SHL Hockey - the best players of 2017/8 - part 1

16 May 2018Adrian J»

With summer right around the corner, the scramble is on for new recruits for the 2018/9 hockey season here in Sweden. As you've got less games to watch on TV, we've done a series of articles to have a look at the best players from each of the 14 teams in the SHL, the top division of Swedish hockey. Some will be moving to the NHL and AHL this summer, some staying put in Sweden, whilst others might be travelling to a Euro Hockey rink near you! Read on to impress you friends with your inside information!

The SHL Awards

When the awards for this SHL season were dished our it was obvious that Växjö Lakers would be in the limelight in a year where they dominated both the regular season and playoff phase to lift the Le Mat Trophy.

Sam Hallam picked up best manager and 2017 Vancouver Canucks drafted, Elias Pettersson made a clean sweep with MVP, Best Rookie, Best Forward and first in Total Points.

The 19 year old was joined by a few other Swedish youngsters, for example, 22 year old Viktor Olofsson who took the Top Goal Scorer award ahead of Pettersson. The Frölunda Indians forward was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in 2014, but it was undrafted pair of Lawrence Pilut (22 yrs) from HV71 and Adam Reideborn (26 yrs) from Djurgården IF, who collected Best Defenseman and best Save Percentage from the regular season.

World Junior Championships

The English writing press in North America have had their spotlights shining, naturally, on the talented group of Swedes who won silver at the Junior World Championships in Buffalo, including Pettersson, Lias Andersson and Rasmus Dahlin who will eventually play on the continent.

Read on for part 2