Sweden meets Finland in a World Juniors semifinal, led by Anton Frondell’s scoring and Viggo Björck’s all-around play after a strong quarterfinal win.
The first World Juniors semifinal features a rivalry matchup as Sweden faces Finland. Sweden has shown strong offensive depth throughout the tournament, with club teammates Anton Frondell and Viggo Björck standing out. Frondell leads the team in scoring, while draft-eligible Björck has arguably been Sweden’s best player to this point.
Chicago Blackhawks prospect Anton Frondell set the tone early in the tournament, scoring a power-play one-timer just nine minutes into Sweden’s opening game. He has added four more goals since, including the opener just 10 seconds into the quarterfinal against Latvia.
“We wanted to go out and set the tone for the game and create good energy. Then somehow I manage to get the puck on my stick. Leo shoots it in, and it ends up bouncing into the net,” said Anton Frondell to Swedish TV (SVT) about his opening goal in the quarterfinal.
Ahead of Frondell’s second goal in the quarterfinal, a miscommunication led to him being on the ice in the first place. He changed with Viggo Björck, though the intended substitution was for Liam Danielsson.
“To be completely honest, I shouldn’t have been out there in that situation. I had missed that Magnus Hävelid (head coach) had sent out a different line, so I was on the ice with the wrong guys. I had to take responsibility for that, and it was my fault,” said Anton Frondell to SVT. He continued: “I think they forgive me since it ended up being a goal.”
Frondell is now looking ahead to the semifinal and admitted that the quarterfinal win was a strong start to the playoff stage.
“Now it’s the knockout games, and that’s what we’ve been waiting for. We start with a win, and that’s a good start to the playoffs.”
Another player who has proven valuable is Frondell’s Djurgården teammate Viggo Björck. Long regarded as one of Sweden’s top talents in his age group, Björck has introduced himself to a wider audience at the World Juniors. After the quarterfinal, he was pleased with the team’s performance while noting there is still room for improvement.
“I think it’s better at times than at others. We’re very efficient. Anton scores after just ten seconds, but we can play better,” said Viggo Björck to SVT after the quarterfinal. He continued: “I think we turn the puck over a bit too much. They get a few odd-man rushes, and we take a too many penalties.”
A tough test now awaits against Finland in the semifinal, and Björck is clear on the mindset heading into the game.
“It’s about getting back to the same mindset we had against the United States. That’s what will be required,” concluded Viggo Björck ahead of the semifinal.
