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Photos: Photography agency and OpenStreetMap
“It was a fucking adventure.”
Markus Ljungh laughs when he is tasked with signing to sum up last year that he spent at the Russian club KHL, Admiral Vladivostok.
For those unfamiliar with Russian geography, Vladivostok lies as far east as Russia, just over 11 miles northeast of the North Korean border. Matches away from home against Amur Chabarovsk is the closest journey for the players in the Admiral, a journey of just over ten hours by bus. The slightly precarious geographical position meant many long trips for Västeråson, 29, last season.
From day one, he received a crash course in what life as a hockey professional could be like in Vladivostok.
– We started the season with a road trip of about two months before the league game started. We then took the opportunity to continue the journey when the series started as we started with three games away from home. You could feel the gnawing directly, you could say. It was a little tough mentally. The family was only seen through Facetime, says Ljungh.
HARD TO GET SOCIAL LIFE
The move from SHL to KHL was relatively easy for the national team center. Off the ice, however, it was a little harder.
– It is difficult to organize social life. I think the time difference is nine hours to Sweden. It will be a test for everyone on the trip, but I still think it worked well under the circumstances.
It could be really brutal combat against some players.
Ljungh also experienced the great cultural differences in hockey between Sweden and Russia.
– We had a base where we initially stayed the night before the game. Then, towards the end of the season, it became something else that we met there during the day, having finished with the morning warm-up.
– It’s a little different kind of school there. Usually, I didn’t understand what the coaches were yelling, but it could be really brutal fighting against some players. It was almost as if they felt sorry for the damned, in fact.
– But they are educated that way. It’s that small and it’s obviously a big difference from how it is here in Sweden. At the same time, it is fun to see other hockey cultures and how they see things in Russia.
After a strong start to the season where the team spent a long time at the top, the Ork finally began to put pressure on both Ljungh and the rest of the Admiral’s players. Difficult trips began to take off.
When the basic series was completed, the Admiral had to watch last place in the Eastern Conference, eight points out of a spot in the Gagarin Cup playoffs.
– I don’t really know who to blame, but the question is how good the bodies were after the whole trip. Each away game lasted almost ten hours by bus or plane, so it is clear that something is needed in the body. It’s hard to be in a club like Admiral for a long time, but I really don’t regret that choice. It was fun trying such an amazing adventure when you have the privilege of living this life of hockey, “says Ljungh, continuing:
– KHL hockey was fun, really. We must see if we can find our way back to the league again sometime in the future.
“HAVING ROTTED ABROAD”
Yes, because the idea was to continue his career abroad from the beginning. The 29-year-old was able to show a strong role after his debut season at KHL, where he surrendered 37 points in 59 games, a score that gave him third place in the internal points league.
– I have to be completely honest and say that I would have preferred to stay abroad for a few years, but somewhere you still have to respect what is happening around the world right now.
– Considering everything that is happening right now, it felt like a security to be able to go home right now. It felt awkward to sit and wait even longer, because you don’t know what will happen in the future. There are still many question marks.
I verified the situation with Djurgården and HV71.
Uncertainty about the future meant that Ljungh somehow reluctantly decided to take it safely ahead of the uncertain and start looking back to Sweden.
– If we hadn’t had a world crisis like that, I probably would have waited a little longer, I can say that. I am so confident with my efforts last season that I could have waited a bit longer, but I and the family felt that as time went on we started looking more and more towards Sweden and it was at the Linköping end where the choice fell on .
“SURE I WANT TO CONSULT WITH THEM”
Linköping thus becomes Ljungh’s third club in SHL. He has previously represented both Djurgården and HV71 at the Swedish ice hockey gala and for Hockeysverige. Ljungh tells us that he heard from his previous two clubs when a return to Sweden was expected.
– There have been some teams in the photo. I checked the situation with Djurgården and HV71, but you have to respect what they can do and how they are in terms of budget. It’s so clear that I wanted to consult with them when I leaned in to move home.
– Then other teams have also been involved, but I don’t have to sit here and rabble everyone who has shown interest. In the end, the elections fell on Linköping and I hope to start there.
In Linköping it will be a lovely meeting with, among others, Broc Little, with whom Ljungh played in Västerås, and Patrik “Peppe” Lundh from Djurgårdstiden. The latter was involved and helped the elections fall at LHC.
We talked a little and he only had good things to say about the club and the city. I hope to explore it a little more. When I was in Linköping and played with my old clubs before, you went into the ice room and then came home right away. Now it will be fun to see the city.
– So it’s interesting with a player as good as Broc on the team. He elevates the team an extra level and it is clear that he weighs a bit more on the decision that the team has a player like him in his place.
“COME HOME TO DELIVER”
The last time you played in SHL you were at the top of the points league. What are the reasonable expectations to use this show, do you think?
– I come home to deliver, there is nothing to talk about. I also think Linköping has those expectations of me too.
– In the same way, I have the expectation in Linköping that we should be a good team. I think the team looks interesting and I don’t know if the “cake” ended with the team or not, but I think there is great potential in this team.
In addition to Ljungh, Linköping has so far also picked up Filip Berglund from SHL competitor Skellefteå and Finns Petteri Nikkilä and Oula Palve. The latter scored 51 points as late as the 2018/19 season in 53 games in the Finnish Liiga.
With some sharp reinforcements, the income group is at its peak in Östergötland, says Ljungh.
– We will see what the goals will be in the future, I have not been able to meet the boys there, so I honestly do not know what the goal will be this next season. What I do know is that we are going to be a big profit group.
– We will be much better than last season. At least that is a given goal.
