If you look at the standings of the SHL, you’ll find Skelleftea AIK right on top with a comfortable lead, as the two-time defending Swedish champion makes a bid for a “three-peat”. But in the CHL, the club suffered a defeat in the semi-finals at the hands of their biggest domestic rivals, Lulea Hockey. During the recent international break, Skelleftea defenceman Martin Sevc spoke about the team’s experience.

by Karolina Antosova

PRAGUE – During the latest international break, Skelleftea AIK defenceman Martin Ševc joined the Czech national team to play two games against Russia. It was his first appearance with the Czech team since the World Championship in Minsk, so he was really excited to see some old friends. “You’re always happy to be able to talk with someone in Czech,” says Ševc, the only Czech player in Skelleftea.

But his journey to Prague wasn’t that smooth. Because of some troubles during a transfer in Stockholm his baggage was lost, so he wasn’t able to join his teammates for their first on-ice practice.

You didn’t practice on the ice with the rest of your team. What happened with your gear?
Unfortunately, it stayed somewhere at the airport. I had a really fast transfer in Stockholm because my flight from Skelleftea was delayed a little bit. I was really in a hurry to catch the second plane. They told me I’d get my baggage the next day, but as you can see it’s not still here. 

You spent last season here in Prague in the KHL, but for this season you joined Skelleftea. Was it a logical move for you to go to Sweden, where you already played a few seasons ago?
I think so. I have a family, two young children, and Russia isn’t something I would think about. Moreover, after Lev Prague’s sudden end I didn’t have many choices where to go. So I logically decided to go to Sweden, where I felt they were interested in me the most.

And are you happy there?
From the hockey point of view, it’s perfect. There is really nothing I can complain about. But Skelleftea is really up north, so the only thing I really miss there is more light. But anyways, they treat us well, so I can’t even say one bad word about it. I think we play pretty good hockey, we want to play offensively, so I think all guys love it when they have that opportunity. Plus we’re doing quite well in the Swedish league. Really nothing to complain about.

You have a lot of ice time and contributing on offence. Do you feel that your coach trusts you?
I’d say that we have two older defencemen on the team and the rest of guys are younger, so our task is to help them. We also talk about it quite often with the coaching stuff. In this way, I think our coaches trust me pretty much. 

You lead the SHL, you’re the best team in home and also on the road. Why do you think you’re so successful?
I think it's because of the whole organization. The last four seasons they made it to the finals, the last two they won the whole league. Although they lost like 10 players before this season, in most cases they were able to replace them from their own sources. There's no doubt that Skelleftea do a good job producing its own players.

Last season you played in the KHL, before that the Czech Extraliga. How would you compare these leagues with the SHL?
According to my experience I would say that the Swedish league is absolutely different from the KHL or the Czech league. We follow systems more and it looks more defensive, even though from my point of view it’s not as defensive as it looks. But it’s definitely really hard league, we play more physically and there's more skating. Since I started my carrier, the Swedish league is the most challenging league I’ve ever played in.

This season you were doing quite well in the CHL too. Your journey ended in the semi-finals against Lulea. Before a start of season, what was your goal in the CHL?
As I said, Skelleftea's won last two SHL titles, so we wanted to prove we're one of the best clubs in Europe. We want to win all the time, and the further we advanced, the more we wanted to win it all. The worst thing was that we were eliminated by Lulea. We always play big derby games with them, so for us it was even worse to lose to them. 

Except for Kärpät Oulu, only Swedish teams were in the semis. Do you think that says something about quality of the SHL?
I think it really means something. Just look back to the quarter-finals, where only Swedish and Finnish clubs remained. There must really be something to that.

You're the only Czech player on the Skelleftea team, but there are others in the league. Do you ever get a chance to meet and talk with them during the season?
Occasionally. At least we talk little bit after games because we usually have dinner together. So I've had chances to talk more with Milan Gulas, Jakub Vrana and Jakub Krejcik.

And what about you and the Swedish language?
To be honest, we’re not the of best friends, but there's really no reason why we should be. Everyone speaks English, so I’m not forced to study it. Obviously, the coach speaks Swedish in the locker room but that’s not a problem to me, understanding the hockey stuff.

How long did it take to you to understand just the basic hockey stuff?
Frankly, it took me a long time, mainly because of what I’ve already told you about – there was no need to study it. In past seasons I played for teams with more foreign players, so the coaches also spoke English. But it’s hard to say. Some people are able to learn it quickly, some slowly and others never learn it at all.