SHL SPOTLIGHT: SAMUEL JOHANNESSON

When it comes to sports, most people probably associate Halmstad with football. Every summer, hundreds of talented young footballers gather in the west coast town to participate in ”Elitlägret”, hoping to follow in the footsteps of Halmstad native Fredrik Ljungberg. This was, however, never the case for Samuel Johannesson.

– I tried football but my dad had played hockey at a high level so there was never any doubt for me, Samuel Johannesson says.

His dad, Peter Johannesson, played for Halmstad in the Swedish third division, and also took Samuel to a few SHL games, mostly in Gothenburg.

– He knew a guy who played for Frölunda, and the first SHL game I watched live was at Scandinavium, so Frölunda was my favourite team growing up, Samuel admits.

– But my dad have actually always liked Brynäs, he adds with a grin.

Little did they know that Samuel himself would represent his dad’s favourite team. But this was still some time away at this point. The few hockey players from Halmstad often move to Ängelholm, and Samuel Johannesson was no exception. By the time he was 15, he joined SHL team Rögle, and played there through his junior years.

– I’ve always been kind of smallish, but never had any big setbacks in my carreer. The juniors went really well, even though I was never on any national team camps or tournaments, he remembers.

No major setbacks – until the ”sophomore slump”

A few years later, when he was 18, Samuel took the next big step in his career, earning a call up to the men’s team.

– I practiced a lot with them and finally got a chance to play a SHL game, this was in december, he recalls. After that I pretty much played every game that year.

– But after that things didn’t really go as I had hoped. I sat on the side a lot during my second year, trying to do the best I could with the few minutes of ice time I got.

Samuel Johannesson back in the Rögle dress.

Thanks to supportive team mates such as Calle Clang, Erlend Lesund and Anton Bengtsson he kept his head up, grinding on at practice. One motivational factor was of course the NHL Draft 2020, where he was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the sixth round.

– Yeah I didn’t get picked my first draft year, so in a way it was even more special, unreal even, he says with a smile.

– The whole draft process was delayed, so when they called my name it was in the middle of the night and we had a game the next day, so I didn’t really celebrate it, he adds with a laughter.

The Blue Jackets Development Coach Jarkko Ruuttu spent a lot of time in Ängelholm, helping Samuel Johannesson work on details in his game, but Samuel insists that the NHL club had nothing to do with his transfer from Rögle to Brynäs.

– By december 2021 I was kind of sick of just sitting on the bench, so I started to look at my options. Brynäs showed some interest, but I ended up staying in Rögle for the remainder of the season. However Brynäs kept their interest in me and I knew I could get a good role on that team if I would sign with them.

The podcaster called the success in advance

In march 2022, Swedish podcaster and ”Instagram influencer” Sanny Lindström launched what he thought would be a perfect match: Samuel Johannesson to Brynäs. The former Timrå and Färjestad defender Lindström said in the podcast Sanny & Svensson: ”If Brynäs lands him, he could score 25-30 points, guaranteed. It would be a bargain for Brynäs who could play him in a first D pairing.”

– Haha, I remember hearing that, but I honestly don’t remember if I had already signed with Brynäs or not, Samuel says.

– Anyway, neither that or the fact that Brynäs is my dad’s favourite team played any part in my decision. Brynäs play a type of hockey that suits me, and as I said I had a feeling I could get a good role.

After settling in at his new home town, Samuel Johannesson returned to Ängelholm for the first SHL game of the season in september 2022, quite the spectacular start to his Brynäs carreer.

– Yeah that was really special, Samuel nodds. My whole family was there, it was a big thing for me.

The first game resulted in a loss, but Samuel found nice chemistry at once with Finnish D Niklas Friman, who he has played with for the majority of the season.

– He has a lot of experience and takes a huge responsibilty defensively, but has playmaking skills as well. He is just the kind of player I like to play with, Samuel says, praising coach Mikko Manner as well:

– He is calm and collected, and thinks about the human behind the hockey player.

Samuel Johannesson in his new colours.

It’s all about a positive mindset

Just a few days ago, Brynäs announced the break up with said coach, a consequence of a season long struggle for the club, ending in the relegation playoff against Malmö. At the same time, it has been a really good season for Samuel Johannesson personally, who have scored 32 points (8+24) in the regular season, and thus exceeding even Sanny Lindströms high thoughts of him.

– It’s all about winning games, not scoring points. But we’ve played an offensive kind of hockey which has been good for me. I had a feeling I could play really well, but maybe not scoring this much, Samuel admits.

With the relegation playoffs underway, Samuel tries to turn the pressure into an advantage, well aware that this is a mental game more than anything else.

– We have a handful of players who played these relegation games two years ago, and you have to try to look forward to it. We know these games are huge, and that a lot of people are watching us. It’s all about putting yourself in a positive mindset, Samuel Johannesson says, determined to end a tough season on a high note.

Read more SHL Spotlights here.