Hernrik Zetterberg hails from the neighborhood of
Klockarberget in the small east coast town of Njurunda,
Sweden. He tried on his first pair of skates
at age 2. They were double-bladed.
"I didn't do much," he
recalled. "I just (stood) on the ice."
At age four, Henrik
began skating with a local club. At age six, he joined his first
team.
"I was a small kid,
but I wasn’t the last kid chosen in a pickup game. I had skills and
I really worked at making them better and better. I remember as a kid I
always tried to not get hit and to hold onto the puck until I
spotted an open teammate," says Zetterberg.
Growing up he played hockey almost everyday with
his friends. During the summer months, after hockey season had come
to a close, the same group of friends would gather for exhilarating
games of soccer. Henrik also played tennis
often.
When
he was 13 he chose hockey over soccer and added Sweden’s Mats Sundin to
his idol, Wayne Gretzky, as players he most often tried to emulate.
Henrik Zetterberg started his senior hockey career in 1997
with Timrå in the Swedish division
1, as a 16 year old. He managed to play in 20 games and scored
a goal and 3 assists. In his draft year he saw his ice-time
increase, and so did his numbers. He scored 17 goals and 14 assists
in only 41 games. His great performance helped his team to move up
to Allsvenskan for the 1999-00 season. After finishing as the 41st
ranked European skater by the final 1999 CSB Rankings, Henrik
Zetterberg was selected by the Red Wings with their 4th selection,
210th overall in the 1999 Entry Draft.
He was a small, wiry
player with deceptive speed and uninhibited along the boards.
Besides, he always seemed to have the puck, which is what caught the
attention of Jim Nill, the Wings' assistant general
manager.
"He was a skinny
little kid when Nill saw him," Holland said. "He liked his
instincts."
“He’s
very intelligent on the ice and his vision is excellent. But it was
kind of fluke that we discovered him in Europe.
I was with our European scouting staff at a tournament in
Finland
a few years back and we were watching a game that Zetterberg was
competing in. We weren’t at the game to watch him, but his skill
caught our eye. He was only 17 years old and stood about 5’ 10” and
weighed only 150 pounds. We thought that if he grew stronger, he
could be something special. We took a chance on him with our 4th
choice in the 1999 Entry Draft. Our gamble paid off because Henrik
took off the next season, making the jump to the very competitive
Swedish Elite League where he won Rookie of the Year.”
Jim
Nill- Assistant GM Detroit Redwings.
 Detroit
management viewed Zetterberg as a long shot pick. Although the
odds against a late pick are not favorable, the hope was that
Zetterberg could one day inject skill into an organization that had
been depleted of offensively talented prospects.
In 1999, Zetterberg was coming off an excellent
sophomore season in
Sweden's
second league. With 17 goals and 31 points in just 41 games, the
18-year-old quietly established himself as one of the premier stars
in
Sweden's
lower league.
Prior to the commencement of the 1999-2000
season, Zetterberg attracted a great deal of interest from a number
of Swedish Elite League teams. However, the 6-foot-0, 185-pound
center elected to remain in Timra with the hope of elevating his
franchise into the country's top league. His two-way game and clutch
goals was the main reason that Timrå moved up to Elitserien for the
2000-01 season.
His
rookie season in Allsvenskan was phenomenal. Quickly becoming
the league's most dangerous offensive talent, Zetterberg scored 16
goals and 24 points in 31 regular season games, helping his club
into the playoffs. Although Zetterberg had an excellent regular
season, his postseason performance was much more impressive.
Zetterberg took complete control of Timra and scored 14 goals and 24
points in just 21 games, guaranteeing his team a spot in the Swedish
Elite League in 2000-2001. As a 19-year-old, Zetterberg amassed 30
goals and 18 assists in 52 regular and playoff games while
maintaining a plus-33 rating.
One of the highlights to
Zetterberg's season was being named assistant captain of
Sweden's
World Junior team. Finishing the tournament with three goals and
five points in seven games, most analysts considered Zetterberg the
country's best forward throughout the event. Red
Wings prospect Niklas Kronwall was the other assistant capitan. The
team included some highly touted prospects such as the
"Super-Twins", Henrik and Daniel Sedin.
Prior to the 2000-01 season Henrik was
named to the Swedish national team, (Three Crowns) before even
laying a single game in Elitserien. In his third game with the
National team, Zetterberg scored his first goal, and it sure was one
to remember. He came in alone with the Russian goalie and made a
reverse Peter Forsberg move to get the goal. As he made his debut in
the Elitserien He was also a member of the National team all year
long where he registered 2 goals and 6 points in 17 games, including
one goal and 3 assists in 7 games at the IIHF World
Championships.
