WEEKLY RECAP: MoDo GEARS UP FOR THE SHL

MoDo

After their big promotion win against Djurgården in HockeyAllsvenskan, one of Swedens most storied and well known teams will be returning to the SHL for the first time since 2016. In an effort to bolster their lineup for the coming season they have signed a pair of players.

MoDo have inked 24 year old Erik Walli Walterholm to a one year deal. The young right winger is a product of the Djurgården junior program and has been playing with Timrå since 2020, helping them get promoted in 2021. 

– I have followed him for many years and I think he has had a limited role in the past. I think he can play higher up in the hierarchy, but what makes him unique is that he does the job both on a lower line and can play higher up, says MoDo's sports manager Henrik Gradin. 

Their second signing of the week is a veteran defenceman who last played in the SHL in 2011 and has since played in both the NHL and KHL. David Rundblad was drafted 17th overall in 2009 by the St. Louis Blues and quickly made a move to the NHL. After a career year with Skellefteå in 2011 that saw him score 11 goals and add 39 assists in 55 games, he moved to North America where he would rack up 113 games in the NHL with Ottawa, Pheonix and Chicago. Since 2017, however, he has been playing in the KHL with St Petersburg, Sochi and most recently, Kärpät. 

– I think he still has the offense in him, but I'm not sure that's absolutely what we mainly want out of him. We want a leader who is responsible for both parts of the game. We are a newcomer and will probably be much more in our own zone in the SHL than we were in the HockeyAllsvenskan - so it is that part of the game that is most important to us, says Henrik Gradin.

Rundblads contract is valid for two years.

Färjestad

There was a retirement announcement this week from one of the leagues veteran defenders as Jens Westin has called it a career and hung up his skates. Westin had been a mainstay on the Färjestad blue line for close to five seasons, but has not played since October 2021. Westin suffered a head injury after an elbow to the face left him injured early last season and he has not stepped foot on the ice since. 

– An unlucky elbow to the chin that no one saw, but it hurt. But time has healed me and today I feel well and function as usual in everyday life, says Westin to Färjestad's website.

Westins SHL career spanned 11 seasons with 374 games played between Färjestad and MoDo. He also played 6 season in HockeyAllsvenskan, mainly with Timrå. 

Färjestad also saw a trio of players leaving the club this week as it has now been confirmed that Eric Engstrand, Ville Pokka and Brandon Davidson will be leaving the club.

Oskarshamn 

Oskarshamn was one of the busiest clubs this week making moves to fill out their roster for next season as they have signed a trio of players to new contracts.

Viktor Lodin will be making his return to the SHL. The 23 year old Ottawa Senators draft pick spent a portion of the past two seasons in North America, but unfortunately for him he only saw action in a single NHL game. The rest of his time was spent with Ottawas AHL affiliate in Belleville. Lodin, a forward, last played with Timrå in 2022, but also has SHL experience with Örebro. 

– We see great potential in Viktor. He has delivered offensively in previous seasons and we are happy that he chooses us now that he returns to Sweden, says Thomas Fröberg.

Lodin is not the only player making a return to the SHL for the upcoming season as Oskarshamn welcomes back Mikkel Øby-Olsen who played for their junior club for two seasons. He also had 35 games with the main team in the 21/22 season. 

– It feels a bit like coming home again, that's how familiar Oskarshamn is. I really look forward to coming back. It has been a very instructive year in Almtuna. I've had to play an incredible amount, which has meant that I've learned to compete against seniors and matured a little more as a player, says the 20-year-old.

The third player Oskarshman brought in this week was an international signing who will be making his SHL debut this coming season. 25 year old Czech forward Lukas Jasek has spent the past two season playing in Finland with the Pelicans where he registered an impressive 31 goals and 59 assists in 111 games. This will be his first season in Swedens top league, however he did play one season with Södertäljes junior team during the 2013/14 season. 

– We have seen Lukas at the internationals he participated in last year and followed him during his time in Finland. He played together with Jiri Smejkal then and we saw how good chemistry they had together. He is incredibly good with the puck and fast on the skates. We see him as a player high up in our hierarchy for the next two seasons, says Thomas Fröberg.

Frölunda

Frölunda is welcoming back a familiar face for the upcoming season as they have signed veteran forward Carl Klingberg to a new contract. The 32 year old last played in the SHL and with Frölunda during the 2010/11 season before moving to North America. He spent four seasons with the Winnipeg Jets organization, mainly with their AHL affiliate. For the past sis seasons he has played with EV Zug in Switzerland, where he won a pair of league titles. 

- We have had a discussion with Calle for a long time and it is nice that he is returning home. Calle has a great character and will be one of our core players, we are satisfied that we have found a collaboration, says Frölunda's sporting director Fredrik Sjöström to the club's website.

His contract is valid through 2025.

HV71

The team from Jönköping has bolstered their blue line with a finish defender this week. Mikael Seppälä is set for his first season of hockey outside of his home country. He has spent the past two seasons with Tappara, where he won back to back league titles and also won the Champions Hockey League this past season. 

- In Mikael, we get an extremely competent player, not least defensively. He was one of the Finnish league's best defenders during the past season and will be useful for us, says HV71's sports director Kent Norberg to the club's website.