INSIDE HOCKEY

Lars Jonsson is used to hearing people talk about his potential. The 23-year-old defenseman has had the yoke of high expectations and unfulfilled promise around his neck for years. No one doubts his skills. The 6’ 2”, 207 pound Philadelphia Flyers’ rookie offers an intriguing package of speed, strength and athleticism, combined with a deft passing touch and a far above-average shot from the point.

Those gifts made Jonsson a high first round draft pick (seventh overall) by the Boston Bruins in the 2000 NHL entry draft. Fellow Swedish defenseman Niklas Kronwall was taken 29th overall that year by the Detroit Red Wings. Six years later, Kronwall is considered a rising NHL star while Jonsson has yet to play his first NHL game and is labeled by some as being more project than prospect due to his inconsistency. Expected to be a fine two-way defenseman, Jonsson produced only a fraction of the offense expected of him until his final season in Sweden. Defensively, he struggled with his decision-making.

What’s been the problem? As with many young defensemen, Jonsson has had difficulty conquering the mental aspects of the game. One blunder would beget a second, which became a third. Suddenly, the player became hesitant and indecisive at both ends of the ice. Instead of reading and reacting to plays, he played not to make mistakes. When a defenseman is self-confident, the game slows down for him and he sees the whole ice. When he’s not, the player rushes and only sees oncoming trouble.

“My team in Sweden struggled and so did I for several years. It wasn’t really one thing you could point to. Things kind of snowballed,” says Jonsson.

Great Expectations

Jonsson was born and raised in Borlänge, a town of 47,000 in the valleys of central Sweden. As with many young hockey players growing up in the region, Jonsson dreamed of someday playing for Leksands Idrotts Förening (Leksand’s Athletic Association, also known as LIF or the Leksand Stars).

Established in 1919, Leksand is one of Sweden’s most storied teams. As with most teams in Europe, Leksand operates a hockey program that goes from youth hockey up to the professional level. Although LIF often underachieved in the playoffs after winning three consecutive Swedish championships in the mid-70s, the club was often a top regular season club and enjoyed strong fan support throughout Jonsson’s home district of Dalarna.

As Jonsson rose rapidly through Leksand’s junior ranks, scouts began to take notice. LIF was still a contender, but its nucleus was aging and the team suffered a significant loss when star goaltender Johan Hedberg left for North American hockey after backstopping the club to first place during the 1996-97 Elitserien (Swedish Elite League regular season). Experts predicted that Jonsson would eventually inherit or share Leksand’s power-play quarterback mantle with three-time Elitserien All-Star Jan Huokko.

In 1997, at the age of 15, Jonsson played in the TV-Puck Tournament (TV-Pucken in Swedish). Since 1959, the nationally televised event has been an annual rite of passage for Swedish players under the age of 16. A host of future Swedish NHL stars (including Hall of Famer Börje Salming, Anders Hedberg Mats Näslund, Pelle Lindbergh, Håkan Loob, Mats Sundin, Peter Forsberg, Markus Näslund, Mikael Renberg and the Sedin twins) gained their first national exposure by playing for their home regions in the tournament. Jonsson earned Best Defenseman honors in the ’97 tournament.

Jonsson’s skills quickly proved too advanced for Leksand’s Under-18 team, so he was promoted to the Under-20 at age 17. In 1999-2000, he tore up the J20 Superelit League with 16 goals, 38 points, a +38 defensive rating and 50 penalty minutes in 36 games. Jonsson even earned his first taste of Elitserien suiting up in five games (he failed to record a point in limited ice time and was on the ice for two even-strength goals against).

Jonsson entered the 2000 NHL entry draft as one of the highest-rated European skaters by Central Scouting while The Hockey News pegged him to go somewhere in the middle of the first round. He didn’t even last that long. With the seventh overall pick, the Boston Bruins selected the youngster from Borlänge.

