2 days ago
‘I'm really happy to get to Winnipeg': Teen Swede hurries across the pond for Jets development camp
Viktor Klingsell admits he was growing impatient. And, to be honest, a little angry, too. The NHL draft was well into the later rounds this past weekend and his name had yet to be called.
'I actually turned my TV because I couldn't watch it anymore,' admits the 18-year-old from Sweden. 'I was so afraid that I wouldn't be drafted. A lot of guys dropped. All the small players just dropped off. My mind went through a hell.'
Turns out he missed his magical moment. A text from his agent on Saturday afternoon gave him the heads up that the Winnipeg Jets had just selected him in the fifth round, 156th overall. That's a far cry from being a consensus top-100 pick on the lists of most prospect pundits.
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Viktor Klingsell is looking forward to experiencing a Winnipeg Whiteout.
What followed next was a wave of emotions and a frantic 36 hours which took him from an island outside Stockholm — where he was at the family's summer cottage — to his new hockey home more than 6,500 kilometres away just in time for the start of Monday's week-long development camp.
A boat ride, a cab to the airport and multiple flights were his immediate reward.
'I'm really happy to get to Winnipeg. It's a really nice hockey town,' Klingsell said shortly after completing his off-ice testing. 'It's kind of similar to my hometown in Skelleftea. I'm really looking forward to it.'
It didn't take Klingsell long to get comfortable, aided by the fact that his good friend since childhood, Sascha Boumedienne, was picked in the first round, 28th overall, by the Jets on Friday night. Their fathers began playing hockey together as youths and have remained close over the years.
'It's a big thing to have Swedes here,' said Klingsell, who is joined by other countrymen in the organization including David Gustafsson, Fabian Wagner, Alfons Freij and Elias Salomonsson, who sent him a congratulatory video message on Saturday.
Jets director of amateur scouting Mark Hillier said he hopes they got a 'steal' in Klingsell, who may be short in stature (5-foot-10, 188 pounds) but is big on skill and heart. It also doesn't hurt that he admittedly has a good-sized chip on his shoulder and no shortage of confidence.
'I think size was a big thing in this draft. All of the forwards who went early were over six-feet. But I don't think that's a problem for me because I'm such a smart player,' he said.
Klingsell likened himself to Jesper Bratt of the New Jersey Devils, who fell all the way to the sixth-round in 2016 and now has become a legitimate star with a career-high 88 points in 81 games this past year.
'I feel like I have the potential for that,' he said.
Klingsell will hit the ice for the first time on Tuesday as the first of four skating sessions gets underway at Hockey For All Centre. He'll be joined by 15 other recent Winnipeg draft picks, including the other four 'Class of 2025' members taken this past weekend, plus 13 undrated players here on free agent invites.
'I'm looking forward to meeting all the guys and connecting with the staff. Just having a fun time,' said Klingsell.
That's really what this week is all about. Jimmy Roy, the director of player development for the Jets, said individual evaluations take a back seat to relationship-building.
'There's a real personal touch to being able to spend time with these players in the middle of the summer. Not only for us but for them,' he said Monday.
Nightly dinners and fun activities such as an escape room are planned.
'I was just sitting in there having lunch with the guys. Listening to how loud it was in there and everybody talking, it wasn't quiet,' said Roy, who was at the draft in Los Angeles and is the key point person, along with Mike Keane, to work with these young players and their families.
'And that's when I was thinking this is what you want for a camp like this. Everybody's getting to know each other, right? That's a big part of it.'
Roy laughed when asked if he's been brushing up on his Swedish lately.
'You know what? We've got some great prospects,' he said. 'I like going over there and seeing those players. It's one of my favourite places to go. It's just really good to have all of those kids here.'
This will mark the final development camp for young prospects such as forwards Brayden Yager, Colby Barlow and Jacob Julien, who will all be turning pro this fall.
'That's really exciting. I don't think we've had this number of prospects being put in this situation before, that are turning pro to help the organization, whether it's with the Winnipeg Jets or the Manitoba Moose, said Roy.
'There's a development process and I think it's going to be really fun to watch.'
There are also players like Freij, Kevin He, Kieron Walton, Markus Loponen, Zach Nehring and Garrett Brown who are getting closer to taking the next step. Then you have those like Klingsell who are just taking the first beginning their journey.
Winnipeg Jets Game Days
On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.
Klingsell may not have known much about Winnipeg when he woke up Saturday morning, but he sure does now.
'I love the Whiteout you have here. That's probably the biggest thing,' he said. Klingsell will soak in the experience this week before heading back home to get ready to play another season with Skelleftea in the top Swedish men's league.
Development camp skates begin at 10 a.m. daily and are open to the public.
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Mike McIntyreReporter
Mike McIntyre is a sports reporter whose primary role is covering the Winnipeg Jets. After graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College in 1995, he spent two years gaining experience at the Winnipeg Sun before joining the Free Press in 1997, where he served on the crime and justice beat until 2016. Read more about Mike.
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