One of the significant impacts of the #ForTheGame movement for the SDHL, is that many players have come to Sweden whilst uncertainty reigns in the North American professional leagues.
It means that the SDHL has some of the best teams that have played on Swedish ice. Arguably, the country now has the best women’s league in the world, at least for the 2019/20 season.
At least 30 players have come from North American leagues, including the NCAA (American college league) this year and every club, except current champions Luleå HF, have been cashing in on the trans-Atlantic migration. Stockholm strugglers, SDE, have taken no less than eight players in, including four from the CWHL’s last ever champions, Calgary Inferno.
Brynäs IF have been able to attract the top two import players in the NWHL to come to Sweden. Denisa Krizova and Katerina Mrazova are Czech forwards who were both part of their world championship team and played respectively for Boston Pride and Connecticut Whale. They both finished in the top 20 on Total Points in the league in 2018/9.
Understandably there are more players coming in from the collapsed CWHL, with Linköping HC, Leksand IF and MODO Hockey all picked up forwards who finished in the top 30 on total points in the league last year. So, look out for Zoe Hickel, Katia Clement-Heydra and Emma Woods picking up big point here Europe this year.
It is Djurgården IF who have had the greatest success when it comes to raiding the college graduates and have signed two talented students from Merrimack College. They are 2018 NWHL drafted Dominque Kramer and the netminder who finished 7th out of the 37 first choice keepers in the league last year, Samantha Ridgewell.
2019/20 also sees the return of the only Swede who was active in the two North American leagues, Connecticut Whale’s Michelle Löwenheilm (pictured). She is not going back to her youth team, AIK, but instead will be at Kinnarps Arena with HV71.
@ABritOnThinIce1