“Jonsson’s overall skill level is real high,” said Jeff Gorton, then the Bruins’ Director of Scouting Information and Assistant General Manger. “He really carries the puck well, and he has a heavy shot. He can really pass the puck, and he brings a lot of offense to the table. The projection was that he could be a power-play defenseman; a guy who could run your power-play and defend in his own end as well.”

Languishing in Leksand

Jonsson played for Sweden at the 2000 World Under-18 Championships and the 2002 World Junior Championships, but did not particularly distinguish himself at either tournament. Meanwhile, he struggled to adapt to the demands of Elitserien and the expectations of being a high-end draft choice.

“The players are bigger and faster and more skilled every time you move up. I saw that in Leksand and obviously the NHL is the best league in the world. It was my ultimate goal to play at this level,” says Jonsson. “Unfortunately, things didn’t work out the way I wanted for a few years.”

Things went south quickly for LIF in the 2000-01 season. The club fell to 11th place in the 12-team Elitserien, forcing the Stars to stave off demotion to the minor leagues (called Allsvenskan) in the relegation tournament after the regular season.
The Stars failed and fell out of Elitserien for the first time since 1950.

Jonsson was Leksand’s seventh or eighth defenseman, dressing for just 31 of the 50 regular season games. Receiving little power-play time, he scored two goals and three points with a -9 rating for the season. Trying to keep the player sharp, LIF also used Jonsson in three games with its J20 Superelit squad. He scored a goal and added two assists for the junior squad. He didn’t dress for the Stars in the relegation tournament.

Rookies in Elitserien typically struggle for ice-time, so Jonsson’s rookie season was a disappointment both to the club and to himself. His modest stats were no cause for alarm. But his lack of improvement from the beginning of the season to the end raised a few eyebrows. Apart from the occasional flash of brilliance, Jonsson looked every bit the rookie he was.

While falling out of Elitserien is potentially disastrous for any club - ticket sales and sponsorships typically drop, and league revenues are lower - common wisdom held that a year in Allsvenskan could do wonders for Jonsson’s development. The competition was tougher than anything he’d seen in junior hockey, but a decided notch below Elitserien.

By his own description, Jonsson played “just okay” in his second season as Leksand earned its way back to Elitserien and the Bruins’ first rounder suited up for seven games in the World Junior Championships. All totaled, Jonsson played 48 games for LIF between the first and second half of the Allsvenskan season and the playoffs for a 2002-03 Elitserien spot. Earning the minutes of a sixth or seventh defenseman, Jonsson scored a combined two goals and 12 points and a +12 rating against lower caliber opposition.

“I think there have been times when we wanted to see more offense from Jonsson,” said Gorton to BostonBruins.com. “But when you go over there and see how the game is played in Europe, it's really not as wide open as people think. For all the skill coming out of Europe, when you go to games in Sweden, and some of these other countries, there is a lot of trapping. He had some incredible scoring numbers in junior hockey, but he just has not had the offensive numbers in the (pro) leagues.”

The 2002-03 season was the same story for Jonsson. The Stars were an improved club that year, earning a trip to the playoffs. The team shored up its blue line by adding former St. Louis Blues’ defenseman Christer Olsson, and ex-Buffalo Sabre Greg Brown, while bringing back veteran Hans Lodin. That left Jonsson once again struggling for ice time.

Trying to get Jonsson back on track, Leksand loaned him to Allsvenskan team Björklöven IF, where he’d get more ice time. Jonsson handled himself well, using his superior natural skills to rack up three goals and four assists in nine games. He returned to Leksand.

Back in Elitserien, however, Jonsson continued to force the play. Scratched from the lineup several times, Jonsson did little to earn a promotion, failing to register a point and recording a -5 rating in 21 regular season games. By playoff time, he looked rusty and riddled with self-doubt. An injury to Olsson pressed Jonsson into playoff duty. Overwhelmed and indecisive, Jonsson finished without a point and a -3 rating as Leksand made a quick five-game playoff exit.

Jonsson added muscle over the summer of 2003 in preparation for Elitserien. He also told the press in Dalarna that he wanted to play more aggressively and make better use of his speed the next season. At times, the work paid off for the now 20-year-old defenseman.

