long and illustrious career including a world juniors silver medal, a world championship gold medal and an SHL Championship with Färjestad, who he has spent his entire SHL career with. Unfortunately for Wikstrand, a knee injury has sidelined him for the past two seasons and he has been unable to play. It's now clear that that injury will continue to keep him off the ice. 

- I had envisioned playing until I was 35-36, that's a lot of years that are disappearing from my hockey career. But what I managed to experience during my career, I'm very proud of, it's rare, says Wikstrand.