We are stepping into Arsi’s shoes again. This time we start in goal and work our way towards the extra scoring line that could make IK considerably harder to play against.
These are GLID INTE’s own recruitment ideas and assessments. We have no information that IK are negotiating with these players. The question is which possibilities we would want to investigate if we were sitting in the sporting director’s chair.
Several doors have closed since our previous look at the market. Miks Indrašis has been announced by Zvolen, and Emil Sylvegård has signed a short-term deal with Malmö. They are therefore out of this assessment.
Tex and Stålberg: the most understandable calls
Tex Williamsson remains an easy name to understand from IK’s perspective. He has the experience and the connection, and an arrangement close to home would at least give the conversation some logic.
But we have to start in the right place: Tex confirmed on 21 September that he was retiring. He is a retired goaltender, and we have no indication that he wants to return.
At the same time, that was only a month ago. He was recently with Östersund, and family life played a major part in his decision. That is the reason to consider whether a local arrangement might change anything. The first question is whether he wants to play. His form and what he could actually contribute come next.
Jonathan Stålberg is the other natural name. He said in September that he was without a club and had declined options far from home. The same report made clear that a return to Kalmar would appeal to him.
Our instinct is that Kalmar could be the more likely destination if a need arises there. That is our assessment; the material we have checked does not confirm a new move. He is still a practical lead for IK to investigate. The sporting director then has to assess how much of an improvement he would provide. Geography makes a deal easier, but it does not stop pucks.
Veini: a gamble worth pricing up
Veini Vehviläinen is the international goaltending name that interests us most after narrowing down the field.
Jokerit announced on 14 October that the club and the goaltender were looking for a new team for him. That creates a concrete opening, although the announcement does not mean all the contractual questions have already been resolved.
Last season he posted a 92.6 per cent save percentage over 33 regular-season games for Jokerit in Mestis. His start in Liiga this autumn was considerably worse: 82.8 over three appearances. His career record includes both a strong season with Brynäs and difficult subsequent periods in Liiga. There is a clear upside and a clear risk.
At the right price, we would investigate. Two Finns in goal, Veini and Vuorio, is a thought that sparks some curiosity. But any deal must be based on what Veini can deliver now, and IK need to understand why things have gone wrong.
He is our most interesting goaltending gamble. The price, the contractual arrangement and a proper assessment of his current form will determine whether it is worth taking.
Oscar Dansk is another name to check. He has left Kladno and has enough experience to be interesting as a hockey option. At the same time, a save percentage of 89.6 over 13 games last season shows why we need to look beyond his résumé. His current contractual position, price and form are not clear enough to put him ahead of the more concrete leads.
Claes Endre also confirmed in an interview on 16 October that he was without a club. He belongs among the available options. We are doubtful, however, that he would provide the improvement IK are looking for.
Up front, we want more players producing
Ideally, an offensive addition should make more than one player better. Give Brown a productive environment, ease the load on those already carrying a lot, and create the conditions for three lines that can pose a real threat.
That is our starting point when assessing the forwards. Could this player change how IK use the rest of the team?
Tedenby: the attacking dream still makes sense
Mattias Tedenby remains the name that appeals to us most when it comes to making a second or third line really dangerous.
His speed, skill and experience could change more than his own scoring total. Get more out of Brown, give IK more effective combinations and make it harder for opponents to focus on one or two lines. That is the thinking behind three productive units.
It could be a very good fit. If Tedenby himself wants it.
The latest clear contractual announcement we have been able to verify is from 18 September, when he declined HV71’s offer of another six weeks. HV said at the same time that the dialogue would continue. That makes him a lead to check, rather than a deal already waiting for IK.
There are two substantial obstacles: the finances and HV71. We would expect a signing like this to require a clear financial commitment, although we have no verified salary demand.
Our guess is also that HV will try again. If their problems continue, the spring could become a fight to stay in the SHL, and it is easy to see why the club might want Tedenby back. That is our assessment of what could happen, not information about a new offer.
That is precisely why IK need to find out whether the door is open. A clear role and the opportunity to make a difference here could be an offer worth listening to.
Rosdahl: doubts, but worth thinking through
Kim Rosdahl is not an automatic yes from us. His progress since leaving IK gives us little reason to expect the old version simply to walk back through the door.
He confirmed as recently as 16 October that he was still without a club after Västerås. In the same interview, he said he had played a lot of centre during the latest season. That makes him worth an extra thought if IK also want an option down the middle.
He has size and some scoring ability. 22 points in 37 regular-season games for Västerås last season are a reminder that he can still contribute offensively.
Could a clear role alongside someone such as Brown get more out of him? Perhaps. That is our hockey idea, with no settled line combination or promised chemistry behind it.
Rosdahl stays on the list of players to consider if the role, motivation and price fit. We would need convincing about the whole package before arguing that IK should make the move.
Tenemyr: a gamble we still like
Jacob Tenemyr is a name we are happy to revisit. Our feeling is that he is a little too good for Hockeyettan and could give IK more than ordinary depth.
41 points in 38 regular-season games last season provide at least a reason to look more closely. He also spent time in IK’s junior programme. That gives him a different starting point from a completely unfamiliar player brought in with the hope that everything will work.
Tenemyr is a winger. He would therefore not automatically address any need at centre, and the step from Hockeyettan to HockeyAllsvenskan would still have to be made.
The biggest obstacle, though, is in Västervik. He is their captain and under contract through 2026/27. Why would they want to let him go?
If we keep playing sporting director, we can imagine Tenemyr coming to IK and Albin Larsson heading the other way in an arrangement that gives Albin more senior hockey. This is entirely our own hypothetical exchange idea. We have no information about discussions between the clubs or what the players themselves want.
Albin also has a contract with IK until 2028. There are several interests to consider, and we think Västervik would be difficult to persuade. But as a hockey idea, we like Tenemyr.
Pitlick is interesting – the question is whether he is within reach
Rem Pitlick is the attacking option abroad worth keeping in mind. He can play centre and wing and recorded a combined 50 points in 69 AHL games last season.
That production makes him interesting to us. Hockeynews also included him in an August list of potential SHL centres. That list does not establish that SHL negotiations are currently taking place.
We do not have a fresh confirmation of his availability or salary expectations. Pitlick is therefore an ambitious lead to check, with considerably less practical certainty than the local names.
Erik Andersson could help IK on the penalty kill. But if the priority is more offensive quality, we doubt whether he is the right use of the money. He also has a contract with Borås until 31 October.
Two goaltending names we rule out
Johan Mattsson looked very strong purely as a hockey option. Dylan Ferguson was also worth examining. Both fall off our list, however, because they played KHL hockey in later seasons after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Mattsson played for Avtomobilist in February 2023, among other clubs, and Ferguson for Dinamo Minsk in November 2023. That background leads us to choose other options for IK.
What we would want to investigate
In goal, we would start by finding out whether Tex wants to play at all and what Stålberg’s actual situation is. Alongside that, we want to know what a deal for Vehviläinen would require.
Up front, we first want to know whether Tedenby would even consider IK and whether a financial arrangement is possible. We still like Tenemyr, while fully respecting that Västervik have good reasons to say no. Rosdahl needs a clear plan and the right terms. Pitlick is the more distant option abroad.
There is no ready-made dream signing in this assessment. There are several possibilities that deserve proper consideration.
IK need help that makes a difference: greater stability in goal and more lines capable of creating something on nights when the game is not flowing. That is where we think Arsi should put the next krona.
We have borrowed the shoes again. Now we want to see the next step.