After a one-game appearance with the Leksand J20 squad (in which Jonsson skated circles around the rest of the players on the ice and scored two goals), he dressed in every game for the Stars. The flashes of brilliance became more frequent, and Jonsson, now a second-pairing starter, scored three goals and added nine assists.

Unfortunately, consistency still eluded Jonsson in 2003-04. His -7 rating was understandable, considering the fact Leksand was once again the doormat of Elitserien (winning just 11 of 50 games, and losing the relegation tournament to hold a spot in the top league). In the relegation tournament, he had a goal and a -3 rating in four games. Behind the stats lay a player who continued to let mistakes bother him and affect his play. Now labeled by some a first-round bust for Boston, it was easy to forget the player was still just 21-years-old and playing a demanding position where players typically mature later than forwards.

Mini Breakthrough

Jonsson and LIF management agreed to part ways in the summer of 2004. The player wanted to play in Elitserien, not Allsvenskan. Meanwhile, Stars management and the coaching staff had grown a little frustrated watching Jonsson make many of the same mistakes he did as a 17-year-old. Even so, the parting came with some regrets.

“Leksand has a great history. When I was a junior player there, I hoped I’d stay there until I was ready for the NHL. But I had a good opportunity to play for a better team, and it was the best situation for me,” Jonsson says.

Jonsson joined a strong Timrå IK club for the 2004-05 season. With the NHL lockout wiping out the season, TIK added the likes of Detroit Red Wing Henrik Zetterberg, then Tampa Bay Lightning winger Fredrik Modin and Calgary Flames goalie Miikka Kiprusoff to the lineup. The defense featured Aki Berg, former Colorado Avalanche draft pick Sanny Lindström and former Philadelphia Flyers’ draftee Pär Styf.

The move to Timrå was fruitful for Jonsson. He dressed in every game, scored five goals and six assists (fourth among TIK defensemen) and posted a +7 rating. In the playoffs, Timrå exited in a seven-game first round meeting with Djurgårdens IF. Jonsson failed to register a point, but was +1 for the series.
Jonsson’s slow but progressive advancement left the Bruins with a dilemma: should they sign him or not?

“For the past two years, Lars has seen a lot of playing time and is developing. It's been slower than we thought, but he's playing a lot more now,” Bruins Director of Amateur Scouting Scott Bradley told BostonBruins.com in 2005. “He's not a real physical or mean player, so he's had to make an adjustment physically. I think now that he's older and a lot stronger, his development is progressing a lot quicker. It would be great if we could get him over to North America.”

The NHL’s new collective bargaining agreement after the labor stoppage included a significant change for European draftees. In the past, a player drafted from European leagues remained the indefinite property of the NHL team who selected him. Now, teams had a two-year limit to sign future European draftees and a limited window to sign previous draftees before they became unrestricted free agents.

Jonsson remained in Sweden during the 2005-06 season, signing with Elitserien club HV71 Jönköping. The club, which finished first in Elitserien and went on the win the Swedish championship in 2003-04, was coming off a disappointing season in which they missed the playoffs. But the Jönköping team dusted itself off and rebounded with a dominating regular season, finishing first with 102 points.

Jonsson stepped right into HV71’s blue line nucleus, which was backboned by team leader Per Gustafsson (a former NHLer with the Florida Panthers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators), longtime NHL offensive defenseman Fredrik Olausson, former Detroit Red Wings draft pick David Petrasek and former New York Islanders draftee Johan Halvardsson.

With his self-confidence burgeoning, Jonsson finally began to tap into the offensive potential that everyone knew he had. He started every game for the third straight year, received regular power-play time and more than doubled his single-season bests for goals and points with 11 tallies and 16 helpers. While there were still occasional defensive hiccups, Jonsson’s +7 rating and chemistry with Halvardsson was promising.

