Tim Erixon Update

I received another report from my correspondant in Sweden Adam Savonen recently. Adam was observing Erixon during SEL's preseason and he was good enough to share his insights.

Tim Erixon 7 0 0 0 (game, goal, assists, points. No penalties)

Tim has missed two games because he played with the Swedish J20-team in a tournament.Tim played good and scored one goal in three games.

Tim started the pre-season to play with St Louis Blues first draft-choice – David Rundblad. But the most of the games, Erixon has played with the team captain, Christoffer Norgren. Erixon has been good in the defensive work, but hasn´t been succéssful in the offensive play. I suspect that Erixon is seen as more of a defensive defender, rather than offensive, and will not play among the four defenders that will play on the powerplay.

Skelleftea has preformed really mixed results in the pre-season. But it is hard to predict the future when you look at the pre-season. Tim is one of seven defenders that will start the game on monday. The competion is tough, but Tim should be one of six defenders this season.

This review is decidedly less optimistic than Adam's last missive on the subject. Of course, it's the preseason with all the usual caveats, but the fact that Erixon may not be in the mix for the power play (and, apparently, isn't necessarily a lock to make the top 6) is not terribly heartening. While it's true that the SEL is a top quality league, Erixon's development won't be well served if he isn't getting regular ice time.

I'll continue to gather first hand observations from Adam as the season continues. Hopefully the news improves.

by Kent Wilson