TAMMERFORS. One of the clubs at Tre Kronor’s booth has Merrish’s name on the pole.
The club belongs to defender Lukas Bengson and has a special history.
– Usually confusion happens, and no one understands who the club is, says the 29-year-old.
It’s not uncommon for nicknames or soulful words to hit the hit column.
Although the vast majority of ice hockey players usually use their nicknames to identify sticks.
In the lineup of the Swedish WC there are clubs with the nicknames Bergy and Dino, belonging to Jonatan Berggren and Dennis Everberg, respectively.
“Who is this for God’s sake?”
It’s still Mirisch’s nickname that has many thinking, and like many of their teammates, it’s not who he is.
– I got this nickname from a policeman in Stockholm. I scored zero goals during the season when I was struggling with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the AHL, and then he thought I needed to do something. He suggested changing my name, it’s a nickname I’ve been given and I don’t really know what it means, says Lukas Bengtsson.
It is a name that in America can be translated as a happy person.
– You’ve done well since you changed the club’s name. It worked well the following season in Linköping. And then I’ve since kept it, I’ve had it for five seasons now. Especially when I come to new clubs, I usually hear “Who the hell is this?”. I think it’s funny, says Lukas Bengson.
above the defensive role
In WC he was given a slightly different role than the one he had as Swedish champion in Växjö.
He formed a third running back pair with another Stockholm native, Patrick Nemeth, who plays for the Arizona Coyotes.
– It worked fantastically, it clicked from the first second. The chemistry was spot on. We think alike and have fun on and off the ice. He’s a quarterback general in the NHL and plays against the best forwards in the league on a daily basis, I learn a lot from him. It’s fun to have such a role to play against the best offensive players and a two-way match,” says Lukas Bengtsson.
Tre Kronor’s defense and goalkeepers have been most impressive so far in the tournament.
In five games, only two goals were conceded for an overall goal difference of 19-2.
Joel supports after the poke
Växjö polar Joel Persson had to come home from WC without taking a spot on the Swedish team, and Lukas Bengtsson has kept in touch with him after the trip home.
– He obviously thinks he’s boring, I did the same thing a few years ago when I had to go home when he started. Lukas Bengtsson says he now continues to go home and is on alert if something happens, he is ready.
In the WC, Mirisch has yet to score a goal and has one assist after five group stage matches.
In the SHL and SC playoffs this season, he had 39 points (13 goals and 26 assists) in 66 games.
Ahead of the next season, Lukas Bengtsson signed a two-year contract with Zug in the Swiss league.