Claimed:The Dream of a Family: Theo Axelsson's Journey to the VHL [Reviewed]

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Ever since he was born, Theophilus Axelsson seemed destined to be a hockey player.  Growing up in Västerås, Sweden as the youngest of three kids in a hockey-mad family, young Theo became familiar with the sport very quickly.  Both of his parents had been fans their entire lives and his brothers played it non-stop.  But as soon as Theo began to play, it became clear who was the best in the family.  It was as if he had learned to skate as soon as he could walk - he was a natural.  

 

Getting hand-me-down gear from his brothers wasn’t going to deter Theo from playing hockey, as he started playing with local youth teams from the time he was eight.  At first it was just like it had been with his brothers - Theo was dominant, skating past everyone with ease and constantly scoring.  Even as his brother and sister began to move away from the sport, Theo kept playing at a higher and higher level as he got older.  

 

 

Axelsson soon became fairly well known around Västerås for his ability.  He had played against just about every team imaginable of kids in the city that were his age - sometimes even against kids older than him - and rarely, if ever, seemed to have a bad game.  It was getting to the point where scouts from across the country were coming to watch his games to see the kid that who could be Sweden’s next top prospect.  When Theo had first started playing hockey, he had only really dreamed about one day becoming a pro hockey player.  But now, his dream was within reach.  

 

 

Soon enough, Axelsson had tons of offers to join youth teams.  If you named any team in Sweden, chances are they’d heard of him and were interested.  There were even teams from other parts of Europe that had shown interest.  But until this point, he had stayed away from pro teams.  At the request of his parents, Theo had to wait until he was older until he truly considered joining a professional team’s youth setup.  Despite having a love for hockey just like Theo’s they wanted to make sure he matured enough as a person to be able to go out on his own.  But once Axelsson turned sixteen, there appeared to be no stopping him.  He was determined to take the next step towards becoming a professional hockey player.  And so, after a long talk with his parents, Theo was set to join a youth team and start his career.  But there was one catch.  His parents didn’t have the kind of money to constantly travel across the country - or even to different countries - to watch his games.  Theo’s family was the main reason he had gotten this far - they were the reason he started playing hockey, they were the ones who gave him encouragement, they were the ones who kept him grounded.  So, to start his career, Theo Axelsson signed with his local team - VIK Västerås HK of Sweden’s second division.  

 

This was a move that surprised many scouts and teams.  If he was such a major talent, why sign with such a small team?  Certainly it would be better to be helped by the best coaches and play against the best competition.  In just about any sport, when a top prospect gets offers from just about every team imaginable, there are usually three things taken into consideration - how much money is being offered, how high-profile the team is, and how good the coaching is.  VIK Västerås did not have a distinct advantage in any of these categories.  But the difference in this situation is Axelsson’s connection with his parents.  Aside from the reasons mentioned before, one thing that Axelsson learned from his parents was a sense of loyalty.  Instead of automatically going to the best team, Theo decided to go to the team he’d had the most connection to.  Since he had been younger, his parents had always brought him to VIK Västerås HK games whenever possible.  So even if it wasn’t the the only team he played for in his career, Axelsson was determined to play for the team that had inspired him to play hockey.  

 

 

Before officially joining Västerås, Axelsson was invited to play in a game for the top prospects across Sweden.  The part that was out of the ordinary, however, was that at only 16 years old, he was the youngest playing in the game.  Previously, the oldest competition Axelsson had come up against was one or even occasionally two years older than him.  Now, because of the amount of hype that was surrounding him amongst scouts and even the media, he was coming up against players that were 18, 19, and even 20 years old  Needless to say, things didn’t go too well. Axelsson had no experience on a more professional level, and as a result he was absolutely shut out of the game.  There were some points where he seemed to show promise, but he had no good shots on goal, and mostly gave the puck away, while putting in very little effort on defense.  

 

At first, this discouraged Axelsson.  For his whole life, he had been dominating games with ease with his skating and shooting skills.  But now, facing up against better opposition, he was unable to do this.  But as his coaches on Västerås would soon teach him, this was proof of how he could improve.  For too long, Theo had relied on his talent to succeed - even to the point that he became overconfident.   But if he was going to succeed as a hockey player, he would have to learn to improve his work ethic.  

