While the rescheduled 2022 World Junior Championship is set to start next week in Edmonton, Alberta, national teams are also busy beginning preparations for the 2023 World Junior Championship, set for December in Halifax, Nova Scotia and Moncton, New Brunswick.
Washington Capitals forward prospect Ludwig Persson, 18, participated in Team Sweden’s 2023 World Junior’s preparatory camp in Enköping last week. Persson was one of 46 players invited to the camp. Capitals prospect Alexander Suzdalev, selected in the 3rd round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, was also invited to the initial camp.
The camp included three exhibition games, where Persson made a very strong showing. In the first of the exhibition games, Team Blue downed Team Yellow 6-2, with Persson recording three points – two goals and an assist.
Persson, a 6’-0” center/left wing from Goteborg, Sweden, recorded 25 goals and 36 assists in just 41 regular season games for the J20 team last season. He played for Frolunda HC in the Swedish Hockey league last season, but will step down a level to play in the HockeyAllsvenskan league next season. He has a signed contract with Frolunda HC but will be on loan to BIK Karlskoga in the HockeyAllsvenskan league for the 2022-23 season. Again, Persson is just 18 and will turn 19 on October 8.
“I felt that I, as it looks now, I am not really ready to be a good player in the SHL. Karlskoga heard from me and was interested and I felt that playing here gives me an extremely good opportunity for me to establish myself on the next level and hopefully be able to take the next step in my development.”
The Washington Capitals announced on July 15 the signing of Persson to a three-year entry-level contract. He will earn $775,000 in each of the first two seasons of the deal and $800,000 (NHL) in the third and $82,500 in the AHL. The Capitals selected Persson with their third round pick (#85 overall) of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.
By Jon Sorensen
I like that Persson will spend the season in the HockeyAllvaskan league. He’s proven he can hang in SHL, but best development will likely occur a league down. Fehervary was a rare animal, playing in SHL for HV71 at 18 and excelling.
Suzdalev is also on that roster, at least at this point. If the Caps end up having two 3rd round picks from this draft on Team Sweden’s U20 team for the worlds, and if Miroshnichenko and Chesley also make tournament rosters, that’s a pretty good indicator that this draft class could be special… Or not, given that they are just kids, but if they can excel playing against the top kids in their age group, as well as hang in there if not excel against adults this regular season, then they have a much higher probability of making it to the NHL.
Good point, GR. I locked in on Persson’s performance but Suzdalev can’t be slighted. Agree, we are starting to make a few impressive finds in SHL, starting with Fehervary most recently.