Skelleftea to face Vaxjo in the SHL final

Skelleftea to face Vaxjo in the SHL final

Skelleftea are into the SHL play-off final again, for the third year in a row. This should be a surprise to no one but their dominance is remarkable and they have made this league there's continuously. They will be facing off against the Vaxjo Lakers with the series starting on the 12th of April at the Skelleftea Kraft Arena. The Penguins will have some interest in this with Oskar Sundqvist taking part looking to add his second SHL play-off title before he makes the potential move to North America.

To explain Skelleftea's dominance it is best to display their play-off record through the last three seasons. In those three seasons they have gone an incredible 32-4 and have swept four rounds during that run. Skelleftea last lost a play-off game at home on March 28th 2013. Since then they have gone 17-0 in games at the Skelleftea Kraft Arena. If we include all games in the last three years at home then their record is 19-1. Just incredible. That loss against Linkoping on the 28th March 2013 was in over-time, to find the last regulation game at home they've lost in the play-offs you have to go back to April 14th 2012. In other words, beating Skelleftea at home is pretty hard.

Sundqvist has really benefited from being on a successful team I think. He isn't a top six player at Skelleftea and is projected to be a 3rd line center most likely for the Penguins, but his game has improved immensely over the past two seasons. Some of that will have to do with the winning attitude which breeds confident performances. When a team players well, its players do and for those learning the game and developing like Sundqvist that can be vital. In terms of production alone he has seen an increase from 16 points in 51 games last season to 19 points in a smaller sample of 41 games this season. His performances haven't gone unnoticed with Sweden's national team as well, who gave him his first two appearances for the nation.

The connections to the Penguins don't end there as Skelleftea have ex-Penguin Janne Pesonen on their books. He played for Pittsburgh in the 2008-09 season with a brief seven games in the NHL. Since then he has spent most of his time in the KHL but signed for Skelleftea on the 30th of December 2014 and since he has been a great addition with 26 points in 20 games in the regular season and seven in nine in the play-offs. Skelleftea also have Rob Schremp on their books who was briefly involved with the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins back in 2006-07.

Vaxjo also have their own connections to the Penguins. They currently have forward Nick Johnson who joined as a free agent after leaving the Boston Bruins last summer. He is finished the regular season as Vaxjo's third highest scorer with 38 points in 55 games. At the other end of the ice they have Noah Welch who was drafted by the Penguins way back in 2001, 55th overall. Welch was a University graduate and spent four years at Harvard before spending two seasons in the Penguins system. He moved to Vaxjo in 2012 after spending the previous season with HV71.

Penguins fans will no doubt be hoping for Skelleftea to win the series so that Sundqvist can take part in the American Hockey League play-offs with some momentum behind him. If Skelleftea sweep Vaxjo then he could be ready to take part in the above late in the first round where he will be able to join fellow Scandinavian, Kasperi Kapanen. Good luck to Skelleftea and Sundqvist.