IF Björklöven facts for kids

Quick facts for kids IF Björklöven
City	Umeå, Sweden
League	HockeyAllsvenskan
Founded	May 15, 1970 (1970-05-15)
Home arena	Winpos Arena
Colours
General manager	Per Kenttä
Head coach	Viktor Stråhle
Captain	Fredric Andersson
Website	bjorkloven.com
Franchise history
26	Seasons in Sweden's highest division
3	Swedish Championship Finals appearances
Le Mat Trophy	1987

IF Björklöven (often called Löven) is a professional ice hockey club from Umeå, Sweden. They play in the HockeyAllsvenskan league, which is the second-highest league in Sweden. The team has played many seasons in the top Swedish league, Elitserien, and even won the national championship in 1987!

History of Björklöven Hockey

IF Björklöven was created in 1970. This happened when two other ice hockey teams, IFK Umeå and Sandåkerns SK, joined together. The IFK Umeå team was sometimes already called 'björklöven', which means 'the birch leaves'. This was a fun way to connect them to Canadian hockey and because Umeå is known as the 'city of birch trees'. After the teams merged, 'Björklöven' became their official name.

Björklöven's Golden Era

The team was very successful in the 1980s. They played in the top league, Elitserien. Their biggest achievement was winning the Swedish championship in 1987. This was a huge moment for the club and its fans!

However, just two years later, they moved down to a lower league. Since then, they haven't been able to stay in the top league for long. They have mostly played in the second-tier league, HockeyAllsvenskan.

Famous Players from Björklöven

Many great players have been part of Björklöven. Some of the most famous ones include Calle Johansson, Ulf Dahlén, Tore Öqvist, and the twins Patrik Sundström and Peter Sundström. These players went on to have amazing careers.

Financial Challenges and Comeback

From 2001 to 2010, Björklöven played in HockeyAllsvenskan. In 2010, the club faced big money problems. They even went bankrupt for a short time. But the club worked hard to fix things.

Even though they tried their best, the Swedish Ice Hockey Association decided they couldn't play in HockeyAllsvenskan for the next season. So, the team had to move down to the third-tier league, Division 1, for the 2010–11 season. But Björklöven didn't give up! They fought their way back and were promoted to HockeyAllsvenskan again in the 2012–13 season.

Young Talent and Future

Recently, Björklöven has had many promising young players. These include Alexander Hellström, Alexander Sundström, Patrik Nevalainen, Daniel Rahimi, and Kristofer Berglund. Because of money issues, some of these players left for other teams. However, Hellström, Sundström, and Nevalainen later returned to play for Björklöven.

Björklöven Dam (Women's Team)

Björklöven also has a women's ice hockey team. They currently play in Damettan, which is the second level of women's hockey in Sweden.

In 2018, the club hosted a special tournament called Damcup Umeå. Teams like Luleå HF/MSSK, Modo Hockey, and even the Japanese national team played in it. Luleå HF/MSSK won the tournament by winning all their games.

Players and Club Staff

Current Roster

Updated 10 October, 2019.

#	Nat	Player	Pos	S/G	Age	Acquired	Birthplace
13		Andersson, FredricFredric Andersson (C)	C	L	36	2017	Gnesta, Sweden
96		Andreasson, PontusPontus Andreasson	F	L	26	2019	Stockholm, Sweden
35		Cannata, JoeJoe Cannata	G	L	35	2019	Wakefield, Massachusetts, United States
12		Cooper, BrianBrian Cooper	D	L	31	2019	Anchorage, Alaska, United States
8		Deilert, AlexanderAlexander Deilert	D	R	36	2019	Stockholm, Sweden
91		Crandall, JustinJustin Crandall	RW	R	33	2019	Lakeville, Minnesota, United States
53		Eriksson, LukasLukas Eriksson	C/LW	L	36	2017	Karlstad, Sweden
11		Eriksson, WilliamWilliam Eriksson	F	R	27	2018	Stockholm, Sweden
90		Hutchings, AlexAlex Hutchings	C/RW	R	34	2019	Burlington, Ontario, Canada
7		Hellström, AlexanderAlexander Hellström	D	L	38	2018	Falun, Sweden
5		Häman Aktell, HardyHardy Häman Aktell	D	L	26	2018	Kåge, Sweden
77		Lindquist, DavidDavid Lindquist	C/LW	L	32	2018	Piteå, Sweden
26		Larsen, OliverOliver Larsen	D	R	26	2019	Aalborg, Denmark
79		Lundberg, EmilEmil Lundberg	W	L	31	2018	Luleå, Sweden
30		Pettersson, MattiasMattias Pettersson	G	L	34	2018	Halmstad, Sweden
21		Rainersson, ErikErik Rainersson	RW	R	26	2017	Umeå, Sweden
40		Selin, SebastianSebastian Selin	RW	R	33	2018	Skellefteå, Sweden
19		Söder, KristofferKristoffer Söder	C	L	34	2018	Skövde, Sweden
24		Stenvall, LudwigLudwig Stenvall	D	R	26	2019	Skellefteå, Sweden
52		Tornberg, AugustAugust Tornberg	D	R	33	2018	Pajala, Sweden
15		Vesel, TylerTyler Vesel	C	R	31	2019	Duluth, Minnesota, United States
28		Viklund, AlexanderAlexander Viklund	W	L	34	2018	Piteå, Sweden
39		Åström, FiliphFiliph Åström	LW	L	24	2016	Umeå, Sweden

Team Captains

The team captain is a very important player. They lead the team on the ice and in the locker room. Here are some of the players who have been captains for Björklöven over the years:

Honored Members: Retired Numbers

Some players are so special that their jersey numbers are "retired." This means no other player on the team will ever wear that number again. It's a way to honor their amazing contributions to the club.

Other Notable Players

Here are some more great players who have played for Björklöven: