Various teams around the NHL are known for favoring specific leagues for players. The Flyers typically look to the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League and the Swedish Elite Series (or Elitserien) for a sizeable portion of their farm system. The Elitserien is similar to the NHL in regular season gameplay with international sized rinks and features twelve teams. The two worst teams every season have to compete with the four best teams from the Swedish junior leage, the Hockey Allsvenskan, just to stay in the Elitserien each year while the best team wins the title of Svenska mästare (Swedish Master). The two Swedish players I’d like to preview first are potential Flyers goaltenders- Johan Backlund and Joacim Eriksson (which will be wrapped up in another post).
Johan Backlund
Johan Backlund spent five years in the Elitserien with Leksands IF and Timra IK before signing a one year deal with the Flyers in March of 2009. He spent the year with the Adirondack Phantoms, adjusting his gameplay for North American sized rinks and earning a reputation for one of the best players on the Phantoms (which, sadly, isn’t saying much). His 0.906 Pct and 2.79 goals-against-average combined with the Flyers unclear goaltending plans earned him a two-year contract extension in June.
The Flyers picked up goaltender Michael Leighton on waivers last season because they were not comfortable enough with Backlund getting the call-up to the NHL, which makes sense. This is no longer the case. Backlund may be challenging goaltender Brian Boucher for the back-up position next season, but barring any further offseason goaltender moves, Backlund will still be in the AHL. The Flyers were so distrustful of Boucher last March that they started Backlund over him in the final regular season game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, where Backlund stopped 22 of 24 shots in the first two periods before succumbing to a reaggravated groin injury. While many fans were ready to give Backlund the reins over Boucher, I think he looked awkward for those two periods, in particular with his puck-handling behind the net.
Backlund spoke with EuroFlyers in March, where he talked about his future with the organization. “It feels like I have better circumstances now… Last season I had no idea what was waiting for me. Now you know how everything works and I can focus my energy on hockey. I’m better prepared and hopefully I can perform better now when I feel safer. I know I can end up in the AHL, but I’ve gone through everything about my decision and I see no problems with that.”
Unfortunately, he also had some bad news that Euroflyers published yesterday: “They took an MRI from my hip and I was told that I had a cartilage in my hip joint and that I needed an operation after the season… But I was forced to keep playing because our other goalies also had injuries and it ended up making my injury worse.” Needless to say, Backlund has returned to Philadelphia and will begin his rehabilitation to be ready for the pre-season.
Isn’t that a pic of Boucher and not Backlund? Hope to see him get a shot this year and see what he can do. Maybe December???