Markus Svensson (FBK)
Of the 28 keepers in the SHL all but four are Swedish and, indeed, Swedish netminders also have made inroads into the NHL and KHL. Just look at the Swedish World Championship 2018 Gold medalist keepers Anders Nilsson of Vancouver Canucks and Marcus Hellberg, then of Red Star Kunlun.
Svensson himself returns to Sweden and Färjestad BK after two years in the KHL. Now 34 and has worked his way up through the Swedish leagues so that by 2011/2 he played his first games in the SHL. But it was the move to Skellefteå AIK the following year that he began to show his true class. In the four years he was at the club they won the regulation series every year, were in the playoff final every year and won the Championship twice. Talking of consistency- in those years he had a Save Percentage of between .919 to .922! He also got to play his three games for Sweden in The Euro Hockey Tour.
All this is to say that Färjestad have made a great signing of a player who knows how to play his part in a winning team. Whilst I'm not convinced of the team's credentials on offense, they have one if the best Swedes available between the posts and it may be enough for the team to finish in the top six again this year.
@ABritOnThinIce1
