IK have offensive quality. The problem is that the top end needs more depth.
When injuries hit, it becomes clear how much responsibility suddenly lands on young and homegrown players. Joel Svensson, Calle Karlsson, Danny Dzhaniyev and the others should absolutely be encouraged to take big steps — but IK should not have to depend on them doing so immediately.
The loan of Theodor Hallquisth looks more like an attempt to survive on defence until Pontus Näsén returns than an actual replacement for Näsén. That leaves the more interesting question: what does Arsi Piispanen do with the forward group?
We stepped into Arsi’s shoes and went through the free-agent market. The aim is not to find “the star quality” — IK already have that — but one or two established offensive players who can shoulder responsibility now and still make IK better once Manuel Ågren and Filip Sveningsson return. After that, we would also like to see some skilled depth.
Miks Indrašis remains our first phone call. He is likely to be expensive and is 35, but he represents much of what IK are missing: offensive skill, experience, international pedigree, positional flexibility and a player opponents have to account for.
Mattias Tedenby feels almost too logical not to call. He has won trophies, has a wealth of SHL experience, was playing competitive hockey until recently and does not appear to be looking for another adventure abroad. Jönköping is not exactly on the other side of the world from Oskarshamn either. He would arrive with the group’s natural respect.
Cody Kunyk is a less obvious name. The 36-year-old Canadian centre most recently played in the DEL and has a long European career behind him. The fact that he has previously accepted moves to leagues outside Europe’s biggest competitions makes a conversation slightly less unrealistic. The questions are price, motivation and how much his body has left to give.
Linus Videll has the ability and experience. The question mark is his hunger. If the drive is still there, he is interesting. If it is not, the CV does not matter.
Jere Karjalainen has a strong track record in Finland, but we are more hesitant here. He is small, is coming off a weaker season and has enjoyed most of his offensive success in Finland. That does not automatically scream HockeyAllsvenskan success, but in a thin market he is at least a name worth investigating.
Ken Ograjenšek is the outsider. He is an experienced Slovenian international forward who continues to produce in the ICEHL, but the question is whether that level is enough for him to genuinely add depth to HockeyAllsvenskan’s top end. We do not know — and that is why he is an outsider.
Jasper Weatherby is the fun fantasy: 28 years old, a big centre, NHL and AHL experience, and time in the Czech top flight. Exciting from a hockey perspective. Financially, he feels more like an option if IK rob a bank.
Not every name survives our own checks either. Anthony Louis looked interesting from a hockey perspective, but played KHL hockey for Barys Astana in 2022/23 after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. That is where our scouting ended.
Elias Ekström presents a different kind of question mark. If he is healthy, his age and SHL experience are interesting. But after his injury problems and Karlskoga releasing him, there is no pretending his health is a minor detail.
And then there is Jakob Tenemyr.
Tenemyr is not our marquee signing. But depth does not have to mean mediocrity. He is Västervik’s captain, produces heavily in Hockeyettan and is a skilled player who we believe many people underestimate. He should be easy to integrate into the group, and there is genuine upside. That is a very different kind of depth from simply filling jersey No. 13.
After going through the options, the conclusion is fairly simple. There is a market — but it is not fantastic. There are not ten ready-made HockeyAllsvenskan stars standing around waiting for Arsi’s call.
IK have offensive quality. Now they need to broaden it and add more experience, so everything does not depend on the youngsters and homegrown players taking the next step on command.
We borrowed Arsi’s shoes for a while. Now we will see which numbers he has in his own phone book.