SHL Spotlight: Broc Little

In what has become a rare occasion for many sports writers over the past year and half, we actually met up with Linköping HC forward Broc Little for a post practice chat. He's been playing in Sweden for quite some time now, entering his ninth year in the country – eighth in the SHL.

The Team

During Little'´s first few years in Linköping, having come over from a year split between North America and Finland, the team was a force to be reckoned with. Those days are now gone and after a few years of trying to rebuild, Linköping entered this season with a "Homecoming" feeling to the roster. Among the signings in the offseason were Danish forward Patrick Russell, who played junior hockey in Linköping, goalie Marcus Högberg and defenseman Jesper Pettersson - both with first team experiences with the team before moving to North America and elsewhere. And despite a rough start to the season, spirits are high.

"Yeah, I’ve been saying the whole pre-season that the vibes are really good. The whole team… Yeah, like you said there are a lot of guys that have played here before or grew up here and are comfortable here. It’s been a bit of a rocky start for us, but there’s more calmness in the room and there’s a belief that it’s going to happen for us. It’s hard to look at the big picture. We just try to take it one day at a time." Little says.  

How do you cope with not being among the top teams anymore?

"Of course, it’s a bit frustrating to lose more than you win. My first three years here, we were top four in the league all years but things didn’t quite happen in the playoffs. But we were always kind of fighting for it. But for whatever reason, the past four or five years, it’s kind of gone down a little bit. I don’t know whether it’s all budget or what it is, there’s a lot of moving parts. It’s been a lot more challenging," he says, continuing:

"This year, we’ve set a little bit lower goals to start with and hopefully we can find our way into the playoffs and build off of that. Once you have a few years where’s a bit down, it’s a little tougher to get players. You can’t just reach for the stars right away. It’s frustrating and it’s taking a little bit longer than I and a lot of other people thought. But we have to realize where we are and what we have to work with. We just have to keep fighting."

Still without a championship to their name, Linköping aim to bounce back. The day after our meeting, SHL players can once again enter arenas drenched in the noise from the singing fans in the stands. After more than a year without full arenas, covid restrictions are now lifted. And when the subject comes up,  there's a spark of energy. Broc Little shines up.

"It’s a huge part of my game to get that energy off the crowd. When you play in the league for seven, eight, nine years, you get used to that atmosphere and you get free energy of that. Playing the whole last year and there’s nothing, you have to find energy elsewhere. Unfortunately, you got used to it pretty quick. But it’s hard to get the same energy in the legs. When you score it’s not the same. For me, I’ve always liked to play into that and use that as fuel. "

He continues:

"I love the European fans. They are less reactionary. In America, everyone kind of sits there and when something happens they cheer. But here, they try to get you going, they cheer the small plays, they understand the game well. It’s a great part of the game, it’s going to be great to have them back. It’s been way too long. "

The League

Having been in the SHL for eight seasons, he's experienced a lot. He's seen a lot. But how has the league evolved?

"The quality is as high, or higher, as it was back then [when I came here]. I think more and more structure has been put into place. It’s always been a tough league to score. The scoring compared to other leagues is on the low side, I think. Teams are generally very disciplined and tough to score against. "

Quite a few North Americans have praised the discipline and the backchecking in the league, Joe Veleno, for instance.

"All the teams wanna get five guys back as soon as possible. Everybody’s a good skater. The Swedish players are all skilled. It’s a tough league. I played one year in the HockeyAllsvenskan and that’s a bit more run and gun." he smiles. "As soon as you make the step up to the next league, it’s a lot higher. You can kind of play on the outside, you can feel good on the outside. But you don’t get much for it. You need to find a way to get to the inside and that’s something that I feel I’ve done pretty well during my time here. That’s where you get the goals. "

The Player

He spent a few of his formative years in Arizona. His father is a big Boston Bruins fan but never played the game himself. And for Broc Little, the love of hockey came at a young age.

"I started playing when I was two and a half. My dad loved the game. I think I was on roller skates in the kitchen when I was like one or so. Wayne Gretzky was in L.A. at the time, he was traded there around when I was born. I lived down in Arizona for quite a few years in the beginning and we watched all the Kings games. He was my idol growing up but yeah, I guess I just really loved the game from when I was really young. My parents were great, they drove me everywhere. I played in every tournament there was. I probably played too much hockey!" he laughs.

And he's had a neck for finding both the net and his teammates over the years. During his four years in the NCAA, representing Yale, he notched 142 points (72 goals, 70 assist) in 131 games. In his one season in HockeyAllsvenskan, Little racked up a massive 66 points, 35 goals, in 51 games. And during Thursday´'s game against Rögle, he ended an eight-game scoreless streak stretching back to March 11, when he also tallied on against Rögle. In that March game he scored his 136th goal in the SHL. And on Thursday he thereby had his 137th mark, making him the best North American goalscorer in the history of the SHL, breaking the tie with Tom Bissett.

"It's not something I've really thought about. It's taken a little bit longer to get that last one than what I was hoping for. Scoring goals is something I really love to do." he said when we caught up after the game.

Someone once told me once that the best goal is always the next goal…

"Yeah, exactly!"

That someone was you.

"Ah, yeah, haha! It's true though!"

Many scorers just want to get out there, to get the next one. But do you ever dwell on missed chances or so?

"It can take a little time to get over stuff like that. But you just look forward to the next game. I think for us it’s been tough. We had two games in almost three weeks to start the season. We lost both and you don’t score. You want that next chance again. So yeah, it can kind of sit in your head until you get that next chance at it. You try not to think about it but this is our job and it obviously takes up a lot of headspace. I think the biggest thing is just to get that next chance."

How do you cut away from hockey?

"I had a daughter in March. That helps a lot, the hands are pretty full when you get home. But I watch a lot of sports and I spend time with the family. That’s been a new experience and a nice one to have. A lot of years I was over here by myself and when you have a bad game it’s hard to get away from it sometimes. It’s a new distraction so it’s good." he smiles.

When did you realize you had something maybe other players didn't have?

"I always felt like I was good when I was young but I was a smaller guy and when I was growing up, smaller guys didn’t make it." Little, 5'9" and 170 lbs, says.  "At least not many. But right around when I was turning pro, some smaller guys were breaking into the game and that kind of changed it a bit. I guess when I was in college, I felt I could play pro. I was hoping for the NHL but that didn’t happen." he says.

A short pause. He continues:

"I came over here and Sweden kind of became the place where I was wanted, I guess. I played well when I came and, I don’t wanna say get stuck, but kind of. You’re worth is in that area. The league’s always been… you get paid well, you live a nice life and it’s given me most of the things I have right now. It’s been great."