[ad_1]
Highlands unaware of Elijah’s tribute
published:
Nils Höglander, 19, has signed for the Vancouver Canucks.
It is now revealed that Elias Pettersson had a finger in the game.
– It was a surprise, says Höglander to Sportbladet.
Nils Höglander made headlines around the world with his “Fox Target” at JVM last winter. Some who certainly got a little more out of the smiley bands were the managers of the Vancouver Canucks, the club that selected him in the second round, as the 40th player overall in last summer’s draft.
Vancouver already has several Swedish players: Loui Eriksson, Oscar Fantenberg, Alexander Edler, Jacob Markström and, above all, Elias Pettersson.
And in fact, Pettersson was more or less the one that made Hoglander land in Vancouver.
“It means a lot”
According to Athletic club general manager Jim Benning asked his star player about Höglander and got the answer that Pettersson was a “big fan” of his game.
– I really didn’t know it was like that, Höglander tells Sportbladet.
He and Pettersson have no relationship before.
– Not at all. So it was a surprise.
How do you look at it
– Obviously it is really fun that he knows who I am and that he has put some good words.
It’s probably difficult to avoid your name when you make goals like you did in JVM …
– Haha maybe. No, but it means a lot to me and it was a lot of fun being selected by Vancouver in particular with the Swedish history that exists at that club, says Höglander.
“It feels great”
After the JVM class goal, Canucks fans ended in ecstasy.
“Give him a contract now!”, appealed to several of them on Twitter.
Now the contract is signed.
On Wednesday night, Höglander and Canucks agreed to a three-year rookie contract and the plan is for him to move to Canada as soon as the crown crisis is resolved.
– It feels great.This is something you’ve dreamed of since childhood, says the 19-year-old super tall.
His hope is to take a place in the NHL right away. If not, he will stay at Rögle for another season.
– Yes, this is what the plan looks like.
Is playing in AHL not relevant?
– Well, then it is probably better for my development to run another season in SHL.
How did Elias Pettersson do it?
– Exactly
In the long run, do you see yourself on the same chain as him?
– First, it’s about hitting me on the team, then you can see who you play with. But of course it would be incredibly fun to have a chance with him. Everyone knows that he is one of the most skilled players in the entire NHL, so it would be incredibly cool and educational, says Nils Höglander.
published:
[ad_2]
