Swedish Elitserien - preview

[charvik]

I am going to do a writeup on each team, and try to point out up and coming young players that might move across the atlantic soon. The Swedish league as well as the Finnish are going to use the same tolerance level as the NHL this season, which should make young and fast teams more competitive.

I'll do one post per team, and edit the info as I learn more...

:cheers:

 

[charvik]

Brynäs

(Note: On the transfers section, all 'important' transfers are bolded)

Brynäs

Brynas has a young team, with two VERY talented players; Nicklas Bäckström and Mathias Månsson. Daniel Hermansson is another young player and I expect to see all 3 of them in the NHL shortly, maybe even the 2007 season.

During an up and down preseason they lost one of their talents to an ACL injury, defender Linus Morin. He is going to be gone until October at least, and while young, he was an important part of this team, with fast skates and productive in PowerPlay.

Jiri Bicek is an important pickup for the season. Some of you might remember him from the Devils a couple of years ago (he was on their Stanley Cup winning team). He has been really impressive during the pre season, but unfortunately won't be available to play until after 9 rounds (Oct 15) due to a contract dispute with Leksand. Brynas had the option to pay off Leksands contract (around 250K), but elected not to.

Richard Gygne is another really talented youngster. He played in the junior leagues last year and scored 2 goals per game on average. He has all records for the Junior leagues in Sweden and recently scored 3 goals on the Czech national junior team in a tournament. He is widely considered one of the stars in his age group. Some scouts hold him as a better player then Marcus Naslund and Peter Forsberg were at his age, offensively. He does lack Forsbergs eye for the game IMHO.


In:
Daniel Sperrle, GK, Mora
Jiri Bicek, FW, Leksand
Nicholas Angell, D, Bofors
Robert Kristan, GK, Jesenice
Mads Hansen, FW, Storhamar
Johannes Salmonsson, FW, Spokane
Peter Nolander, D, Mora
Antti Hulkkonen, D, TPS Åbo
Richard Gynge, FW, Hammarby
Sebastian Karlsson, FW, Frölunda
Martins Cipulis, FW, HK Riga.

Out:
Johan Holmqvist, GK, Tampa Bay
Markus Korhonen, GK, Lukko
Daniel Widing, FW, Nashville
Jonas Almtorp, D, Edmonton
Mikko Kuparinen, D, Jokerit
Martin Öhrstedt, D, Almtuna
Sebastian Sulku, D, Bofors
Brian Felsner, FW, Bofors
Joachim Gellerstedt, FW, Bofors

I really like this team on paper, but they have to prove that they can replace Johan Holmqvist in the net. Sperle and Angell is not even close to the talent that Holmqvist is, so Brynas will be in trouble defensively IMHO. This is the main reason I don't see them advancing far in the playoffs, and also a good reason to look for OVERs in their games.

 

[Santacapper]

This is one league I have had little success in with time / etc for the duration of a full season. But have been trying to read up on it.

Look forward to the thread Charvik:cheers:

 

[charvik]

It's a difficult league, for sure, especially with a 55 game regular season. I mainly keep up with the league to scout prospects for the NHL and for the International turnaments, but I believe there are OVER plays to be made here, along with dog plays in some of the arenas.

This league is even bigger on HFA then the Finnish, and venues like Mora, Brynas, Timra and Lulea is really loud and difficult to play in for visiting teams. Long distances (relatively) is also a factor.

 

[charvik]

Djurgården

Djurgården

Has a nice mix of young talent and older more experienced players. The keeper Lassila has started the pre season unevenly, and lets too many rebounds bounce out straight in front of him. The team has to pick up on that trend or they will be in a world of pain in PK during the season. The trend in PP for the moment is far too few shots on goal. The team is decent playing 5 against 5, but I am not impressed from what I have seen (I love Slingbox by the way :cheers: ) from their PP and PK units. The PP units should produce, on paper, but they might need time to learn to play together.

They have an interesting junior keeper in Stefan Ridderwall but I don't expect to see him play this year.

In:
Thomas Johansson, D, Linköping
Dragan Umicevic, FW, Södertälje
Martin Lindman, D, Augsburg
Timmy Pettersson, D, Södertälje
Dennis Persson, FW, Västerås
Nicklas Danielsson, FW, Almtuna
Pär Bäcker, FW, Färjestad
Daniel Larsson, GK, Hammarby
Fredrik Ericson, D, Bofors
Christian Eklund, FW, Augsburg
Morten Ask, FW, Saipa

Out:
Patrick Thoresen, FW, Edmonton
Henrik Nordfeldt, FW, Västerås
Johan Eneqvist, FW, Leksand
Petter Rönnqvist, GK, Modo
Adam Andersson, D, Modo
Marcus Kristoffersson, FW, Skellefteå
Mika Strömberg, D, Comet
André Mattsson, D, Comet
Erik Ryman, D, Alleghe
Jesper Björck, D, Västerås
Patrik Nilson, FW, Västerås
Per Eklund, FW, Köln
Daniel Rudslätt, FW, Köln

 

[charvik]

Frölunda

Frölunda

This team expects to win not only the regular season, but also the playoff. They have a new head coach after last years fiasco in the final games and have some young talents, especially Anton Axelsson, that will help them reach their goals.

