Pre-Seasoned Swedes

Pre-season has begun in Sweden. Here are some highlights from the Oilers' perspective:

WILLIAM QUIST

Young William's Nybro Vikings were up against the Norwegian Elite Series team Stjernen in a preseason match up. According to this article, Quist was one of the key "young'ens" that were stellar in their 3-2 triumph. He got prime penalty killing minutes and as coach Lenny Eriksson philosophy for his young'ens was to, "throw them right into the shit" (seriously - that's a direct translation!)


LINUS OMARK
Luleå has played a series of matches in Finland (arranged by Kuopio Kalpa) among them, a 3-1 win against Belorussian KHL team, Dinamo Minsk.

Omark assisted in the match setting-up line mate Mats Lavander. No word on whether or not former-Oiler dreamboat Igor Ulanov was playing for Minsk.

Luleå's off-ice training regime was highlighted by something that might make Oilers' fitness coach Chad Moreau take notice.

On a hill called Måttsund, cross-country skiing coach Sven-Erik Pajala put Luleå hockey and basketball pros through a gruelling challenge: the King of the Hill fitness training - 3 gruelling laps up and down Måttsund ski hill. The reporter who wrote the piece actually passed Omark and posed the thought:

I wonder what the Edmonton Oilers would have thought of Omark's result?
Sven-Erik Pajala had his thoughts.
"I am of the belief that football (soccer), ice hockey and basketball players were much better shape 15-20 years ago. Today they likely have more strength, but if they don't have the conditioning to show up on this hill, it will not lead to any personal development. A hockey player's last 15 seconds on ice are very important and they have to have that stamina."

JONAS ALMTORP
Former Springfield Falcon, Jonas Almtorp is on a try-out contract with Luleå. His performance thus far is much like the Almtorp of last year: "Offensively he was invisible throughout the match. Defensively he did his job, not more."


RÖGLE OILERS
This year sees a new team in the Swedish Elite Series, namely Rögle BK from the town of Ängelholm. I've been toying with the idea of adopting them as my own, for no other reason than they have a sweet looking logo.

Mattias Tjärnqvist (brother to former Oiler Daniel) has signed to play with the club. As for preseason, they seem to be in the recording studio preparing a new fight song.