Pre-NHL History

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