Johan Ryno is a young talent, already drafted by the Red Wings, and he will help the attack. He is highly thought of and needs to prove his worth this season. Last season he was dominant in the lower leagues, and it will be interesting to see how he will be able to adapt to the major league.

Tommy Salo is in the net for the team, and I am sure everyone is familiar with what he can do.

In:
Steve Kariya, FW, Esbo
Martin Cibak, FW, Tampa Bay
Johan Ryno, FW, Oskarshamn
Karl Fabricius, FW, Luleå
Fredrik Johansson, FW, Västerås
Tomi Pettinen, D, NY Islanders
Johan Fransson, D, Luleå

Out:
Johnny Oduya, D, New Jersey
Magnus Kahnberg, FW, St Louis
Joel Lundqvist, FW, Dallas
Jason Krog, FW, Atlanta
Tom Koivisto, D, Rapperswil
Mikael Sandberg, GK, retiring
Sebastian Karlsson, FW, Brynäs
Richard Demén-Willaume, D,
Johan Witehall, FW,
Peter Högardh, FW,
Jari Tolsa, FW, Esbo
Kirill Starkov, FW, Red Deer Rebels.

This team is well put together and they will be tough to beat again this year. I don't see a lot of value betting them, unless possibly unders at home.

I am a bit concerned with all the goals they have let through during the pre-season, 34 in 8 games, so I will wait on playing them until I see the final formations.

 

[charvik]

Good thing it's a slow day at work...

I might have time to do a couple more teams today.

 

[charvik]

Färjestad

Färjestad

This team has been in the finals each year, the last 6 years. That is an impressive result.

Fredrik Olausson is back with the team, which is a little odd considering the fact that he and coach Hakan Loob has been fighting rather severly on 2 different occasions in the past, both times over transfers and both times resulting in Olausson leaving. They claim to have worked out their differences, but this could potentially be an issues further ahead. He has had ACL problems in the past, but will help develop the teams younger defenders. Should help in Power Play too.
Andreas Johanson is new for the season, and while a bit older, he should strengthen the locker room with his attitude. Still a good defensive forward.

At the moment I think their weakest position is in goal, with 2 relatively unknown keepers.

They did look very good, yet again, in pre-season, and they will be hard to stop. Färjestad is getting older and slower, and doesn't have as many quick youngster as the other teams and this can potentially hurt them in the long run.

In:
Andreas Johansson, FW, Geneve-Servette
Fredrik Olausson, D, HV71
Janne Niskala, D, Zug
Esa Pirnes, FW, Esbo

Out:
Rickard Wallin, FW, Lugano
Radek Hamr, D, Kloten
Per Hållberg, D, Zug
Pär Bäcker, FW, Djurgården
Pavel Patera, FW, Kladno
Martin Thelander, D, Södertälje
Johan Olsson, FW, Södertälje
Nikos Tselios, D
FredriK Eriksson, FW, Malmö

 

[charvik]

Hv71

HV71

Wow, look at the players they have lost this season. The one that will really hurt is Stefan Liv, who has played 2nd and 3rd string on the national team. I'm sorry HV, but Scott Langkow can't replace him.

They do get Hrdina in from Columbus, but he won't join the team until October 21st and I suspect it will take some time for him to find his team mates.

The "experts" from the media has them making noice in the playoffs again (knocked out in the semi last year), but with these major losses I am not so sure. They lose 4 players that have been perennial national team players, and that has to hurt.

In:
Jan Hrdina, FW, Columbus
Johan Åkerman, D, Skellefteå
Pasi Puistola, D, Tappara
Jukka Voutilainen, FW, HPK
Timo Vertala, FW, Tappara
Andreas Falk, FW, Skellefteå
Scott Langkow, GK, Lukko
Lance Ward, D, Binghamton

Out:
Stefan Liv, GK, Detroit
Björn Melin, FW, Anaheim
Andreas Karlsson, FW, Tampa Bay
Lars Jonsson, D, Philadelphia
Fredrik Olausson, D, Färjestad
Johan Halvardsson, D, NY Islanders
Pasi Määttänen, FW, Ilves
Mika Niskanen, FW, Helsingfors IFK
Axel Nordholm, D, Olofström
Mattias Beck, FW, AIK
Jens Karlsson, FW, Iserlohn
Peter Hammarström, FW,
Magnus Åkerlund, GK, Skövde.

