5. Frölunda Indians
The Gothenburg outfit has limped forward this month only managing two regulation wins in nine matches with only bottom placed Timrå IK having a worse month.
However, with convincing wins in the semifinal matches against Czech HC Pilsen and lifting the Champions Hockey League trophy on home ice against Red Bull Munich this week, I think they'll accept a poorer performance in the SHL.
Top scorers this month, with six points each, were 19 year old Samuel Fagemo (who will be NHL drafted this summer) and 30 year old American Rhett Rakhshani, who was drafted in 2006 by the New York Islanders.
The team's poor form in the SHL also means that American Ryan Lasch slides down to 14th in the Total Points competition, where he had been in first place earlier in the season.
With high scoring defenseman and Canadian Olympian Chay Genoway injured and disappointing results, the management decided to get out the cheque book and bolstered the defense with two import players who have previous SHL experience.
The first was 26 year old Canadian, Brandon Gormley. The Arizona Coyotes drafted back decided to return to the SHL where he played with Mora IK last year after half a season in Finland.
The other back is 38 year old Philadelphia Flyers drafted David Printz, who at 193cm (6ft 3") is a aggressive defenseman in contrast to Gormley, a points scorer. The Swede moved from Timrå IK in a trade that allowed Sweden's Junior World Championship forward Filip Westerlund to move to Timrå for the remainder of the season. The aim is increase his ice time and develop so that the Arizona Coyotes' drafted 19 year old might reach his full potential enabling a move to North America in the future.
@ABritOnThinIce1
