Nils Tallinder Junior Review

[Patrik Tallinder 1,087]

Nils Tallinder first stepped on the ice at the age of 4, aiming to follow in the footsteps of his brothers, Lucas and Patrik. The family had moved to Canada to allow for his brothers to chase their athletic dreams, since they were showing so much promise. Fueled by his competitive spirit and frequent practice with his brothers, Nils quickly rose to the top of his age group. He was moved up to the next age group, where he would also dominate. It was almost immediately clear that there was a special talent in the works here; Perhaps even more so than Patrik and Lucas.

 

Nils would play in Canada for a few years, but would eventually head back to Sweden after his brothers’ car accident that left Lucas paralysed from the waist down. All eyes shifted to Patrik Tallinder in Sweden as one of the top upcoming talents from the country. That attention would soon shift to Nils after Patrik was drafted into the VHLM by the Mississauga Hounds.

The way that you could have described Nils’ game was electric. He was a thrilling offensive player who excelled with protecting the puck and reaching high danger scoring areas with ease. However, his size difference on his opponents was quickly noted by scouts, and they predicted that his offensive skills would not translate very well to the VHL. Because he was not a particularly responsible player in his own end, this realization from scouts was a crucial blow to his draft stock. Nils then made it his mission to turn his weakness into his biggest strength, so that he would be recognized unanimously as an elite talent.

 

 

He worked on everything. He watched game tapes repeatedly. Stick position, body position, faceoffs, penalty killing; All variables that he was paying close attention to. Nils gradually saw his efforts turn into results, as he was trusted to play in a shutdown role in the playoffs by the end of the regular season. This would not go unnoticed, and Sweden’s U16 team invited him to camp. He ended up taking up a prominent role with the team and had an exceptional showing. The tournament solidified Nils among the top prospects in the country.

 

 

Soon after, Nils would receive a lucrative offer from an SHL club to enter their system and play there long term. He had always wanted to play in the VHL, but it is hard to reject so much guaranteed money in a profession where one injury can end your career. It also meant that he could remain in Sweden and avoid the constant international travel of the VHL. After some long and difficult thoughts, Nils decided to pursue the dream that had driven him to this point in his career; He was headed to the VHLM.

 

This is where we leave the story for now, but this is only the beginning. Nils Tallinder is sure to have a great career, and we are witnessing just the earliest stages of it.