Sweden

SHL

Carl Grundström

Last week Grundström had been given a perhaps undeserved promotion to play with a better centre for more minutes.  He looked offensively capable, as if this could be an opportunity he could take advantage of.  This week he proved he can.

He started out in his first game of the week with a flukey goal off of his leg to give him his first SHL point of the season.  He built on that good game—he spent a lot of time in front of the opposing net and had some good chances—and scored three very, very beautiful goals in Frölunda’s next outing. Even better they won both games.

On Saturday, they were in action again against Skellefteå, who they beat last year to win the championship.  Skellefteå made them skate hard for an entire game, so it was good to see them step up the tempo and score goals.  The final score was 3-2 Frölunda, which capped off their week very nicely.

Grundström was on the ice for the first two goals, playing the net-front role to perfection.  He didn’t get any points, but that part of his game was excellent.  Defensively however, he still struggles, and he can be seen using a guy as a sled while Skellefteå made it a close game midway through the third.

Highlights of that game are here.

Grundström was also named to the roster of a junior tuneup tournament that takes place early next month in Sweden.

Frölunda is going younger all the time.  In Saturday’s game Rasmus Dahlin became the first person born in 2000 to play in an SHL game.

Allsvenskan

Jesper Lindgren

Also named to the Swedish team for the upcoming junior event, he had a mixed week.  MODO played two games, one a loss to Engvall’s Mora IK, and the other a convincing 6-2 win against Timrå IK, the top team in the league.

Lindgren’s only point was an assist on the lone goal in the losing game.

He has moved around from first pairing defence to third and then second, but the ice time of the defenders is fairly even.  He is currently eighth in points for defenders in the league.

Pierre Engvall

Engvall fared better in the win over MODO, scoring the first of three Mora goals in the third period.  You can see those highlights here.  Note LIndgren (#7 in red) with the initial shot on the only MODO goal and then Engvall (#10 in white) with the next goal.

Engvall also had one assist in Mora’s loss on Saturday.  He is third in the league in points, but he isn’t playing a dominating enough game that a promotion to the SHL for him or his team is likely.

Russia

KHL

Vladimir Bobylyov

Spartak, who have been struggling lately and are well out of playoff contention, won two of three games this week.  Bobylyov played two shifts in the first one and was scratched or did not play for the other two.  He has definitely fallen off the end of their depth chart, and you have to wonder what value there is to him riding the bench at his age.

A loan to a VHL team might be in order here to get him some ice time.  Not every player can make an immediate jump from Canadian junior hockey to men’s pro.

Yegor Korshkov

Lokomotiv rolled over their opponents on their eastern road trip this week, winning three games including their Saturday 8-1 win over Barys Astana.  Korshkov had two assists on the week, while his line played their usual third line minutes.

He has 13 points in 22 games played and is third on his team in points behind Max Talbot and ahead of Petri Kontiola, both of whom play on the top two lines.

VHL/MHL

Nikolai Chebykin

Dynamo Balashikha played one game, lost 4-2, and Chebykin played low third-line minutes.

Maple Leafs Prospects