Standouts from September’s Sweden Hockey Trophy
The Sweden Hockey Trophy (SHT) took place earlier this month, serving as a top-level preseason tournament for European teams in the ‘06 through ‘11 birth years. Regular-season action is slated to begin in October, so the SHT functions as a good measuring stick for teams before the schedule gets underway. The under-16 age group is a crucial one for 2021-22, as it’s their final season of youth hockey before many graduate to J18 junior hockey.
The ‘06s took to the ice in Tumba, Sweden, on Thursday, September 16th, with 10 teams competing in 33 games. Flemingsbergs IK defeated Täby HC in an exciting 4-3 finish in the championship game. There were several standouts from the weekend that was, and we’ve narrowed it down to six contributors who played significant roles in their team’s success.
Melvin Fernstrӧm, Forward, SDE Hockey
In just six games, Fernstrӧm managed to compile enough points to lead the tournament in scoring with six goals and 12 points. Two of them came by way of the man advantage, and Fernstrӧm also posted a hat trick against Sӧdertälje in a 4-3 win on the final day of pool play. He also scored SDE’s lone goal in their 4-1 quarterfinal loss to Bjӧrklӧvens.
Joel Barrefjord, Forward, Bjӧrklӧvens IF
Barrefjord tied for the lead in points, also scoring six goals and also totaling 12 points, helping Bjӧrklӧvens reach the semifinals. He posted a four-point game against Flemingsbergs and then followed it up with a hat trick against SDE in the very next game. Barrefjord factored in on 44 percent of his team’s goals in the tournament, serving as a major contributor to Bjӧrklӧvens’ success at SHT.
Joakim Engholm, Forward, Flemingsbergs IK
Nobody scored more goals than FIK’s Engholm. The 5-foot-10, 161-pound left-hand shot totaled eight goals for SHT champions Flemingsbergs; no other player on the team had more than four in the tournament. Five of those tallies came during the elimination rounds, including a hat trick in the quarterfinals 3-1 against Red Bull Salzburg, and the game-winning goal in the championship game.
Oliver Marcelius, Forward, Täby HC
Täby came up just one goal short, falling to FIK in the final, but Marcelius proved to be a major contributor in getting his team to the finale. He scored five goals and 11 points, and posted three consecutive multi-point games, adding a fourth in the championship with a goal and assist. The 5-foot-7 forward is small, but shifty and makes heady plays with the puck on his stick.
Wiktor Jerneheim, Defense, Täby HC
Marcelius’ teammate Jerneheim looked like one of the better defenders in the tournament, leading all defensemen with four goals and eight points. He is 5-foot-10 with a good stride and quick release, opening up the tournament with points in five of the team’s first six games. Bjӧrklӧvens’ Oliwer Sjostrom was the only other defenseman to match Jerneheim’s eight points over the weekend.
Lukas Hӧglind, Goalie, Färjestad BK
In net for six of his team’s seven tournament games, Hӧglind posted a 4-2-0 record with one of those defeats coming in a low-scoring 2-1 shootout finish. He compiled a 1.78 goals-against average and .930 save percentage, going 148 minutes and 42 seconds consecutively without allowing a goal. Hӧglind had a 52-save win over Nacka, a 37-save shutout over FIK and 27 saves in Färjestad’s shootout loss in the elimination rounds.
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