Markus Højbjerg has been told he has been awarded the third-ranked goalkeeper in Tre Kronor.
Then he refused and Jacob Johansson in Timra was given a place in the WC team.
– After discussions and consensus, I chose to focus on family and Linköping, says the 28-year-old.
The players who had to leave Tre Kronor after the Czech hockey games in their last thin before leaving for the WC were Markus Højbjerg, Hardy Hamann Aktel, Dennis Rasmussen and Isak Bränström.
National team management, led by national team captain Sam Hallam, ranked Lacey Johansson at Frolunda and Jesper Walstedt at the Minnesota Wild as first and second in their goalkeeping squad.
“We made an arrangement after the weekend and there are other things in life than hockey. Markus Højbjerg will be home to take care of his family for the next few weeks,” Sam Hallam announced in team selection.
– I had the chance to come over if I wanted to, but the chances of playing were slim so I chose to stay home to focus on family and the next season with Linköping. Markus Hojbjerg says the advantages of staying at home were greater than going to Finland.
Difficult time for the second child
The couple have a one-and-a-half-year-old baby and had an addition five weeks ago.
The birth and the first weeks of the baby were not easy. It’s nicer to be able to do a good deed at home than to sit on the sidelines in the restroom, says Markus Hojberg.
In the last World Cup he played the first match against Austria, but since Linus Ollmark entered he had to sit in the stands behind him and Magnus Helberg behind him.
– The restroom was a very nice experience that I recommend to everyone who gets the chance. It was a very tough decision to make, because I greatly appreciate it being able to play Tre Kronor, at WC and Sam Hallam. I wanted to play WC and really wanted to take a chance, but now it turned out that there wasn’t much opportunity to play. Marcus Hojbjerg says it didn’t go so well this time when I finished third.
He wants the right season
Instead, he chose to take a long-term view and participate in pre-season with Linköping, which has been running since April 3.
– I get to build a good foundation for the future. I’ve missed a lot the last few years with Corona and coming home late from the NHL. There are a few years where I haven’t been able to have such a long pre-season. Now I can prepare for the SHL with Linköping and aim to play in the next water tournament, says Marcus Högberg.
To date, Linköping has invested in new acquisitions Remi Elie, Färjestad, Taylor Leier, Straubing, William Worge Kreü, Oskarshamn, Arvid Aronsson and Bik Karlskoga.
The World Cup kicks off on Friday when Trey Kronor meets Germany in their first match of the tournament.
