Växjö Lakers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Växjö Lakers |
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| 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, also known as the Växjö Lakers or VLH, is a professional ice hockey team from Växjö, Sweden. They play their home games at the Vida Arena. The team competes in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), which is the top ice hockey league in Sweden.
The Växjö Lakers joined the SHL in the 2011–12 season. Since then, they have become one of the best teams in the league. They have won the Le Mat Trophy, which is given to the Swedish national champions, four times. These wins happened in 2015, 2018, 2021, and 2023. This is more than any other SHL team since the Lakers were promoted. Players Erik Josefsson and Robert Rosén were part of all four championship teams.
Contents
Team History and Rise to the Top
The Växjö Lakers club was started in 1997. This happened after an older team, Växjö HC, had to close down. The Lakers first played their games at Växjö Ishall. Before the 2011–12 season, they moved to their new home, the Vida Arena. This modern 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.
During their first season in HockeyAllsvenskan, the team signed Shjon Podein. He was a famous player from North America who had played many games in the NHL. He even won the Stanley Cup in 2001 with the Colorado Avalanche. Getting Podein was a huge deal for the team. He quickly became a fan favorite. The next season, in 2004–05, they also added Brad DeFauw, another North American player with NHL experience. Both Podein and DeFauw left the team after that season.
The Växjö Lakers played for eight seasons in HockeyAllsvenskan. During this time, they tried three times to get promoted to the top league, then called Elitserien. They didn't make it in 2009 and 2010. But in the 2010–11 HockeyAllsvenskan season, they won HockeyAllsvenskan for the first time. This earned them another chance to move up. In 2011, they finally secured their spot in the top league, Elitserien. They set a record for points in the promotion round that year.
Before the 2011–12 season, the team changed its colors. They used to be red, yellow, and blue. They switched to blue and orange for their jerseys. Their team logo also changed. It became an orange shield with the club's name and a lion holding a crossbow. This lion is a symbol from the Småland coat of arms.
Playing in the Swedish Hockey League
The Växjö Lakers played their very first game in the Elitserien on September 13, 2011. They lost 0–2 to Frölunda HC in front of a sold-out crowd. 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 against Linköpings HC at the Vida Arena. Linköping won that game 4–2. Former Lakers favorite Shjon Podein was there to watch. The Lakers got their first home win on September 27. They beat Modo Hockey 4–1. Their first game where they didn't let the other team score any goals (a shutout) was on October 25, 2011, when they beat Modo 2–0.
The Växjö Lakers also played in the first ever "Småland derby" game in Elitserien. This was against HV71, the reigning champions, on October 8, 2011. The Lakers won that exciting game 3–2 in a shootout.
Season Highlights
| Season | Level | Division | Record | Avg. home atnd. |
Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | W-T-L W-OT-L |
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| This list shows the five most recent completed seasons. For earlier seasons, see List of Växjö Lakers seasons. | ||||||
| 2017–18 | Tier 1 | SHL | 1st | 34–6–2–10 | 4,658 | |
| Swedish Championship playoffs | — | 12–1 | 5,629 | Won finals, 4–0 vs Skellefteå AIK | ||
| 2018–19 | Tier 1 | SHL | 7th | 22–3–10–17 | 4,691 | |
| Eighth-finals | — | 2–0 | 4,579 | Won 2–0 vs Örebro HK | ||
| Swedish Championship playoffs | — | 1–4 | 5,223 | Lost in quarterfinals, 1–4 vs Luleå HF | ||
| 2019–20 | Tier 1 | SHL | 10th | 20–26–4–2 | 4,835 | |
| Swedish Championship playoffs | — | — | — | Playoffs cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic | ||
| 2020–21 | Tier 1 | SHL | 1st | 34–11–6–1 | — | |
| Swedish Championship playoffs | — | 11–3 | — | Won finals, 4–1 vs Rögle BK | ||
| 2021–22 | Tier 1 | SHL | 5th | 28–17–5–2 | 3,691 | |
| Swedish Championship playoffs | — | 0–4 | Lost in quarterfinals 0–4 vs Frölunda HC | |||
| 2022–23 | Tier 1 | SHL | 1st | |||
| Swedish Championship playoffs | — | Won finals, 4–1 vs Skellefteå AIK | ||||
Players and Team Staff
Current Roster
This is a list of the players currently on the Växjö Lakers team.