Both
Zetterberg and his club began their inaugural season in
Sweden's
Elitserien in 2000-2001. Timra's record secured them a spot in the
Elite League for the 2001-2002 season. Henrik continued to show that
he was the go-to-guy as he scored the overtime winner in his first
ever game in Elitserien against the reigning champions, Djurgården
as a 19 year old rookie. As the season went on Zetterberg matured
and developed in a great pace. Timrå reached their goal which was to
stay alive in Elitserien and Zetterberg was named "Rookie of the
Year" after putting up impressive numbers, 15 goals and 46 points in
47 games. Zetterberg finished tied for fourth in the league's
scoring race. Zetterberg says it was during this period of time
that he truly began to grow as a player.
The 2001-02 season was very tough, but at
the same time very important and developing. There were a lot of
expectations heading into the season on the young Zetterberg. He was
expected to lead his team and become a star on the National team,
and this is one of the reasons that his numbers were reduced. But
the main reason was that the opponents knew what to expect as they
were playing against Timrå. If they managed to shut down Zetterberg,
than they had the game as in a little box and therefore he had
two-three guys on his back all the time. But even with all the
pressure and the close custody, finished the
season with 10 goals and 22 assists for 32 points in 48
games.
He took his game to the next level and
started to dominate even international games. The best proof came in
the Swedish Hockey Games as he scored 4 goals in the finales and was
named the best player of the tournament. After an impressive season
where he also starred in his second World Championship, Zetterberg
also earned a spot with the Swedish Olympic team and received a
great deal of ice time on the squad's third line. As only one of
three non-NHL players on the Swedish team, playing with future
Redwing teammates, Niklas Lidstrom and Tomas Holmstrom, Zetterberg
played impressively. He won
the country's Gold Puck award as the best player in Elitserien as
well as the country's top participant in international competition.
His four-goal performance in the gold medal game at the Swedish
Hockey Games and undaunted play against NHL veterans at the Olympics
were the deciding factors.
Zetterberg was awarded a
three-year, $2.5 million contract with the Detroit Red Wings in May,
2002, then travelled to Detroit to meet management and to experience
the NHL playoffs.
Though
impressed with his skill, management figured he would be more of a
fourth-line winger, who would most likely have to pay his dues in
the minors. But, much to their surprise, the Njurunda native proved
to be a third-line workhorse filled with determination and will.
Earning praise from veterans like Leafs’ captain Mats Sundin, who
said the talented young winger reminded him Peter Forseberg,
Zetterberg has overcome the odds and emerged as an asset to the
organization.
Zoran
Manojlovic,
HockeysFuture.com
SCOUTING
REPORT
2001
Henrik
is an agile skater with impressive overall skill in all departments.
He possesses phenomenal hockey sense which he uses to his advantage
in all situations. He has soft hands and can stickhandle through
traffic in high speed. Although not possessing a large frame, Henrik
is a very strong and well balanced player who is hard to knock of
the puck. He understands the role he playes as a center and takes
care of his defensive duties as well. With playmaking ability and
imagination he has the ability to quarterback a powerplay with ease.
He has also shown that he can perform well in key-situations and
key-games on manny occasions. He will need to work on his shot and
use it more often, but that will come as he adjusts to the North
American style. Zetterberg
possesses solid speed, but his best assets are his quickness and
phenomenal balance. Difficult to knock off the puck, Zetterberg is
an intelligent offensive player who possesses superb playmaking
skills. He has excellent hands and great moves, and he makes things
happen on the attack. Zetterberg plays a very spirited game and
never stops working. He is also alert defensively and is plays
responsibly in his own end. It is difficult to find a weakness in
Zetterberg's game, although he will need to prove his ability to
play a responsible defensive game at the NHL level. Some observers
have expressed a concern with Zetterberg's high confidence level and
wonder whether the youngster will fit in with a veteran-laden roster
in Detroit.
An NHL roster spot is
his to lose in training camp prior to the 2002-03 season. The
6-foot-0, 185-pound center has the potential to be a top-line player
in the NHL. He is expected to break into the league in a similar
fashion to Pavel Datsyuk, and gradually work his way up the
roster. Henrik
Zetterberg`s development over the past couple of years has been
phenomenal. He has gone from being a late rounder with little chance
of making it to the big stage to a great player with excellent
potential. He has shown that he can handle all type of hockey and
that he is a big time player as his performances in the Swedish
Elite league, the World Championships and the Olympics has shown
over the last couple of years. Henrik Zetterberg has the potential
to become a point-per-game fan-favorite performer in the NHL.
An
offensive skilled forward with impressing balance and agility,
Henrik skates very well and he has shown some good play-making
skills as well as scoring skills. He reminds a lot of Peter
Forsberg, playing an all-round game. However Zetterberg lacks one of
the skills that is quite characteristic for Forsberg, the physical
game. But Zetterberg is still very all-round and he plays well at at
both ends. Henrik is arguably the best player in
Sweden
and he will soon be playing in the NHL with the Detroit Red Wings.
Zoran
Manojlovic, HockeysFuture.com
Zetterberg wore
#15 in 2002 Prospect Camp |
