Last season was a wild ride for goalie Linus Söderström, who went from free agent signee to champion in the span of a few months. Now comes the even more difficult challenge of defending that Swedish Hockey League title.
But before the regular season can start, Söderström and HV-71 are participating in the Champions Hockey League, the 26-team tournament of winners and other notable first tier teams from all across Europe. Unfortunately, in their group stage opener on Thursday, HV-71 got steamrolled by Adler Mannheim of the German DEL, 4-1.
After the game, Söderström talked with our friend Patrik Bexell of Eyes on the Prize and gave his thoughts on the upcoming season, following up last season’s success and his immediate future in the SHL.