Wednesday, November 19, 2003

More articles in the AHL On-The-Beat Archive

Niklas Kronwall

Written by Dave Gaylinn

The education and maturation of a highly touted prospect can be slow and gradual. Or, it can be a very quick process, expedited by rare circumstances and executed by the budding superstar.

Enter Niklas Kronwall.

The Detroit Red Wings' first selection (29th overall) in the 2000 NHL Draft came to the Grand Rapids Griffins with credentials that spoke for themselves. He won back-to-back regular season championships in the Swedish Elite League in 2000 and 2001, as well as a playoff championship in 2000, with Djurgarden. He led Djurgarden's defensemen last season with five goals, 13 assists and 18 points.

Kronwall has continued his stellar offensive play in his first 16 games with Grand Rapids, leading all Griffins defensemen with nine points and seven assists. He has three multi-point games and recorded at least one point in three of his first four games in North America.

When Derian Hatcher injured his knee early in the NHL season, the Red Wings recalled veteran defenseman Jamie Rivers, thrusting Kronwall into a starring role in Grand Rapids. Considering this is his first season of North American hockey, it's a substantial burden for a 22-year-old.

"Jamie not being here increased the time that Niklas was going to be on the ice," Griffins head coach Danton Cole said. "You have to learn, you have to condition yourself and get used to a lot of different things. It made us do a lot more, earlier than we wanted to. We would have wanted to keep his ice time to around 18 or 20 minutes per game, but with Jamie being gone, there's a lot of ice time out there."

In the months leading up to this season, the question for Kronwall was whether his playing time would come in the NHL or the AHL. But with a stacked defensive corps in Detroit, there would have been precious little ice time for Kronwall in Motown. Playing for the Griffins has not disappointed him.

"I just wanted to work hard in training camp and see where I ended up," Kronwall said. "I've ended up in Grand Rapids. It feels good to be here. It's a good team. I like the city. Everyone is nice here."

Kronwall has adjusted to life in a foreign country and being on his own for the first time in a seamless manner, a step he considers to be very important as a person.

"This is my first time without my friends and family being with me," Kronwall said. "I am really on my own. I think that makes you grow as a human being. That is really good. A big help for me has been Anders Myrvold. He's been over here (in North America) for about eight years. He's been through this, so he has helped me a lot."

His partner on the ice, Myrvold, a ninth-year pro, has helped Kronwall adapt to life in both America and the AHL, both on and off the ice.

"There is a big difference for first-year pros coming into the American League or the NHL and playing in Europe," Myrvold said. "There's a lot going on. Not just on the ice, but off the ice too. There are a lot of unwritten rules that young players don't know about. It makes it easier if I help him out a little bit so he doesn't have to think about those things."

Kronwall has enough to think about on the ice. While the sticks and pucks are the same, very little else is similar to the game he played in Sweden. A smaller ice surface and a more rigorous schedule of games are among the adjustments Kronwall is making.

"It is a much tougher schedule for me. We played three games in three nights a couple times and that is a huge adjustment for me. Back home, we played three games a week, but never two games in a row," Kronwall said. In addition, he points out that the longest bus trip he had to make in Sweden was four hours. By contrast, the journey to Cincinnati, where the Griffins have already played twice, takes six hours.

Kronwall also notes that the North American game includes the center red line, a crucial factor affecting how teams attack the offensive zone. During his days in Djurgarden, when a team gained control of the puck, a pass from the defensive zone to the opposite blue line was common.

There is one aspect of Kronwall's game that has, both figuratively and literally, turned heads around the AHL - his hitting.

"It's not that I'm skating around looking to hit guys," Kronwall explained. "But when an opportunity comes, I like to step up and make a hit. It's a part of the game, it has always been and always should be."

Perhaps Toronto Maple Leaf Owen Nolan could testify to Kronwall's hitting prowess. In a preseason game, Kronwall avenged an earlier hit delivered by Nolan by flattening the veteran power forward.

Cole has also taken notice of Kronwall's physicality. "He's deceptively strong out on the ice. He can handle his one-on-one battles. When he has to jump up and battle for pucks, he can handle that as well. I'd say just the way he competes and his strength for a guy his size, those are two things that are a must and he has them."

The physical play is a natural product of the size of the ice.

"Over here, you play a tougher game obviously," Kronwall explained. "With the smaller ice surface, everything is always going to the net. Back home, it is a little bit more finesse, playing in the corners to find that open spot. Over here, a team gains the blue line and goes for the shot. I think that makes the mentality over in Europe such that there's not a lot of hitting. It's a different game."

So far, Kronwall has earned rave reviews from Myrvold. "I think he's playing very well. He's 22 years old. He's playing against the opposition's top line. He's playing almost 30 minutes per game," said Myrvold. "You can't expect more from a young player like that."

With Niklas Kronwall, you might not expect it, but you'll get it.