I will be looking to play against them early, especially on the road. They have shown in the pre-season that they will visit the penalty box frequently, and with Langkow between the pipes, they will let some through for sure.

 

[charvik]

Linköping

Linköping

They replace Norrena with Cechmanek. Cechmanek has a lot of routine, but from what I have seen of him lately, he is getting slower. I still think he'll be a good fit for the team and I am not too concerned, yet.

They have Nicklas Backstrom on the team, and he is really good, and also part of the national team. He will make a difference in some games. Eriksson is also a class player that will help the team offensively.

In:
Joakim Eriksson, FW, Esbo
Roman Cechmanek, GK, Hamburg
Niklas Persson, FW, Leksand
Oscar Ackeström, D, Davos
Niklas Olausson, FW, Nyköping
Paul Healey, FW, Lowell
Chris Kelleher, D, Wilkes-Barre

Out:
Fredrik Norrena, GK, Columbus
Shane Willis, FW, Carolina
Thomas Johansson, D, Djurgården
Christoffer Norgren, D, Straubing
Mikko Peltola, FW, Ilves
Johan Andersson, FW, Timrå
Andreas Pihl, D, Salzburg
Jussi Tarvainen, FW, Basel
Jonas Soling, FW,
Albin Lorentzon, D, Västerås.

The team has had a good pre-season, Cechmanek has been very good and this could be an interesting team that is ranked around 5-6 in the league by most. I am not so sure about betting on them, but might look for UNDERs at home against slower teams.

 

[SoonerBS]

charvik, I don't know a damn thing about any of these teams, but you post some plays and I'll bet on 'em!!

 

[charvik]

charvik, I don't know a damn thing about any of these teams, but you post some plays and I'll bet on 'em!!

:cheers:

 

[charvik]

Luleå

Luleå

A VERY tough arena to play in. I would say it's the 2nd worst and the fans are absolutely nuts. The biggest problem for Lulea is that the fans here might actually turn against the home team too if they are playing poorly.
This is a fairly poor team, and it shows on the team roster. They always have a lot of talented local youngsters on their team though, along with veterans returning "home" again.

The team has a lot of injuries right now, and they will start the season with call-ups for players from the junior team. I might look to play against them in the first games if I can get good lines.

In:
Kalle Kerman, FW, Mora
Anders Burström, FW, Södertälje
Roger Åkerström, D, Bolzano
Jesse Niinimäki, FW, JYP
Martin Chabada, FW, Sparta Prag
Tomas Surovy, FW, Pittsburgh

Out:
Karl Fabricius, FW, Frölunda
Jonas Nordquist, FW, Chicago
Johan Fransson, D, Frölunda
Emil Lundberg, FW, Saipa
Ragnar Karlsson, FW, Södertälje
Vladimir Machulda, FW, Karlovy Vary
David Rautio, GK, Bofors
Erik Lindberg, D, Bofors
Jonas Johansson, D,
Thomas Koch, FW, Salzburg

 

[charvik]

Malmö

Malmö

New in the Elite league this year. They had issues scoring in the past and has tried to stock up on offensive talent. I think the team will struggle, but they should have a decent shot to remain in the top division with a little luck.

They are really weak defensively and newcomer Stana has to be very good to keep them in games. This is a team I will look at for overs, especially early in the season.

Malmo has a very good coach, and I am sure he will help tactically in the games.

The club has money with a big financial backer, and he will pour more money into the team if needed. They might grab Majesky from Karpat a month into the season.

In:
Marcus Paulsson, FW, TPS Åbo
Fredrik Eriksson, FW, Färjestad
Linus Fagemo, FW, Iserlohn
Rastislav Stana, GK, Södertälje
Lasse Pirjetä, FW, Kloten
Radek Duda, FW, Slavia Prag
Mikael Johansson, FW, Rögle
Ross Lupaschuk, D, Mora
Andrej Nedorost, FW, Hamburg
Milan Bartovic, FW, Chicago

Out:
Carl Söderberg, FW, St Louis
Kim Staal, FW,
Christopher Nilstorp, GK, Rögle
Philip Forsberg, FW, Troja-Ljungby
Johan Forsberg, FW, Björklöven
Alexander Semjonovs, FW,
Patrik Ahlstrand, FW, Rögle
Martin Stepanek, FW, Kladno
Marcus Olsson, f, Nybro

 

[charvik]

4 more teams to go...

 

[charvik]

Modo

Modo

This team has an excellent youth academy and is famous for bringing up new exceptional talents. Just have a look at all the local players in the NHL now, Forsberg, Naslund, Alfredsson etc etc.

