In the six weeks since HV71 secured their spot in the SDHL with a relegation round sweep of NDHL challengers Södertälje, the team has bid adieu to eight veterans, many of them core players.
The club’s top scorer, Elin Svensson, went first. Svensson signed with Brynäs, where she will bolster an offense that already features SDHL heavyweights Jenniina Nylund, Hanna Thuvik and newly acquired Viivi Vainikka.
Swedish veteran forward Kajsa Armborg, who served as an alternate captain this past season, and former University of Montréal standout Audrey-Anne Veillette will not return. Veillette arrived in December to great expectations, but never found the scoring touch that she displayed in U Sports and that made her a late round PWHL draft pick in 2023.
Rising stars Hilda Svensson and Jenna Raunio are set to depart for their freshman seasons at Ohio State University, and while their intention to leave Jönköping has been known since December 2023, their loss will still smart.
Over the past three seasons, Hilda Svensson (71 points in 100 games) trailed only Elin Svensson (88 points in 101 games) in point production for HV. Raunio, meanwhile, tallied a career high 16 points this season, and earned her first senior World Championships appearance with Sweden at only 18-years-old. She has a striking combination of size, skating ability and offensive prowess that is not easily replaced. Indeed, the offensive void created by the loss of the Svenssons, Raunio and Armborg is a big one: the four were among the only seven HV players who registered more than 10 points last season.
The club will also allow Czech defender Klára Seroiszková and Swedish veteran Amanda Andersson to walk. The decision is understandable: on a team that struggled to keep pucks out of its own net, each had a rather abysmal plus/minus (-15 and -22 respectively), with very little offensive upside. 19-year-old Swedish defender Ella Lind, who saw limited ice time in her two seasons with the club, could return to the NDHL for a bigger role on an up-and-coming team.
Earlier this month, HV71 announced that Sport Director Peter Hammarström would not return. He has been replaced by the team’s assistant coach, Alexander Hanning. The 34-year-old Hanning will retain his coaching role while also being tasked with building a competitive roster, essentially from scratch and with a limited budget.
“To ensure that women’s hockey [in HV71] continues to grow and develop, we need to build a solid foundation,” said Hanning on the team’s website.
“We want to be a club where young girls have the chance to dream big, develop in a supportive environment, and see a clear career path all the way up to our SDHL team. That work begins now.”
Hanning’s job will not be easy: while the club intends to develop its own young talents, avoiding relegation next Spring will require at least some veterans, and probably a handful of import players. One thing is certain: the team that hits the ice on Opening Day in September will bear little resemblance to last year’s squad.