“I think they are establishing themselves here.”

Gutenberg. One day left until the SHL premiere.

Then Frolunda sees towering dark clouds.

Competitors include Växjö and Oskarshamn. It is the NHL.

– The SHL is excited that the NHL will play four games in Sweden this fall. But I don’t think they are thinking about what it would mean for Swedish ice hockey if the NHL started a European division, says Mats Growers critically.

Frölunda has been recruiting well, the home opener against Leksand on Saturday has been sold out, the women’s team has been promoted directly to the SDHL, the economy is in really good shape, and the men’s first team’s sporting results have improved again this spring after a couple of tougher years.

But Frölunda’s management is still looking anxiously to the future. Mainly for Swedish hockey as a whole. Mats Grauer doesn’t see the NHL playing four games before Globe tickets go on sale in November as just four hockey games.

– I see this as a danger. In my world, the NHL does market research. There’s a market for the NHL in Europe, so why wouldn’t they start a European division? Starting a European Hockey League is cheap compared to the cost of a soccer league. Over time, I think the NHL will establish itself here, and if so, what does that mean for the SHL?

He wants to see the Swedish Hockey League analyze this, but hasn’t heard anything about it yet.

-We don’t feel that the SHL nor the Swedish Hockey Association really…they are more raving about the presence of NHL games in Sweden, about the growing interest in hockey. But I don’t really feel like they’re thinking about what it would mean for Swedish hockey if the NHL started a European division. There is concern on our part. I see no reason for the NHL to continue putting games in Europe unless they are doing so as market research.

“SHL wants to find its footing”

Is this a concern for Frölunda, or is it an opportunity for the club to earn a spot in the NHL?

– It’s a worrying moment for Swedish hockey. On that day, it may happen that there will only be one team from Stockholm in the European Division. Is it interesting that Frölunda is so good that we become an option in the NHL? We have to choose. But if we stay in Swedish hockey, what does that mean? What will it look like, and how feasible is it for the NHL here? We want to be prepared and have the knowledge on the day it might happen. In Finland, Jokerit went to the KHL, and it wasn’t good for Finnish hockey or Jokerit. Something happened when they switched patrols. This should warn us.

Grauer also sees problems in Swedish hockey, where champion team Växjö and pinball team Oskarshamn are among the clubs investing big money in their senior team, while clubs like Frölunda and HV71 have men’s and women’s teams, a large junior operation and a hockey gymnasium. Both Grauers want and don’t want to point the finger at them.

– You shouldn’t criticize your colleagues, but Växjö and Oskarshamn have slightly different attitudes. And it pays off. But this is where I want the SHL to put its foot forward and show whether it is important for SHL clubs to take responsibility for more than just the elite game. Isn’t this important? Okay, let’s go then. But if it matters, we have to find a model that means the clubs that take responsibility get more money. I think this makes sense.

“Lots of extra money”

Is it tempting to do like Växjö and invest only in the first team business?

– I do not feel that they bear a great responsibility outside their region, or in their region. Oscarshamn would not have had such an elite team had they invested in breadth and responsibility. You mentioned a couple of clubs, but I think that’s something Swedish hockey has to decide on. Today we have a 14-part model, where all clubs receive the same amount of money. In my world, the growth of the media agreement must pay to the clubs that bear the responsibility. Number one, girls’ and women’s hockey. Second, take care of the youth. Number three, make sure regional development is good where you work. If we all do that, conditions will change over time and Swedish hockey will benefit from that.

How will this happen?

– I don’t think you can reduce contributions at all, but the growth from the TV money is what you will distribute. After a few years, it might be 10-12 million SEK that could be distributed in a different way, i.e. 14. This is still a very large amount of extra money.

What signals are you receiving from other clubs regarding this matter?

– I feel that some clubs are starting to think about it.

“Of course he can think whatever he wants.”

Växjö and Oskarshamn react surprisingly to Grauer’s play.

-We have nearly 100 girls in our work today and we will soon start creating a women’s team. I don’t know how to respond to criticism, but of course we always want to improve, says Johan Markusson, CEO of Växjö.

Both clubs have a hockey gymnasium and activities for girls, and Oscarshamn also has a women’s team in Division 2 along with Kalmar HC.

– Of course he can think whatever he wants, but I think we’re doing a good job here. We have 108 girls in our girls activities and 400 girls in total. We have a combined women’s team, and in the long term we will have our own team. We are working hard on this. “We have never had as much interest from girls and boys as we do now,” says Johan Göransson, director of Oskarshamn.

Should the clubs with more responsibility in Swedish hockey also get a bigger share of the pie from the TV money?

– There are too many parameters to take into account. We can always discuss within SHL, but for now we are satisfied.