Unfortunately, Jonsson’s breakthrough year ended on two sour notes. First, HV71 endured one of the most painful playoff losses in league history. Leading Färjestad by a 3-2 score in the final minute of Game 7 of the semifinals, a return trip to the finals seemed imminent. But HV71 gave up two goals in the final minute - the last with seven ticks left on the clock - and lost. Jonsson, who finished with the lowest playoff plus-minus among his team's defensemen (-3), was a non-factor in the series.

“Horrible,” is the only word Jonsson uses to describe his feeling after the initial shock wore off. The HV71 players sat deadly silent in the locker room for 20 minutes after the buzzer.

Jonsson was then invited to Team Sweden’s pre-camp before the 2006 International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships. With Swedish NHLers turning down their invitations to play en masse, Jonsson seemed to have a decent shot at realizing the dream of playing for Tre Kronor. Beyond Olympic defensive MVP and longtime New York Islander Kenny Jönsson, here seemed to be several roster spots available to be to won.

Team Sweden coach Bengt-Åke Gustafsson remained leery of Jonsson’s defensive problems. Jonsson was beaten out for a spot by Per Hållberg, former Tampa prospect Andreas Holmqvist, offensive defenseman Magnus Johansson, former NHLer Mattias Timander and veteran Ronnie Sundin. Later, Jonsson’s fellow 2000 draftee Niklas Kronwall joined the squad after the Red Wings were ousted from the NHL playoff, going on take tournament MVP honors.

Jonsson watched with bittersweet emotions as his countrymen went on to win the gold medal at the World Championships. As a Swede, he was thrilled by his country’s victories at the Olympics and the Worlds. But he would’ve loved to be in Riga, Latvia, wearing the Three Crowns crest.

“It was disappointing,” he admits. “But what can you do? There were a lot of talented defensemen to choose from, and obviously, the results were great.”

New Beginning in Philadelphia

Unable to reach an agreement with Jonsson, Boston let his rights lapse, receiving the 37th overall pick in the 2006 entry draft as compensation. As the free agent signing period approached, the Philadelphia Flyers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Los Angeles Kings and Vancouver Canucks contacted Jonsson’s agent to inquire about his interest in coming to North America. Jonsson signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Flyers.

Jonsson entered the Flyers’ rookie camp and full-squad training camp as the projected eighth defenseman. That meant he would probably start the season with the AHL Philadelphia Phantoms. But Jonsson had something else in mind.

The defenseman was one of the few bright spots in the club’s otherwise dismal 1-5-1 preseason campaign. Manning a point on the power-play and skating regular even-strength shifts, Jonsson impressed even notoriously tough-to-please head coach Ken Hitchcock.

“He’s a special player,” Hitchcock said at his post-game press conference after the Flyers’ lone exhibition victory. “He can bring a lot of the things (departed free agent) Kim Johnsson brought to us, in terms of the way he brings the puck up the boards, makes the first pass out of the zone and contributes on the power-play.”

There were a few shaky moments and outnumbered rushes, but for the most part, Jonsson took care of business. Meanwhile, most of the other Flyers’ defensemen scuffled, including more highly-touted off-season signee Nolan Baumgartner, second-year back Freddy Meyer and 25-year-old Randy Jones.

Jonsson won a place on the roster and seemed to have a shot at cracking the opening-night starting lineup. But then, in a 5-4 shootout loss to the New Jersey Devils on September 28th, Jonsson sustained a high ankle sprain.

“I lost my balance and fell into the boards,” Jonsson said after the game. “I don't think it's too bad.”

The next day, the Flyers announced Jonsson will miss up to the first three weeks of the season. His foot was placed in a cast to keep it immobile. The cast came off earlier this week. “(Flyers’ trainer Jim) McCrossin feels that within a couple of weeks he'll be back on the ice,” said Philadelphia general manager Bob Clarke on September 29th.

Lars Jonsson is chomping at the bit to get out on the ice for his NHL debut. He’s eager to take the next steps on the road to turning the endless talk about his enormous potential into praise for his on-ice performance.