På söndag är det match borta mot Malmö FF i Allsvenskan för IFK Norrköping. Men då kommer man få klara sig utan Kalle Holmberg som är skadad och missar den viktiga matchen.

Det är Norrköpings Tidningar som rapporterar detta idag.

– Med Kalle är det inte fullt så bra som vi vill att det ska vara, han kommer inte att vara uttagningsbar inför söndag. Det vet vi. Sedan får vi se framöver hur lång tid han blir borta, säger Jens Gustafsson till tidningen.

Mycket tråkigt. Det öppnar dock upp för andra.

Framåt finns alternativ som Sead Haksabanovic, Totte Nyman, Simon Skrabb och Maic Sema.

Between 2010/11 and 2017/8 Skellefteå AIK appeared in all but one of the SHL Finals winning two championships and perhaps can be considered the first successful dynasty of the SHL era.

However, look at the last three seasons and it is only one final out of three. But I think this year's roster is the strongest in the SHL and could see a final return in 2020.

One of the club's strengths which has lead to the ongoing success is there retention of good players. The club signed long term contracts with captain, Oscar Möller (30 yrs, pictured) and Joakim Lindström (35 yrs) - two of the best Swedish forwards in the SHL - and at the back Jonathan Pudas will have a key role with Emil Djuse leaving for a tryout contract in the USA.

But the stand out factor is some of the players who will be coming into the Norrbotten club.

First of the three younger players is defenseman, Philip Boberg. Only 18 this summer, he was the highest drafted Swede being picked in Round 1 by the Edmonton Oilers. He has already played in the Junior World Champions - an under 21s competition when he was only 17. He has never played in the SHL but if he can cope with the pressure from himself, the Swedish fans and the North American media this could be a breakthrough year for the youngster from Örebro.

Two forwards from the Swede's JWC team in Canada will be joining him - the 2018 Montreal Canadiens drafted, Jacob Olofsson, who has already had a season in the SHL with Timrå IF, and Rikard Hugg. Hugg is undrafted and now playing his first season in the SHL after two year's in Canada's OHL. In his last year he captained the New York Rangers linked team, Kitchener, scoring over a point per game.

The final touch in this potentially championship winning side, it the arrival of several maturer players to compliment the trio of juniors.

Skellefteå have taken in three players from arch rival Växjö Lakers. On the blue line, two home grown products will return from Småland as Arvid Lundberg (24 yrs) and Swedish international, Niclas Burström (28 yrs) come back to their northern roots. The forwards will be strength by one of Växjö's double gold winning players, the talented Finn, Toumas Kiiskinen.

If that was not enough Skellefteå has also managed to sign one of the most promising new import players of the 2019/20 season. Tom Pyatt was drafted by New York Rangers in 2005 and has played 445 matches in the NHL and comes to the first time for Sweden after 3 years with the Ottawa Senators. If the 32 year old Canadian he can adjust to the European game he could well rival Ryan Lasch for top scoring import player in the SHL.

If this the recipe to see Skellefteå lift the Le Mat Trophy for the first time since 2013/4?

HV71

The Jönköping club has also raided their SDHL rivals’ rosters with Leksand IF and Linköping HC losing out the most.

Swedish Olympian and international forward, Anna Borgqvist leaves Leksand along with former Calgary Inferno player, Danielle Stone.

Not satisfied with that, HV71 has taken three players from neighbouring Linköping – Swedish international defender, Anna Kjellbin is one. But they have also poached the club’s top scorer, 2018 Buffalo Beauts drafted, Kennedy Marchment and the league’s best defender, US Olympic gold medallist, Sidney Morin.

As if that was not enough, they have also snapped up free agent, Hanna Olsson. Last year, the young Swedish international fell out with her former club, Djurgården IF, leaving them before the playoffs and bitterly fulfilling her contractual obligations to not play for another SDHL club for the remainder of the season.

But that is not all. MODO’s 2016 CWHL drafted Canadian forward, Kaitlyn Tougas and one of the SDHL top scorers has been also been drawn to the Jönköping club.

In total the club will now eight of the top 22 scorers from the 2018/9 season on their roster this year, more than any other club in the league.

That strength in depth is partly why HV71 are my favourites to win the SDHL.

It's time for the annual attempt to guess how the regular season table will finish in March 2020.

Last year a Brit on Thin Ice correctly guessed the bottom two teams and that Frölunda Indians would win the CHL and SHL double.

This year I'm going for Skellefteå AIK to win the Le Mat Trophy and Frölunda to take the CHL again.

Here's how the SHL table will look like:

1. Skellefteå AIK

2. Färjestad BK

3. Frölunda Indians

4. Luleå HF

5. Växjö Lakers

6. Malmö Redhawks

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7. HV71

8. Rögle BK

9. Djurgården IF

10. Linköping HC

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11. Brynäs IF

12. Örebro HK

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13. Leksand IF

14. Oskarshamn IK

Hockeyettan-klubben Malung har gjort klart med en slagkraftig förstärkning: Sonny Karlsson förstärker masarna.

Den 26-årige forwarden - med 109 matcher i HockeyAllsvenskan på meritlistan - har varit framträdande på Hockeyettan-nivå tidigare i karriären.

Karlsson lirade i Mörrum så sent som under en del av förra säsongen och stod för elva pinnar på 13 Hockeyettan-bataljer.

Moras säsongskortsförsäljning har visserligen minskat i jämförelse med förra säsongen, vilket inte är så oväntat med tanke på degraderingen från SHL.

Det intressanta i sammanhanget är att säsongskortsförsäljningen är betydligt större än under säsongen 2016/2017 - tillika MIK:s senaste säsong i HockeyAllsvenskan innan SHL-avancemanget.

Biljettansvarige Martin Pastorek om ovanstående.

- Det ser riktigt bra ut om man jämför med förra gången när vi var i Hockeyallsvenskan 2016/2017. Då är det en rejäl ökning med cirka 50-60 procent. Sedan om man jämför med SHL-säsongen är det en liten minskning, säger han till Hockeypuls.