The Biography of Nils Andersson

[Viper 530]

Our story begins on January 14th, 2005...

 

 

Johan and Elsa Andersson welcome their newborn son, Nils. Born just 19 minutes ago, they are already planning the rest of their lives. The couple started dating a few years prior, after they met at a local hockey game. The two loved the sport, couldn't get them away from it no matter how hard you tried. Johan swore that his child will play hockey his entire life, and he would sacrifice everything to get his son into the VHL.

Now, we fast forward a few years to 2009. Nils is 4 years old, and he has been playing hockey for 2 years now. He is an exceptional skater for his age, and playing hockey on the pond every single day. The Andersson's weren't in the best financial situation, so they were never able to afford skating lessons for their son. However, they were able to get the necessities. They bought Nils some skates, a stick, a puck, and a makeshift net. Nils would miss school occasionally to play hockey, and Johan would be forced to stay out past dark to watch Nils.

 

Now, in 2011, Nils is 6 years old. He is playing for his first travel team, and he is a star. Wearing number 88, his favorite player was Patrick Kane, and the C on his jersey, Andersson led his team to victory. Putting up 58 points in just 28 games that season, it wouldn't be long until he is traveling to other countries to compete. Nils would go on to lead his team to the championship that year, and would do so the following year.

 

 

2015, Age 10, Nils would venture to Canada for the first time, as he would play in a major tournament in Toronto. Nils fell in love with Canada, and he had fun playing in the outdoor rinks that they had set up. Nils and his team would take third place in the tournament, and Nils would lead his team with 14 points in 5 games.

 

In 2018, Nils would face his toughest battle yet. At age 13, his father was diagnosed with lung cancer, and he unfortunately lost the battle. Nils would spend more time than ever at the rink, just feeling the cold wind hit his face as he skated laps. He felt much less pain when he did so, and he felt his father was watching over him whenever he played. He would need to focus, as for he would be playing in the biggest tournament of his life this year. In Montreal, there were 50 U14 teams from around the world who came to compete. Nils would start off slow due to the lack of his father being there, but in the next 4 games he would produce a whopping 18 points. He wouldn't slow down, winning first place in the tournament and scoring 36 points in 12 games.

 

2021 will roll around, and Nils was playing better than ever. Now playing for a U18 team, he knew that he was on the radar for many scouts. Playing all over the globe was great for him, because he got to play in front of the scouts home crowds. Nils had established himself as a strong skater with a lethal snap shot from anywhere on the ice, and his defensive play was out of this world. Scoring at a remarkable pace going into 2022, the 17 year old was playing phenomenal. He wanted to impress the VHLM scouts, but he struggled with gaining their attention. He had been playing well but his size was a major concern for scouts. When the S87 VHLM Draft had come around, Nils waited eagerly for his name to be called. Rounds and rounds went by, and the 18 year old was left heartbroken when he went undrafted. He decided to return to Sweden to play for the Växjö Lakers of the Swedish Hockey League until he could get back into the North American scene. Nils would be playing a regular season game for the Laker when he noticed a few scouts in black jackets up at the top of the rink. He recognized them from his time playing in Canada, and knew that they were from the Ottawa Lynx organization. With that, Nils went on to have a 6 point night in hopes of impressing them. After the game, no luck. However, a few days later, he would receive a call from his agent, Andreas. The Lynx were interested in negotiating a contract with Nils, and they wanted to fly him out to Ottawa for negotiations. After a few hours of thinking, Nils called his agent and flew out to Ottawa to meet with GM Grape. It was a short negotiation process, and Nils would end up securing a VHLM contract. After playing in his first game, he would put up an assist for his first ever point. Nils would have to sit out the next game due to scheduling errors, but at this time, Nils is looking like a promising new prospect. He's fought through his father's passing, going undrafted, but he finally made it and he could begin his career.

 

864 Words.

Edited February 10, 2023 by Viper