After relegation – Djurgården wants to return to SHL

On Friday, Djurgården plays for the first time in Hockey Allsvenskan against Västerås IK.

Before the season, the classic club has rebuilt and strengthened itself adequately, among other things thanks to the well-deserved return home Marcus Krüger.

– Djurgården means a lot. Otherwise I wouldn’t have done it, she says.

– It’s incredibly important to me and I’ll do everything I can. I know everyone else in the locker room will do it too. It will be a fun season.

Let’s go back to spring and the tones were different. On April 2 it was clear that Djurgården was demoted from SHL after four consecutive defeats in the qualifying relegation match against Timrå.

Manager Joakim Fagervall stayed, and that’s what will bring the club back.

– I talked to KG the next day. I just wanted to know if they had any other intentions with the deal. But we had the same feeling, that we should continue, she says.

KG is the sporting director KG Stoppel. Together, the two have been the protagonists of the work ever since, which has been called “team building”.

In April, there were four contract players on site in the building.

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There was a thought behind the job name.

– We felt we had lost Djurgård’s identity a bit, says KG Stoppel.

– Then there will be a new team building, as you automatically lose a lot of players when you leave a division.

How did your thoughts go in early April?

– Hard to say. But it is clear that it was a very big challenge.

– When players position themselves, you become a little calmer. So the challenge is that despite a decent picture of what you want to get into, you depend on what you actually get into.

Joakim Fagervall points in turn the fact that several players were already on the pitch as a positive factor.

– I was probably quite calm because we already knew of some players who would be returning home. I knew we would have a powerful team, and I still do.

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At the same time, there were many places in the squad to fill.

Was there a plan for all jerseys from the start?

– Yes initially, but then someone could withdraw. We also received quite a bit of no. Then someone else appears. It will always be a ball with the coaches, what do we need to integrate with? says KG Stoppel.

There was a strategy to get to the finish line early with them.

Djurgården could relatively soon presenting strong names such as Marcus Krüger, Daniel Brodin and John Norman.

– It is clear that it was important and that there was a strategy to finish with them early, when the indications of the players were still there, he says.

– Somewhere it will be a statement, instead of getting a little sloppy and confused. It has created signals for the players that we wanted to keep, that this looks credible. The same with young people.

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Among the returnees Marcus Krüger stands out. The new team captain returns home with two Stanley Cup titles to his credit.

When Krüger signed, there were still many places left on the team to fill. What was required of the sports director?

– He didn’t promise anything special. As a player, it becomes more a matter of trusting management to do their job. You can only control what you are there to do, says Krüger.

From KG Stoppel’s point of view:

– With the fact that he had already prepared to play for us in the SHL, he probably still felt somewhere mentally that “now I’m coming home”.

– But he is an extremely competitive person and he wanted to see that this rhymes, that there is an opportunity to win. And that made it pretty clear.

We create an identity, but it must also be a continuity over time.

As the game approaches the series team building is starting to get into full swing. Several players remain from last season. Then there are the returnees, a couple more new signings and the promoted juniors. At the same time, other players are expected to join in the future.

Along with Björklöven, the favorite is Djurgården, who has already been turned down and rejected. Back then, in the early 2010s, two attempts were needed.

– I think success is a lot about continuity. We create an identity, but it must also be a continuity over time. Therefore, we have also worked to tie players with longer contracts, says KG Stoppel.

– We want to return to SHL, but there must also be a long-term stabilization. We want to win SM gold in the long run, and we can’t just take the first step and then it turns out we haven’t prepared for the next one.

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