| # | Nat | Player | Pos | S/G | Age | Acquired | Birthplace |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 |  |
Brian Cooper | D | L | 31 | 2022 | Anchorage, Alaska, United States |
| 25 |  |
Filip Eriksson | C | L | 20 | 2022 | Ljungby, Sweden |
| 8 | |
Zach Giuttari | D | R | 29 | 2023 | Warwick, Rhode Island, United States |
| 6 | |
Petter Granberg | D | R | 32 | 2024 | Gällivare, Sweden |
| 28 | |
Hugo Gustafsson | C | L | 25 | 2021 | Södertälje, Sweden |
| 24 | |
Karl Henriksson | C | L | 24 | 2024 | Malmö, Sweden |
| 12 |  |
Otto Koivula | LW | L | 26 | 2024 | Nokia, Finland |
| 33 | |
Emil Larmi | G | L | 28 | 2021 | Lahti, Finland |
| 26 | |
Emil Larsson | LW | L | 32 | 2025 | Lugano, Switzerland |
| 4 |  |
Keegan Lowe (A) | D | L | 32 | 2022 | Greenwich, Connecticut, United States |
| 27 | |
Martin Lundberg | F | L | 35 | 2017 | Skellefteå, Sweden |
| 64 | |
Eric Martinsson | D | L | 32 | 2023 | Klippan, Sweden |
| 13 | |
Dylan McLaughlin | C | L | 30 | 2023 | Lancaster, New York, United States |
| 41 | |
Ludvig Nilsson | LW | L | 31 | 2019 | Stockholm, Sweden |
| 94 | |
Joel Persson (C) | D | R | 31 | 2020 | Kristianstad, Sweden |
| 40 | |
Dennis Rasmussen | C | L | 35 | 2024 | Västerås, Sweden |
| 91 | |
Félix Robert | C | L | 26 | 2024 | Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, Canada |
| 36 | |
Elias Rosén | D | L | 26 | 2023 | Landshut, Germany |
| 87 | |
Robert Rosén (A) | C | R | 38 | 2020 | Alvesta, Sweden |
| 9 | |
Victor Stjernborg | C/LW | L | 22 | 2020 | Malmö, Sweden |
| 29 | |
Sebastian Strandberg | C | L | 33 | 2024 | Visingsö, Sweden |
| 69 | |
Ville Svensson | C | L | 20 | 2023 | Kalmar, Sweden |
| 51 | |
Emil Sylvegård | LW | L | 32 | 2023 | Malmö, Sweden |
| 18 | |
Marcus Sylvegård | RW | R | 26 | 2025 | Gessie, Sweden |
| 49 | |
Leo Sahlin Wallenius | D | L | 19 | 2024 | Skövde, Sweden |
| 62 | |
Manuel Ågren | LW | L | 31 | 2022 | Oskarshamn, Sweden |
| 70 | |
Adam Åhman | G | L | 26 | 2021 | Västervik, Sweden |
Updated 15 February 2025.
Team Captains Through the Years
The team captain is a very important player who leads the team. Here are the players who have been captains 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, 2019–23
- Joel Persson, 2023–Present
Honored Players and Retired Numbers
Some players are so important to a team that their jersey numbers are "retired." This means no other player on that team will ever wear that number again. It's a special way to honor their contributions.
| No. | Player | Position | Career | No. retirement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | Stefan Nilsson | F | 1990–1991, 1997–2003 | – |
| 38 | Johan Markusson | RW | 2005–2014 | – |
| 85 | Liam Reddox | LW | 2011–2019 | – |
Team Records and Top Scorers
Top Point Scorers in SHL History
These are the top ten players who have scored the most points for the Växjö Lakers. This list includes points from goals and assists since they joined the SHL in the 2011–12 season. The numbers are updated after each season ends.
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game; = current Växjö Lakers player
| Player | Pos | GP | G | A | Pts | P/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Robert Rosén | C | 499 | 147 | 208 | 355 | .71 |
| Joel Persson | D | 348 | 43 | 191 | 234 | .67 |
| Liam Reddox | LW | 386 | 72 | 78 | 150 | .39 |
| Erik Josefsson | C | 607 | 73 | 75 | 148 | .24 |
| Richard Gynge | C | 191 | 72 | 76 | 148 | .78 |
| Tuomas Kiiskinen | LW | 206 | 58 | 72 | 130 | .63 |
| Cory Murphy | D | 208 | 28 | 89 | 117 | .56 |
| Tomi Kallio | RW | 204 | 43 | 73 | 116 | .57 |
| Dennis Rasmussen | C | 196 | 49 | 58 | 107 | .55 |
| Emil Pettersson | C | 131 | 41 | 58 | 99 | .75 |
Trophies and Awards
Team Achievements
The Växjö Lakers have won the most important trophy in Swedish ice hockey, the Le Mat Trophy, multiple times:
- 2014–15
- 2017–18
- 2020–21
- 2022–23
Individual Player and Coach Awards
Several players and coaches from the Växjö Lakers have won special awards for their great performance: Coach of the Year
- Sam Hallam: 2017–18 (This award goes to the best coach in the league.)
Honken Trophy
- Viktor Fasth: 2017–18 (This award is given to the best goalie in the SHL.)
Rookie of the Year
- Elias Pettersson: 2017–18 (This award is for the best new player in the league.)
