Rydqvist and Persson Reunited with Miami RedHawks Hockey
11/11/2020 12:18:00 PM | Hockey
As the Miami RedHawks hockey team prepares to head off to the University of Nebraska-Omaha for the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) bubble, two Swedish freshmen prepare for their debuts at the Division I level. Hampus Rydqvist and Ludvig Persson, two best friends from Sweden, are reunited on the ice once again for the RedHawks after an interesting ride.
Growing up in and around Gothenburg, Sweden, the two played together for their junior years with the Frölunda HC program. The two played together in the SuperElit Junior league during the 2018-19 season, which was their last year in Sweden before coming to North America.Â
Persson, a 6-foot-1, 184-pound goalie, talked about the decision to come over to America and how important education was to that decision.Â
"It's really hard to play at a pro-level and mix in education back in Sweden," said Persson. "We want to get an education and what we heard about college is that it's high-level hockey and you can get a really good education."Â
Rydqvist had many of those same thoughts.
"Obviously both of our dreams are to get to the NHL and it's no secret that college is one of the best ways you can go to to try and get to the NHL," said Rydqvist. "It's a lot of work, and as Ludvig said we want to get an education on the way too. You can't play hockey forever, and if you get a good education, you might have some options after hockey."Â
The two would come over to the North American Hockey League (NAHL), playing their 2019-20 seasons out for two different teams.
Rydqvist, a 5-foot-10, 185-pound defenseman, played his NAHL season with the Maryland Black Bears, leading all NAHL defensemen in scoring with 11 goals and 30 assists for 41 points over 52 games played. Persson was part of an exceptional Lone Star Brahmas team where he posted a 22-4-0-0 record with a 1.56 goals-against average, a .932 save percentage and seven shutouts. Those numbers were in the top three rankings across the NAHL's 2019-20 leaderboards for each category.
When Miami RedHawks Associate Coach, Barry Schutte, sat having lunch with Rydqvist during his campus visit, it was the first time that he heard that Rydqvist and Persson were best friends. Rydqvist noted that Schutte said that a Swedish goaltender had committed to Miami a few months earlier, name-dropping Persson to which Rydqvist responded saying they were best friends, catching Schutte off-guard.Â
"I came here for a visit, and the guys here were super friendly and really helped me understand that it was a good place and a good fit for me, and I knew he (Persson) was coming here, and that obviously helped with my decision," said Rydqvist.
The transition over to the American lifestyle was not the easiest; coming back over from Sweden this summer has proven to be a much easier transition the second time. Off-the-ice, both commented on how the language barrier was an issue at first. Persson noted that he did not have any Swedish teammates, whereas Rydqvist had at least one Swedish teammate throughout the 2019-20 season.Â
Both Persson and Rydqvist shared experiences with their billet families from their time in the NAHL. Attesting that they were a big reason why both of them could make the transition smoothly, even if it were a gradual adjustment.Â
"Everything is different here, the rink, the culture, the coaches, the style, it's a big difference," said Persson. "It took a while for me to adjust, it's far away from home. I had a very good billet family, and they took care of me and did a lot for me. They are one of the bigger reasons I stayed over here and kept going and tried to achieve my goal to play D1 college hockey."
Off-the-ice adjustments were not the only thing to get used to; the size of the ice rinks in Sweden versus here in the United States are different. It is a smaller rink than both of them are used to playing on, which took some time to get used to. For Persson, it was a big difference, even as a goalie.
"You have so much time as a goalie in Sweden if the puck is in the corner or at the blue line you can be pretty relaxed," said Persson. "But here, you always have to be on your toes and be ready. The angles are different, and it's just a big difference overall."
Rydqvist also commented on the rink size being different, claiming it took about two months to adjust to the differences.
"The smaller rink takes away time and space, you have to think faster and play faster," said Rydqvist.
It seems that just about every RedHawks player is excited to get back on the ice, but for Persson and Rydqvist, the two will be back on the ice together once again as teammates. "Right now, playing games and playing in front of fans is something I'm looking forward to, most," said Rydqvist. "I look forward to seeing how NCAA hockey is and the NCHC is a great conference and in my freshman year, I want to get into it and learn as much as I can while helping the team win games."
Persson shared some of the same thoughts about playing in front of fans here at the Goggin Ice Center and getting back on the ice. He will be competing with Grant Valentine and Ben Kraws for playing time in 2020-21.
"We're competing on the ice every day, and that's what I like," said Persson. "It can help me to develop as a player on and off-the-ice. It's been awesome to have them around to help."
