Växjö Lakers facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Växjö Lakers
City	Växjö, Sweden
League	Swedish Hockey League
Founded	1997
Home arena	Vida Arena
Colors
General manager	Henrik Evertsson
Head coach	Jörgen Jönsson
Captain	Erik Josefsson
Website	vaxjolakers.se
Le Mat Trophy	2015, 2018, 2021, 2023

The Växjö Lakers Hockey Club, often called the Växjö Lakers or VLH, is a professional ice hockey team from Växjö, Sweden. They play their home games at the Vida Arena. The Lakers compete in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), which is the top ice hockey league in Sweden. They joined the SHL in the 2011–12 season. Since then, they have become one of the best teams in the league. The Växjö Lakers have won the Le Mat Trophy, which means they are Swedish national Champions, four times! They won in 2015, 2018, 2021, and 2023. This is more than any other SHL team since the Lakers were promoted. Two players, Erik Josefsson and Robert Rosén, were part of all four championship teams.

Team History: From Start to SHL Champions

The Växjö Lakers club started in 1997. This happened after an older team, Växjö HC, went out of business. The Lakers first played their games at Växjö Ishall. But before the 2011–12 season, they moved to their new home, the Vida Arena. This arena was finished in the summer of 2011.

The team began playing in the 1997–98 season. They started in Division 4, which was four levels below the top league. The Växjö Lakers quickly moved up through the leagues. They were promoted three times in just six years! By 2003, they reached HockeyAllsvenskan, which is the second-highest league.

In their first season in HockeyAllsvenskan, something amazing happened. The team signed Shjon Podein, a player from North America who had played many games in the NHL. He even won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche in 2001. People called this the "signing of the year." Shjon Podein became a huge fan favorite in Växjö. Another NHL player, Brad DeFauw, joined the team for the 2004–05 season. Both players left after that season.

The Lakers played in HockeyAllsvenskan for eight seasons. During this time, they tried three times to get into the top league, Elitserien (now SHL). They didn't make it in 2009 or 2010. But after winning the 2010–11 HockeyAllsvenskan season for the first time, they got another chance. In 2011, the Växjö Lakers finally earned their spot in the top league! They set a record for points in the Kvalserien (the promotion playoff) that year.

Before the 2011–12 season, the team changed its look. Their old colors were red, yellow, and blue. They switched to blue and orange for their jerseys. Their logo also changed to an orange shield with a lion holding a crossbow. This image comes from the Småland coat of arms.

Playing in the Swedish Hockey League

Växjö's home venue Vida Arena.

The Växjö Lakers played their first game in the Elitserien on September 13, 2011. They lost 0–2 to Frölunda HC. Two days later, they earned their first points in the league. They beat Luleå HF 3–2 in a shootout, even though they were losing by two goals.

Their first home game was on September 17, 2011, at the Vida Arena. It was a sold-out game against Linköpings HC, but Linköping won 4–2. Former fan favorite Shjon Podein was there to watch. The Lakers got their first home win on September 27, beating Modo Hockey 4–1. They also got their first shutout (meaning the other team scored no goals) on October 25, 2011, against Modo.

The Växjö Lakers also played in the first ever Småland derby game in Elitserien history. This was against HV71, the champions from the year before. The game was on October 8, 2011, in front of a sold-out crowd in Jönköping. The Lakers won 3–2 in a shootout.

Team Achievements and Top Players

The Växjö Lakers have had many great seasons since joining the SHL. They have finished first in the regular season multiple times and won the championship.

Recent Season Highlights

• 2017–18 Season: The Lakers finished 1st in the SHL and won the Swedish Championship, beating Skellefteå AIK 4–0 in the finals.
• 2018–19 Season: They finished 7th and won their Eighth-finals series, but lost in the quarterfinals.
• 2019–20 Season: The season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so there were no playoffs.
• 2020–21 Season: The Lakers finished 1st again and won the Swedish Championship, defeating Rögle BK 4–1 in the finals.
• 2021–22 Season: They finished 5th but lost in the quarterfinals to Frölunda HC.
• 2022–23 Season: The Lakers finished 1st and won the Swedish Championship for the fourth time, beating Skellefteå AIK 4–1 in the finals.

Team Captains Through the Years

The team captain is a very important leader on the ice. Here are some of the players who have been captain for the Växjö Lakers:

• Mikael Bjerdahl, 2003–04
• Torsten Yngvesson, 2004–07
• Johan Markusson, 2008–14
• Tomi Kallio, 2014–15
• Liam Reddox, 2015–19
• Erik Josefsson, 2019–Present

Honored Players: Retired Numbers

Some players are so important to a team that their jersey numbers are "retired." This means no other player on the team will ever wear that number again. The Växjö Lakers have honored these players:

Top Scorers: Points Leaders

These players have scored the most points for the Växjö Lakers since the team joined the SHL in the 2011–12 season. Points are earned by scoring goals or making assists (helping a teammate score).

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game;      = current Växjö Lakers player

Awards and Trophies

The Växjö Lakers have won many team and individual awards.

Team Trophies

• Le Mat Trophy (Swedish National Champions): 2014–15, 2017–18, 2020–21, 2022–23

Individual Player Awards

Some players and coaches have won special awards for their great performance:

• Coach of the Year
  • Sam Hallam: 2017–18
• Honken Trophy (Best Goalie)
  • Viktor Fasth: 2017–18
• Rookie of the Year (Best New Player)
  • Elias Pettersson: 2017–18