Two years ago, Anton Lundmark was playing in a semi-professional
regional league in the third tier of Swedish hockey. This season, at
age 23, he made his SHL debut with Timrå IK, where he scored five
goals, had four assists and zero (!) penalty minutes in 53
regular-season and playoff games.
And yet, somehow,
the Florida Panthers
were impressed with what they saw and signed the 6-foot-4, 192-pound
winger to a one-year entry-level contract, which will take effect
next season. The news left many scratching their heads and asking,
“Who?”
The offer even
caught Lundmark off guard, according
to Finnish media outlet MTV Uutiset.
“I spoke to him
(on the day of the announcement), and you could say that he was
shocked himself,” said Timrå GM
Kimmo Kapanen. “He didn’t really understand what had
happened.”
However, Kapanen
seemed less surprised and was quick to praise Lundmark.
“He has worked
incredibly hard and has earned this opportunity,” Kapanen added.
“He has all the necessary
tools.”
The Panthers are
no-doubt impressed by Lundmark’s work ethic and possibly see him
eventually using his size to carve out a role as a fourth-line
winger. Zero penalty minutes in 53 games for a player in that role is
a bit surprising, though.
“Anton is a robust
forward who has elevated his game rising through the professional
hockey ranks in Sweden,” Florida
GM Bill Zito is quoted in the NHL club’s announcement. “We
look forward to his continued development in our organization.”
Timrå, which was
coached
this season by Finnish ex-NHLer Olli Jokinen, finished sixth in
the 14-team SHL before being eliminated
by Frölunda HC in the quarterfinals.
In addition to Lundmark, the
team is expecting to lose its leading scorer, 24-year-old
Filip Hållander, to the Pittsburgh
Penguins this summer. Oliver
Kapanen, the son of the club’s sports manager, played most of the
season in Timrå on loan from the Montreal
Canadiens and will probably be gone next season as well.
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