As the RedHawks prepare for their NCHC bubble beginning December 1, two Swedish freshmen are continuing their transition into Division I college hockey with high hopes, fulfilling their dreams. This season marks another chapter in their hockey career, as Persson and Rydqvist are reunited once again, this time in a RedHawks uniform.
Â
Growing up in and around Gothenburg, Sweden, the two played together for their junior years with the Frölunda HC program. The two played together in the SuperElit Junior league during the 2018-19 season, which was their last year in Sweden before coming to North America.Â
Persson, a 6-foot-1, 184-pound goalie, talked about the decision to come over to America and how important education was to that decision.Â
"It's really hard to play at a pro-level and mix in education back in Sweden," said Persson. "We want to get an education and what we heard about college is that it's high-level hockey and you can get a really good education."Â
Rydqvist had many of those same thoughts.
"Obviously both of our dreams are to get to the NHL and it's no secret that college is one of the best ways you can go to to try and get to the NHL," said Rydqvist. "It's a lot of work, and as Ludvig said we want to get an education on the way too. You can't play hockey forever, and if you get a good education, you might have some options after hockey."Â
The two would come over to the North American Hockey League (NAHL), playing their 2019-20 seasons out for two different teams.
Rydqvist, a 5-foot-10, 185-pound defenseman, played his NAHL season with the Maryland Black Bears, leading all NAHL defensemen in scoring with 11 goals and 30 assists for 41 points over 52 games played. Persson was part of an exceptional Lone Star Brahmas team where he posted a 22-4-0-0 record with a 1.56 goals-against average, a .932 save percentage and seven shutouts. Those numbers were in the top three rankings across the NAHL's 2019-20 leaderboards for each category.
When Miami RedHawks Associate Coach, Barry Schutte, sat having lunch with Rydqvist during his campus visit, it was the first time that he heard that Rydqvist and Persson were best friends. Rydqvist noted that Schutte said that a Swedish goaltender had committed to Miami a few months earlier, name-dropping Persson to which Rydqvist responded saying they were best friends, catching Schutte off-guard.Â
"I came here for a visit, and the guys here were super friendly and really helped me understand that it was a good place and a good fit for me, and I knew he (Persson) was coming here, and that obviously helped with my decision," said Rydqvist.
The transition over to the American lifestyle was not the easiest; coming back over from Sweden this summer has proven to be a much easier transition the second time. Off-the-ice, both commented on how the language barrier was an issue at first. Persson noted that he did not have any Swedish teammates, whereas Rydqvist had at least one Swedish teammate throughout the 2019-20 season.Â
Both Persson and Rydqvist shared experiences with their billet families from their time in the NAHL. Attesting that they were a big reason why both of them could make the transition smoothly, even if it were a gradual adjustment.Â
"Everything is different here, the rink, the culture, the coaches, the style, it's a big difference," said Persson. "It took a while for me to adjust, it's far away from home. I had a very good billet family, and they took care of me and did a lot for me. They are one of the bigger reasons I stayed over here and kept going and tried to achieve my goal to play D1 college hockey."
Off-the-ice adjustments were not the only thing to get used to; the size of the ice rinks in Sweden versus here in the United States are different. It is a smaller rink than both of them are used to playing on, which took some time to get used to. For Persson, it was a big difference, even as a goalie.
"You have so much time as a goalie in Sweden if the puck is in the corner or at the blue line you can be pretty relaxed," said Persson. "But here, you always have to be on your toes and be ready. The angles are different, and it's just a big difference overall."
Rydqvist also commented on the rink size being different, claiming it took about two months to adjust to the differences.
"The smaller rink takes away time and space, you have to think faster and play faster," said Rydqvist.
It seems that just about every RedHawks player is excited to get back on the ice, but for Persson and Rydqvist, the two will be back on the ice together once again as teammates. "Right now, playing games and playing in front of fans is something I'm looking forward to, most," said Rydqvist. "I look forward to seeing how NCAA hockey is and the NCHC is a great conference and in my freshman year, I want to get into it and learn as much as I can while helping the team win games."
Persson shared some of the same thoughts about playing in front of fans here at the Goggin Ice Center and getting back on the ice. He will be competing with Grant Valentine and Ben Kraws for playing time in 2020-21.
"We're competing on the ice every day, and that's what I like," said Persson. "It can help me to develop as a player on and off-the-ice. It's been awesome to have them around to help."
As the RedHawks prepare for their NCHC bubble beginning December 1, two Swedish freshmen are continuing their transition into Division I college hockey with high hopes, fulfilling their dreams. This season marks another chapter in their hockey career, as Persson and Rydqvist are reunited once again, this time in a RedHawks uniform.
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