From April 13-16th, 18 of the top 2008-born Swedish youth hockey teams will participate in the annual Uplandia Trophy. Five of those clubs are among the Top-10 programs in the WHH rankings. No. 1 Nacka HK, No. 5 Boo HC, No. 8 Linden HC, No. 9 AIK Hockey, and No. 10 Flemingsbergs IK. Adding a little wrinkle to the proceedings will be the addition of No. 6 Finland-ranked Tappara Sininen.
Each team will be tasked with five group-play games with a format of two 20-minute periods. With all of that in mind, let’s look at three teams who could contend for the championship at this year’s tournament.
Nacka comes in as one of the best teams of its birth year. With a 31-5-7 record to date, they have handled business quite well during regional group play. They finished first at the Sweden Hockey Trophy and third at the Folke Filbyter Cup this season. One thing that will certainly aid their search for a championship will be Oliver Sundberg. One of the most consistent skaters this season, Sundberg has compiled 15 goals and 22 points. That’s the second-most in the recent stretch of group play. In net, Gustav Stengård has been as reliable as any goaltender between the pipes. He’s compiled a respectable 1.58 goals-against average and .909 save percentage in group play. None of their initial five matchups come against ranked opponents, so Nacka should be able to hit the ground running right out of the gate.
Boo, much like Nacka, is a tested bunch when it comes to tournament play this year. After kicking off their season at the Sweden Hockey Trophy, they have since taken part in the Folke Lindström Cup and the Swedbank Trophy. At the Lindström Cup, dynamic duo of forward Viggo Fors and defenseman Olle Andersson made a splash on the scene. Additionally, Lukas Svensson is the current team leader in group play points with 25 (15G, 10A). Getting a majority of starts in net, Leon Andersson has garnered an impressive 1.21 goals-against average and .931 save percentage. If these players continue to produce similar resulets at Uplandia Trophy, they should contend for the top spot. With a first matchup scheduled against Flemingsbergs, it will take all hands on deck to open with a victory.
The team has participated in the Sweden Hockey Trophy, Folke Lindström Cup and secured bronze at the Nordic Youth Trophy. On top of tournament experience, Flemingsbergs sits first in its respective group division with a record of 17-3-1. I expect Salim Ismailov (20G, 17A) and Oliver Wall (14G, 20A) to do big things for their team. They finished as the first and third-most point getters in group play this season, respectively. Rounding out the potent power trio of forwards is Noel Dourrouj, who has collected 14 goals and 27 points.
For as dynamic as the offense is for Flemingsbergs, the Lindbom brothers provide a goaltending tandem that any team would be envious of. In group play, Benjamin Lindbom has recorded a 1.22 goals-against average and .935 save percentage with one shutout. Kevin Lindbom has collected a 1.27 goals-against average and .925 goals-against, with four shutouts. No matter who is in net, they give Flemingsbergs an ample boost. Flemingsbergs will open up Uplandia Trophy games against Boo, finishing up its remaining four games against unranked opponents.
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Plenty of players stood out during Sweden’s U16 National Championship Tournament, which concluded last week with Brynäs IF defeating heavy favorite Täby HC in the final by a score of 7-2.
| Theo Stockelius Täby HC | Noa Bräutigam Växjö Lakers | Albin Laksonen Växjö Lakers |
Theo Stockselius was one of the most dependable scorers for Täby. Ending as the leading scorer among all skaters with eight goals and 19 points, he was a consistent source of offense. Playing in all situations, he collected six points on the power play while also adding four game-winning goals to his resume. Despite falling short in the championship game, Stockselius was arguably the best player at the tournament.
Whenever Noa Bräutigam was on the ice for the Växjö Lakers, good things usually followed. His ability to drive play was a large reason why goals usually piled up in the opponent’s net rather than Växjö’s when he was on the ice, resulting in his plus-12 rating. Known more for his playmaking ability, Bräutigam assisted on 11 goals, which led all players. By chipping in six goals as well, he finished fourth in overall points with 16.
No other player had the ability to find the back of the net like Albin Laksonen for Växjö. Equipped with an accurate shot, no goalie was able to prevent themselves from becoming a victim of Laksonen’s potent scoring prowess. He finished with 10 goals and seven assists to lead the Lakers in total points.
| Karl Annborn HV 71 | Justus Ehrnström Malmö Redhawks |
Karl Annborn and Justus Ehrnström both acted as fourth forwards for their respective teams at the tournament, each racking up nine points along with MoDo Hockey’s Erik Häggblad to lead all defensemen. Ehrnström brought size to the blue line, towering at six-foot-two and using a long reach to prevent opponents any time or space to set up an attack. Annborn managed to avoid any penalty minutes across six games, while Ehrnström was only penalized once.
| William Forsberg Brynäs IF |
William Forsberg played the most minutes of any goaltender, starting all eight games for Brynäs. In those starts, he compiled the second-best goals-against average (2.50) and third-best save percentage (.916) in the tournament. In the championship game, he made 31 saves, including 13 in the third period alone to backstop his club to its first-ever Sweden national championship. He was named tournament MVP as well.
