Claimed:Gunnar Skovsgard Biography

[Kyrie 54]

Gunnar Skovsgard: The Biography

 

 

 

Some call him Filip Henrikkson while most now know him as Gunnar Skovsgard; there is not much talk about him in North America given his circumstances. There are many stories out there about the mysterious Gunnar Skovsgard but only a few of the rumors turn out to be true. Here we will dissect his life from the very beginning of his strange journey. Born to Klaus Skovsgard and Joanna Henrikkson at a hospital in Copenhagen, the young boy named Gunnar would lead a normal childhood. Gunnar's family was heavily involved in hockey, his father a goaltender for the Rødovre Mighty Bulls of the Metal Ligaen. Gunnar would always go with his brothers to see his father's matches since they were such a good team and grew up loving hockey. His father was definitely his role model when he was a young lad and was able to see his father win the Danish Championship in 1999, a sight to behold as he found a strong appreciation for the game. 

He started off learning basics about the game at age five and was a quick skater. His father had trained him continuously for days upon days so his son could become a good player in the future. His development curve was smooth and he would finally enroll in a competitive league at age 9. Following in his father's footsteps he decided to start out as a goaltender. It took sometime but he had proven to be quite confident in his position. Strong lateral movement and a quick glove had many scouts noticing him by the age of twelve. Learning the fundamentals from his dad always seemed like a benefit as Gunnar had shown great poise and knowledge well beyond his years. He posted extraordinary numbers in a sixty game season and many teams on the Metal Ligaen had their eyes on the young Danish talent.

 

 

Stats
GP: 60

W: 54

L: 2

OTL: 4

SV%: 96.5%

GAA: 0.75

SO: 18

 



There would be one moment that changed his entire perspective on the position of goaltending. He went with his family to watch the second round of the play-offs where his father would be playing against the Herning Blue Fox club. The game was a complete disaster for the Rødovre Mighty Bulls as a score line of 7 to 1 crushed them, his father being booed off the ice as he was replaced by the back-up goaltender. This opened Gunnar's eyes to see the harsh criticism goaltenders received and how the fans were so quick to turn on his own father. Klaus immediately retired after the match and Gunnar would make a difficult decision; he was going to try being a forward. 
 
Gunnar spent two years learning the ins and outs of being a center and was highly touted when he managed to put up enormous numbers in his junior career. On his sixteenth birthday there were many offers for him to go play for several teams in the Metal Ligaen. The offers made include teams such as the Rødovre Mighty Bulls but he opted to sign with the SønderjyskE Is hockey club to get away from his father's name. He would play under the name as Filip Henrikkson and was a big name just a season into his time in the league. Filip showed tremendous skating abilities and prowess with the puck. He finished second in team scoring as a rookie and was able to showcase his explosive movement and lethal wrist shot. The main storyline came in his second season, as it appeared that some glitch appeared in the league's database and he recorded a total of a thousand points. This had many scouts in North America scratching their heads but one would extend an offer to Filip to go play in the VHL. After much debate with his family, he decided to take a flight to North America after being selected by the Saskatoon Wild off waivers. 

VHLM league management noticed that Filip came with a fake identity and was actually Gunnar Skovsgard. The management having already watched several tapes of Gunnar playing goaltender as a boy decided to give him a chance to redeem himself. The young man had two options, leave the league or stay as a goaltender. There was a lot of internal conflict with the hand he was dealt but Gunnar decided that he would stay in the VHLM and return to his old position. Gunnar Skovsgard is the name he is now registered with in the VHLM but he is a complete unknown to most of the league.

 

 



Pros

 


Hand speed: Gunnar is quick and agile with his hand, easily able to put a glove on incoming shots. Several scouts have seen him in the practice facilities at Saskatoon and say he is a big man that is exceptional with his glove. There was much doubt in whether he would be able to perform as he did once he was younger and it appears that he will have a relatively sound performance when it comes to his right hand. Also tested were his abilities with a blocker and he is able to expertly shield the net from incoming shots and block with precision. He is projected to be a top goaltending prospect but it will take time to develop. He might be a key to a team's cup if they want a goaltender than can provide solid back up.

 

Vision: He has elite vision from his time playing center and this allows him to have an easier time keeping track of players and pucks. He has impeccable reaction time and is able to keep up with quick plays and passes. He appears to be focused on his game, and only his game.

 

Athleticism: He is shown to be quite athletic and can perform acrobatic saves. He can put on a show and provide entertainment with his flashy movements. His agile frame allows him to use his body as a defense against shots. Drawing fans to their seats can't be that bad right?

 

 



Cons

 


Unproven: It has been quite sometime since Gunnar has been between the pipes and this can be a major disadvantage. He has looked very smooth in practice but that is nothing compared to actual games where there will be a lot of pressure on him to perform. Some say they still see a lot of rust in his form and that he should be careful adjusting himself to the VHLM. The Metal Ligaen is a much weaker league so he should watch out for the stiffer competition and going up against different types of players.

Flashy: He can keep fans excited but sometimes he overplays a save and loses complete control of the puck. This is the main problem here, puck control. He needs to play proper hockey and be safer but Gunnar takes too many risks and it will cost him big someday. Skovsgard's style needs to be consistent and he has to be smart with decisions.

Rebounds: Gunnar is very good stopping initial shots but he leaves large rebounds for opponents to take advantage of. In practice many teammates have been seen forcing him to control the rebounds but he doesn't have the proper positioning to do so.

 

 

[Guest Svoboda_3]

Overview- 3/3

1,226 words. I think I'm falling in love with your work ethic more and more each week. I absolutely loved this bio and the direction you took this. You tied the name change in nicely and presented and really good eye-opening experience with your players' father. Your writing is getting better and better.

Grammar- 2/2

These and a couple missing commas, but no real reason to deduct.

 

learning basics = learning the basics

movement = movements

sixty game = sixty-game

include = included

at Saskatoon = in Saskatoon

than = that

sometime = some time (the usage here requires it to be a non-compound word)

Presentation- 1/1

I loved everything, but if I had to nit-pick at anything, it would be the large paragraphs. Maybe break those up for your next big article.

Pros- 2/2

247 words. Three solid pros here.

Cons- 2/2

204 words. Just barely eclipses the 200-word mark requirement.

Overall- 10/10

[Ball 453]

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