Only two seasons ago, Frölunda was fighting for promotion from Nationella Damhockeyligan. It’s Sweden’s second highest women’s hockey league. Now, Frölunda are champions of the SDHL, Sweden’s top league.
It happened quickly under the guidance of general manager Kim Martin Hassan and head coach Erika Holst. The duo are Swedish hockey royalty as national team stars for years. They built Frölunda from scratch, and took them from challenging team, through promotion, to champions. Frölunda swept Luleå in their best-of-five final series 3-0. It was the first time in seven years that a team other than Luleå were champions.
“It’s absolutely magical, I just want to stand here and enjoy it right now,” said Holst. “I’m giving all the girls on the team something huge, this journey and the work they’ve done, to experience this in front of so many people in Scandinavium. Look up at the stands here, everyone is still there when we get to stand and celebrate a Swedish Championship gold, it’s absolutely crazy.”
More Than A Win For Frölunda
There were 8,488 fans in attendance in in Gothenburg to watch hometown Frölunda win their first SDHL championship. It was obvious that Frölunda had built not only a championship team on the ice, but a dedicated fan base to support the club. The game was also a new attendance record for professional women’s hockey in Sweden.
How They Did It
Michelle Karvinen, Stephanie Neatby, Hanna Olsson, and Andrea Dalen were the cornerstone signings for Frölunda. The group stayed with the program through NDHL promotion, and were paramount in the club’s SDHL title. But the club didn’t rest on this group either. Kim Martin Hassan went out each offseason and found ways to improve. She signed Emilia Vesa, Sofie Lundin, and Felizia Wikner Zienkiewicz heading into their second season, and added Sanni Rantala, Elisa Holopainen, and Paula Bergstrom, heading into the club’s third. Martin Hassan also jumped at opportunities to add short term boosts to their roster, such as signing former PWHL player Sydney Brodt. The club also played a role in developing young stars like Edit Danielson, Nellie Svensson, Ebba Westerlind, and Maja Helge.
An Important Addition To The SDHL
The dynasty in Luleå finally met a challenge, and the improved parity among MoDo, Brynas, SDE, and others showed it’s more than a one-team league now. The SDHL has reportedly been looking at reducing the number of import players, which would be a drastic step backward for the league’s competitiveness, but watching new programs like Frölunda, Skellefteå AIK, and next year Färjestad, is encouraging. These clubs are not earning promotion by chance, they’re winning their way to a higher level by investing in women’s hockey, paying their players respectable wages, and recruiting talent. Seeing the league fill with clubs focused on building winning women’s programs, and who are unafraid to invest in that process, can only help the league and women’s hockey in Europe.