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The U13 Resport Trophy and U14 Uplandia Trophy regularly close the book on the youth hockey season in Scandinavia. In Sweden and Finland, the only national tournaments at the youth hockey level happen at the U16 age level. So, teams in younger age groups compete at iconic events like Resport and Uplandia, serving as de facto season-ending tournaments.
The pair of events featured 50 teams at the A, AA and AAA levels. Participants hailed from the host country of Sweden, as well as Finland, Norway, Iceland, Latvia, Denmark and Austria.
Brinkens IF, the No. 1 ranked 2009 team in Sweden, proved why it’s the top-ranked team in the country. They went 8-0-0 to win the Uplandia Trophy in Sollentuna, Sweden. Meanwhile, 15 minutes away in the city of Solna, Lukko, earned the championship at Resport Trophy.
Both tournaments were full of top teams, with representation throughout Europe and Scandinavia.
From the opening game of the tournament, forward Viggo Mallmin dominated the AAA Division at Uplandia Trophy. He scored twice in Brinkens’ 4-0 win over Flemingsbergs IK. It was the second time that top-ranked Brinkens had played the No. 2 ranked FIK. Both resulted in shutouts in favor of Mallmin and Brinkens.
The left-handed forward continued to make his presence felt, scoring two goals in each of the next two games. In those games, Brinkens knocked off Diskos 6-0 and Bäcken HC 7-1. On the final day of pool play, Mallmin assisted on the game-winning goal in a 2-0 win over No. 7 Kållered SK. But his best performance came in a four-point game against Latvia’s Baltic Wolves, where Brinkens won 5-2.
That wrapped up a perfect 5-0-0 run in pool play that earned Brinkens the top seed in the playoffs.
They drew unranked Viggbyholms IK in the quarterfinals, and Mallmin and company made quick work of them with a 9-3 win. In the semifinals, a familiar foe waited in Flemingsbergs. The second time the two teams had met in the tournament — and third time this season — it was tied 3-3 at the halfway point of the game. In the second half, Ognjen Martinovic scored a pair of goals, while Oskar St. John-Parker, Eric Sevallius and William Fällström all found the back of the net as well. FIK had kept the game close as long as they could, but Brinkens’ offense eventually blew the doors wide open. An 8-3 final score would give Brinkens its third victory over FIK as well as a spot in the championship.
In the final, the top team in Sweden took on the top team from Austria, Red Bull Salzburg. A balanced attack put Red Bull into the championship, as five skaters came in averaging a point per game. Their lone blemish in the tournament thus far was a 4-3 overtime loss to Södertälje SK on the final day of pool play.
Red Bull played Brinkens tough; something they had done to opponents all tournament long. While Mallmin and Brinkens maintained a significant 3-to-1 edge in shots, the game remained close down to the wire. With Mallmin held off the scoresheet for the first time in the tournament, Sevallius saw an opportunity to step up. He scored three consecutive goals to provide Brinkens with enough of a cushion, as they hung on to a 4-2 championship win.
Other champions from the 2023 U14 Uplandia Trophy include SDE Hockey, who won the AAA Tier-2 playoffs. Iceland’s One Ice Stars won the AA Division as well with a 6-3 victory in the championship.
For the first time in five seasons, a team from Finland won the U13 Resport Trophy. The No. 4 ranked team in the country, Lukko was one of three Finnish teams in the AAA Division. The other five teams in the tournament’s top division included four that were among Sweden’s Top 10 and Latvia’s Baltic Wolves.
With a jam-packed field of talented teams, Lukko went 2-1-0 on the first day of the tournament. It’s lone loss was a 1-0 decision to Sweden’s No. 3 ranked Järfälla HC. The next day would bring another one-goal loss, this time 4-3 at the hands of Sweden’s No. 6 ranked Flemingsbergs IK.
Lukko entered the playoffs as the 3-seed, where they met Flemingsbergs for the second time in as many days. This time, though, Lukko would be victorious as the offense put 41 shots on goal to overwhelm FIK in a 4-3 win.
After making quick work of the Baltic Wolves in the semifinals, Lukko set its sights on another rematch. Järfälla, the top team in the tournament — and highest ranked in the field — had already defeated Lukko on Thursday.
The championship would be all blue and white right from puck drop. Kaapo Honkaheimo made it 1-0 Lukko less than two minutes into the game. Two minutes later, Joona Lautamäki made it 2-0. Sixty seconds later, Honkaheimo scored again to swell the early lead to 3-0. Then, after a four-minute lull in the action, Lautamäki struck again as well to make it a 4-0 lead heading into the half.
Lautamäki completed the hat trick 11 minutes into the second half, and Vilho Aaltonen scored his fifth goal of the tournament to wrap up the scoring.
The 6-0 final meant Lukko had won the U13 Resport Trophy, avenging both of its tournament losses in the process. It is the first time on record that a Finland-based club has won the event, as the trophy remained with a Sweden team each of the previous four tournaments.
Mälmö Redhawks Red won the AA Division championship with a 6-1-0 record. The A Division playoffs also went to a Finland-based team, as Ässät won 5-1 over Jarfalla.
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