Naomi Rogge is set to take on a leadership role in Sweden with SDE, and lift her own game to new heights, while chasing golden buckets as a team.
Before signing with the Metropolitan Riveters, Naomi Rogge was thinking of joining SDE in the Swedish SDHL, but ultimately chose the PHF. And a month later, Stockholm became her Plan A again.
“I had looked at other options even before signing with the Riveters and SDE was one of them. When the PHF folded, I got in touch with them and they had a spot open for me,” Rogge told THN at the SDE kickoff event.
“In the short run, it was tough to swallow, because I’m a planner and I had already planned my life for the upcoming months, but in the long run, it’s what women’s hockey needs and what we want,” she added.
Like many, if not most women's players, Rogge chooses to think positive about the latest developments, even if the number of jobs decreased in the short run.
“I hope the league will be sustainable so that women can become true pro players without having to have other jobs to survive,” says Rogge.
“And they do have a long-term plan,” she adds.
Since settling in Stockholm, Rogge is getting ready for her first season as a pro – without having another job.
“It’s the first time in a long time I’m not in school, and I definitely need a hobby,” she says with a laugh. “
A month into the season, Rogge has a better understanding of the SDHL and SDE, a team that finished fifth in the regular season last year.
“I think it’s been seamless transition. The pace of play is similar to college as is the physicality. I enjoy the checking, and I’m not getting called for the same plays I would in college,” she says.
At the writing of this, Rogge’s SDE has a 2-2 record in their four pre-season games against the two other Stockholm teams – AIK and Djurgarden – and the reigning champions, Lulea.
“I was definitely taken aback by AIK’s physicality, I had to keep my head up, while Djurgardens was a lot more skilled team. For me, it was important to get back into the game mode since I hadn’t played a game since March,” she says.
And against Lulea, SDE showed that they can play any team in the league, even if they lost the game 4-2, with an empty-netter. Rogge scored both SDE goals in the game.
The center is also part of SDE’s leadership group, and is, together with her former University of Minnesota-Duluth teammate Michelle Löwenhielm and defender Lauren Dabrowski, expected to carry a lot of the offensive load once the league kicks off on September 24.
“I take a lot of pride in that. Some players may shy away from stepping up, but I like to be relied upon. It makes me a better player, I don’t want to let anyone down,” she says.
Last season’s fifth place was SDE’s best finish in the league and the expectations are high in the league’s only “indie” team – with no men’s top-level team in the organization) – even if half the team is new.
“We have several new players and expectations may be different inside the locker room, but we know what we have in there. While I haven’t seen all the teams, I know that half the battle is having a winning mentality, and knowing how to win and we have a lot of players from winning college programs."
“We want to finish higher than last year, and my goal is the goal bucket. I think it’s so cool,” Rogge says.
In Sweden, the champions celebrate their title wearing golden helmets.
“I want to produce offensively, and I also do take pride in my defensive game. Once I get the little things right, the production follows,” she says.