 

 

 

It took a while at first, but after adjusting to more difficult competition, Theo was finally able to start improving as a player.  And after two years of working hard in VIK Västerås HK’s youth system, he finally made a breakthrough.  At 18 years old, in the last game of the HockeyAllsvenskan season for Västerås, Theo Axelsson made his professional debut.  He was only on the fourth line and didn’t get much of a chance to affect the game, but what the fans did get to see was a much different player than the one who first signed.  He hadn’t lost his offensive talents, but he’d gained another facet to his game - defense.  While training, Axelsson had learned not only how to contribute defensively, but how to utilize his 6’2” frame.  He hit people hard, and he hit people often.

 

Axelsson soon expanded on this in his first full season with the team.  He would work his way up to the team’s top 6 forwards and score the third-most goals on the team.  But his greatest honor came not during the season, but after it.  Axelsson was named on the Sweden’s roster for the upcoming World Junior Championships in Canada.  He wasn’t expected to play very often, but still, it was a sign of his career progressing and his biggest achievement.  But what happened next, what was supposed to be the best moment of his career and among the best in his life, became traumatic and sobering.

 

 

As mentioned before, the Axelsson family didn’t have a ton of money.  They were able to see most of Theo’s games with Västerås, but he didn’t expect them to come to see him play in the World Junior Championships.  However, with some help, the family was able to get enough money together to hop on a flight to Canada and get tickets to Sweden’s first game of the tournament.  That’s when tragedy struck.  On its way to Pearson International Airport in Toronto, their plane crashed, leaving multiple dead or injured.  While most of the family was lucky enough to survive without sustaining serious injuries, one wasn’t lucky enough.  Theo’s older brother, Andreas, died at the age of 21 years old.  Along with his sister, Annika, Andreas had been one of the main reasons why Theo played hockey.  Ever since they had been kids, the three had played hockey together almost every day.  As soon as the news reached him, Theo was given permission to leave the team, and immediately returned home to his family for Andreas’ funeral in Sweden.  

 

At first, the death hit him hard.  But after some time to rest and think things over, Theo decided that for him, the best way that he could last remember Andreas was to play well in the next season with Västerås.  And play well he did.  Axelsson became not only Västerås’ top forward, but one of the top forwards in the league.  Despite Västerås’ average performance in the league, he was HockeyAllsvenskan’s top goalscorer.  After all his work, and after all he had been through, Theo Axelsson had proven himself.  He’d begun to live up to his potential.  

 

 

But soon afterwards, he learned he had to move on.  Many larger teams were beginning to become interested in him, and Västerås’ management had told him that they weren’t expecting to be able to grow and the same rate to match his ability.  At some point they were expecting him to not necessarily be “too good” for the team, but instead to be so good that they couldn’t afford him.  While he had offers from European teams, Theo’s primary goal was to get to the NHL.  But at 20 years old, he was too old for the draft, and no teams had expressed interest in signing him.  

 

Soon, things changed when an agent called.  The agent wanted not only to represent Theo, but also to represent him in the Victory Hockey League.  With the Season 50 draft approaching, the agent told him, this would be the perfect time to do so and get enough time to prepare.  Axelsson was already familiar with the league.  Being from Västerås, he had watched the hard-luck Västerås Iron Eagles play many times when he was younger.  Things only improved when the agent revealed more about himself: he was former VHL center Turd Ferguson.  He’d represented Klaus Muller, Willem Janssen, and Callum Sinclair, and was looking for a new client.  Axelsson became even more interested, as two of those players had played for the Iron Eagles in the past.  Additionally, Janssen, the goalscoring winger and longtime captain of Västerås, had been one of his heroes when growing up.  

After some time thinking it over, talking with his family, and considering his other offers, Axelsson decided to head to the VHL.  It’s a new path for Axelsson, as it’s only his second time leaving Sweden.  He’s declared for not only the Season 50 VHL draft, but also the Season 49 VHLM draft, and this season, after being picked up on waivers and then traded, is playing for the VHLM’s Saskatoon Wild.  In 14 games this season, Axelsson has notched 8 goals, 15 points and 42 hits, and will be competing for the top spot in the Season 50 draft.  Only time will tell if his hard work and success back home in Sweden will be matched in the VHL.

[FacePuncher 1,343]

Overview: 5/5 - wonderful bio! I liked the whole story of why he chose to stay in Vasteras for his junior career. It is very sad tho hear about his brother though  but I know Theo is doing him proud In Saskatoon!

 

Grammar: 3/3 - All good here

 

Presentation: 1/1 - Great work with the pictures, and neat headings!

 

Over 1000 Words? 1/1 - 1864 words

 

Overall: 10/10

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