If there ever was any doubt about Växjö Lakers this summer, they have proven their capacity with emphasis. One of the reasons they are at the top of the table at the halfway point is their strong defense, where two way defenseman Hardy Häman Aktell, 24, plays a key role.
When Växjö Lakers added both Brian Cooper and Lukas Bengtsson to their already strong list of D-men coming into this season, experts argued that they had the best group of defenders in the SHL. Those two along with one of the most offensively skilled defensemen of the SHL, Joel Persson, is a top three D that most other teams would drool over. And still, yet another Växjö defender have had a significant breakthrough this season – Hardy Häman Aktell.
“Of course I thought once or twice about my role and ice time when Växjö brought in those awesome defensemen, but in the end I felt pretty confident. I finished last season strong, and also received a lot of trust in powerplay. I’d also played in a pairing with Joel Persson for two years, so I kind of suspected we would start this season together as well.”
“Most of all I felt excited about having such a great group of defensemen because you always want to win and to win you need both quality and quantity”, Häman Aktell says.
Has found chemistry with Joel Persson
Hardy Häman Aktell goes on praising his D-partner Joel Persson, hailing him as one of the best defenders of the SHL.
“He’s so skilled and smart out there, and a great passer. We think the game alike and have great chemistry together. Playing with him is so much fun and yeah, he’s one of the best defenders in the league for sure.”
With Christmas around the corner, Hardy Häman Aktell and his teammates enjoys a couple of well-earned days off. Although, going back a few months, there actually were a few question marks regarding how well Växjö would perform post Sam Hallam. “Oh my sweet summer child”, Jörgen Jönsson might fleer to anyone who doubted (at least if he is a Game of Thrones fan). Regardless, it is a fact that Växjö have looked just as solid as ever, parking at that number one spot of the table.
“Sam (Hallam) is a great coach and he has earned the job as Head Coach of Tre Kronor, but Jörgen (Jönsson) has succeeded him seamlessly”, Häman Aktell commends.
“Of course he’s put his mark on the team, but we’ve merely tweaked the way of playing since he took charge, and that’s made the transition very easy for all of us.”
Has learned what it takes to play pro level hockey
One thing Hardy Häman Aktell mentions is that Jörgen Jönsson wants them to play with more fast transitions, forcing the opponents to take long shifts and not giving them room to breathe. That seems to suit Häman Aktell, who has been prolific, scoring 19 points (5+14) in 26 games.
”I wouldn’t say there’s one specific reason to that, more of a natural development curve. Like I said, I ended last season on a high note and feel like I’ve picked up where I left off. I learned what it takes to play at this level, being more aware of what to eat, how to train et cetera. I also started seeing a Mental Performance Coach which works really well for me. He’s taught me how to have a more positive mindset, preparing so that I’m ready at face off of each game”, Häman Aktell says.
Looking at Hardy Häman Aktell now, being one of the best young defenders in the league and earning a call up to Tre Kronor, things might look easy peasy. But that hasn’t always been the case. He emerged as a puck moving, two way defenseman in the ranks of Skellefteå and impressed the scouts of Nashville Predators enough to be drafted in the fourth round, as pick number 108 in total. But that’s when things turned south. A fuzzy groin pain kept him from playing hockey, and every time he tried to come back the pain set him back at square one.
“It took a long time before anyone found what was wrong. Apparently, I had a hip malfunction that had to be corrected. I underwent surgery and after ten months of rehabilitation the groin pain was gone. After having missed over two years of hockey, I could finally start playing pain free again”, Häman Aktell says, still looking back at those years with anguish.
By then he had transferred to Skellefteå’s arch rival Björklöven, playing in the second tier. He received a lot of confidence, playing big minutes and really contributed to the success of the team. By the end of the 2019/20 season, Björklöven faced MoDo in a series that would decide which of the two would get to play a SHL team for a spot in the SHL. But the series was cancelled due to covid.
“Of course that was a tough blow for me, the team and the city of Umeå”, Häman Aktell says. “We went from a full house at home in game one, to an empty building in Örnsköldsvik for game two and a cancelled season before game three. It really blew but in the end nothing is more important than health and safety.”
The mission – win gold to get to celebrate with the fans
As it would turn out, Hardy Häman Aktell still got the chance to play SHL hockey, as Växjö GM Henrik Evertsson liked what he saw in the large framed defenseman.
“I called my agent who told me something had come up that he thought would suit me really well. So I spoke directly with Henke (Evertsson) about Växjö’s model and how he looked at me. He said they wanted to control the puck, set up good plays from their own end and that he thought I could play a good two way game in that system, contributing both defensively and offensively. It seemed like a really good fit and I haven’t regretted making that move”, Häman Aktell says with a grin.
Not even a full year after signing the contract, Hardy Häman Aktell danced the streets of Växjö with a gold medal around his neck. Or actually, since covid was still around, there was no dancing in the streets, but at least the gold medal hanged around his neck.
“It was such a euphoric feeling”, Häman Aktell says. “Winning with the guys you’ve been grinding with all year is really special. Truly magical.“
“Unfortunately we didn’t get to celebrate with our fans, but we’re going to give it our all to win this year and then we will celebrate twofold”, he adds with a smile.
Well, as for now Växjö is the team to beat. And with that strong group of defenders it sure will take a lot to beat them.