Before he went overseas to attend his first training camp with his new NHL team, the Vegas Golden Knights, Swedish right winger Alexander Holtz did an interview with Henrik Sjöberg of Hockeynews.se.
The 2023-24 season was a breakout year for Holtz, who went from playing 19 games for the New Jersey Devils to all 82, and from four points to 28.
“I actually don’t know,” the 22-year-old Djurgården product responded when asked what changed for him. “I’m satisfied as a whole that I played 82 games but at the same time not completely satisfied with the season. I want to play more in every game and be able to produce more – that part has been in my head all summer. I’m trying to keep working and so that I go back a better player this year.”
Holtz has been pretty active this summer, whether playing tennis, weight training with professional wrestler Vladimir Egorov, or spending time on the ice with the Nylander family – brothers William and Alexander and father Michael.
“It’s been fun and I feel in good shape,” he said.
On June 29, Holtz was traded to Vegas along with Swiss goaltender Akira Schmid in exchange for Paul Cotter and a third-round draft pick in 2025.
“I was at a friend’s house,” he explained. “We were just about to go for a bite to eat and then my agent called, then the Devils GM called and, after that, the Vegas GM called, so it went pretty quickly.”
He said about the trade, “I was a little shocked but very excited. It’s nice to get a fresh start in Vegas and it’s going to be great fun getting there so I’m extremely excited.”
As for what to expect in Vegas, Holtz answered, “I actually don’t know. I’ve heard good things about Vegas in general. It seems to be a very good organization. The biggest difference is that it’s an older team than what we had in Jersey.”
There will be differences away from the rink too.
“I’ve never played in a place where it’s hot all year round, but it’ll be fun to get in a round of golf during the season,” he figures. “Nobody complains about good weather.”
Another change for Holtz will be a new uniform number. In the Devils organization, including his time in the NHL and AHL, he wore number 9 or 10. In Vegas, he will be number 26.
“Nine and 10 were taken so I get to try something new,” he said. “One of my best pals, Alex Brännstam, has number 26 (in Västervik of the third-tier HockeyEttan) and another one of my closest friends, (current Florida Panther) Tobias Björnfot, had number 26 when he was in Vegas, so there’s a fun connection there.”
Holtz said that he wasn’t able to attend Björnfot’s Stanley Cup party this summer, but citing superstition, he said “it’s probably good that I wasn’t there so I couldn’t touch it.”
Finally, Holtz spoke briefly about his boyhood idol, Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals.
“I think he will break the record,” said Holtz. “I hope so too. That would be cool to see. I don’t think he’ll stop until he breaks that record.”
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