Pat Svoboda Biography [1/2]

[StamkosFan 72]

CHILDHOOD

Civilians glide around an ice skating rink in Stockholm, Sweden.

 

Think of Stockholm, Sweden, and perhaps you recall that it is the capital of Sweden, or conjure up the concept of Stockholm Syndrome. Perhaps you have been one of the tourists that flock to view the sights, shuttled around the islands on boats and ferries. For Pat Svoboda, it was simply home. He was born in Stockholm, Sweden on December 2nd, 1993 to two intelligent parents; his father was a well-respected doctor. As a surgeon, he had gifted hands and coped well under stressful situations, and became one of Sweden's most renowned heart specialists. His mother was a high school biology teacher; unlike in the United States, she had to earn a Bachelor's degree in education to receive a Swedish teaching certificate.

 

He was the first-born in his family, and his father hoped that he would follow his footsteps and enter a profession in the healthcare field. But Svoboda's heart was set against that from the first time he laced up skates and set foot on a rink, at the age of only 4; he wanted to eat, sleep, and breathe hockey. The family had followed the SHL (Swedish Hockey League, then known as the Elitserien) casually, and his parents obliged his request to play, thinking that hockey could be a fun recreational activity, but never considering it as a possible career. They chastised him throughout elementary school for paying little attention in school, but his focus was on practicing hockey.

 

After the birth of his brother, Lars Svoboda, in 2004, the pressure to keep up his studies fell away, and Pat ended up not having passing grades in math in his last year of compulsory schooling, Year 9. Therefore, he was ineligible for high school, but this was a relief to him. Upper secondary school was optional, and he had no interest in furthering his education. To this day, he still is haunted by the feeling that he is a disappointment to his family for pursuing a career in hockey. His brother, Lars Svoboda, plans to study to be a neurosurgeon, and Svoboda has said in interviews that he feels that Lars is the pride of his family. While he was never been disowned, he rarely hears from them beyond the cursory invitations back home for holidays and birthday wishes.

 

SHL CAREER

Pat Svoboda carries the puck into the neutral zone in the J18 Allsvenskan at age 16.

 

Pat Svoboda was determined to head to the Swedish professional hockey leagues against the wishes of his parents, but it would not be easy. When he was very young, he had played the center position, but he had moved to play right wing at age 12 and never looked back, so the faceoffs skill that could have been valuable to teams was long gone. And Pat Svoboda possessed a massive frame, towering over others in his age cohort, and he was still growing. Juniors coaches would likely be happy to give him a chance based on pure size, knowing that he could push through inexperienced juniors defenders. But to climb the ladder, he would need more than just size, and with a quick glance, top-level scouts would notice his size and see immediate skating concerns. Svoboda would be fighting an uphill battle to prove them wrong, and the logistics of their concerns were actually quite practically. He spent hours every day, practicing his skating and pushing his acceleration to the limits.

 

Svoboda signed with Leksands IF J18 in the J18 Allsvenskan at age 16, and his top-level shot was already there, overwhelming the competition. He scored 23 goals in 28 games, so at age 17, he got the call to play in the SuperElit, a J20 league, with Leksands IF's J20 team. Again, Svoboda elevated his game to match the competition, dazzling his coaches and earning 48 points in 31 games. Leksands IF made the bold decision to bring him up to the SHL at age 18 for a cup of tea, and he scored a hat trick in his first game. He put up impressive numbers for a youngster, with 14 goals in 23 games, and never got sent back down.

 

Svoboda blossomed as the face of the franchises, its star player, and one of the most elite goal scorers in Sweden. By age 20, he was leading the SHL in goals, and he repeated that feat for three consecutive years. For some reason, NHL teams never came knocking, but that didn't assuage concerns that the powerful winger would leave his home country. Many feared that since the SHL appeared too easy for him, he would elope to Russia and take his chances in the KHL. But while they were right to predict that he would leave Sweden, they were wrong about which country.

 

Joining the VHL

Pat Svoboda takes a penalty shot for the Ottawa Lynx, and is denied by the goaltender.

 

In spite of not hearing from a single NHL team, Pat Svoboda was motivated by outside factors to head to North America. He visited Ontario on vacation, simply looking to sightsee, and instead crossed paths with a woman named Heather, who he would date for a few months and eventually marry. He knew that she would not want to leave her home in Canada, so he looked for opportunities to play hockey nearby, and was contacted by VHL officials. He signed with the Ottawa Lynx in order to keep his wife as close to her hometown as possible; since she was in her comfort zone, he was happy too. The two enjoyed a quiet wedding in Toronto with a few of their close friends and family members, and then purchased an apartment in Ottawa, just twenty minutes away from the Lynx's rink. Svoboda discovered just a few weeks ago that he and his wife are expecting their first child, a girl, and is looking forward to starting a family. His life recently has been consumed with prep work for the baby; in between games, he has been working on renovation projects, which he intends to finish over the offseason. Even if the VHL draft draws him to a new city far away from their current home, he knows that he can flip the house and sell it for a profit. He is a family man first and foremost, and wants to be a responsible parent; his top priority is to provide financial security for his wife and daughter.

[DollarAndADream 3,356]

Review:

Over 1000 words - check

Hockey > working in healthcare. I like this kid's career trajectory.

Pat's parents should be glad. He might not be a surgeon, but the VHL makes you millions of simulation dollars.