This years team is no exception. They have 9 "new" players age 20 or below with national team merits and I believe this team will benefit from the rule changes. They have always been fast, and these rules should help a lot.

The biggest issue is in between the pipes, with Karol Krizan, that had a decent season last year, but I'm not sold on him yet.

Niklas Sundstrom returns from Montreal and he will help bring need experienced to this young team. MoDo is hard to beat at home, and I expect this team to play in the final this year.

In:
Niklas Sundström, FW, Montreal
Robert Döme, FW, Nürnberg
Adam Andersson, D, Djurgården
Per-Åge Skröder, FW, Södertälje
Oscar Steen, FW, Leksand

Ut:
Rastislav Pavlikovsky, FW, Zürich
Jesper Damgaard, D, Augsburg
Morten Green, FW, Leksand
Jan Pardavy, FW,
Tony Tuzzolino, FW,

 

[charvik]

Mora

Mora

I'm not too impressed with their team and it's composition. They could need help in most areas and will struggle, especially away from home.

In:
Pavel Brendl, FW, San Antonio (Phoenix)
Miroslav Blatak, D, Zlin
Tero Määttä, D, Esbo
Antti Bruun, D, Lukko
Mikko Rämö, GK, Helsingfors IFK
Juha Pitkämäki, GK, Ilves
Tomas Slovak, D, Lowell Lock Monsters
Mikko Kurvinen, D, Helsingfors IFK

Out:
Ross Lupaschuk, D, Malmö
Kalle Kerman, FW, Luleå
Peter Nolander, D, Brynäs
Magnus Sandberg, FW,
Calle Bergström, D, Duisburg
Daniel Sperrle, GK, Brynäs
Petri Vehanen, GK,
Jens Jakobs, FW, Nyköping
Marcus Ernlund, GK, Jonstorp
Petr Smrek, D, Frankfurt
Ryan Jardina, FW, Hamburg.

I am currently looking at their first game against Djurgarden and might play against them here.

 

[charvik]

Skellefteå

Skellefteå

New in the top division for this year (16 years since they were up there last) and they will struggle to remain. The roster is nowhere near good enough to compete with the stronger teams in the league. They have a decent home field advantage, especially considering it's a hassle to get there and their fanatical fans.
Talent won't get them enough wins to remain though I am afraid. I will look to play them at home, since they might be able to shock some of the slower older teams at home. I will not play them in the debut game at home vs Brynas though, as I think it'll be either a very tight game or Brynas will win easily. It might be worth looking at the OVER 5.5 though.

In:
Richard Lintner, D, Fribourg
Marcus Kristoffersson, FW, Djurgården
Jimmie Ericsson, FW, Leksand
Kari Haakana, D, Duisburg
Antti Virtanen, FW, JYP
Markku Tähtinen, FW, Lukko
Dave Stathos, GK, Laval Chiefs

Ut:
Johan Åkerman, D, HV71
Daniel Branda, FW, Litvinov
Andreas Falk, FW, HV71
Jeremiah McCarthy, D, Milano
Patrik Rönnqvist, FW, Oskarshamn
Andreas Paulsson, FW, Väsby
Mikael Bohman, GK, Arboga
Mikael Brancalion, FW, Hudiksvall
Nicklas Dahlberg, GK, Sundsvall
Alexander Sundqvist, FW, Sundsvall.

 

[charvik]

Timrå

Timrå

Widely considered to have the best home field advantage in the league. This place gets LOUD and it's in the middle of nowhere, literally in the middle of a dark forrest, LOL.

They have a decent team, but nothing spectacular and I don't buy into the notion from all the "experts" that this team will be competing among the elite tier at the end of the year. I see them as being strong at home, but weak on the road and will look for situational plays, like first road game after a solid home stand, or the opposite.

In:
Jonathan Hedström, FW, Anaheim
Johan Backlund, GK, Leksand
Peter Nylander, FW, Saipa
Timo Pärssinen, FW, Zug
Riku Hahl, FW, Davos
Petri Kokko, D, Saipa
Kimmo Lotvonen, D, Leksand
Johan Andersson, FW, Linköping
Oscar Sundh, FW, St John's
Björn Svensson, FW, Moose Jaw Warriors.

Out:
Frans Nielsen, FW, NY Islanders
Adam Svoboda, GK, Pardubice
Pavel Rosa, FW, Omsk
Marko Jantunen, FW, Pelicans
Teemu Aalto, D, Bern
Kristian Gahn, FW, Bolzano
Kent Manderville, FW, Kloten
Peter Ström, FW, Sönderjyske
Blake Sloan, FW, Mannheim
Mats Hansson, D, Kalpa
Carl-Johan Johansson, D,
Mika Oksa, GK,