Håkan Andersson (ice hockey)

Håkan Andersson is a Swedish amateur hockey scout who currently serves as the Director of European Scouting for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has won four Stanley Cup Championships as a member of the Detroit Red Wings organization, in 1997, 1998, 2002, and 2008. Andersson, based in Stockholm, Sweden, scouts all over Europe including Sweden, Finland, the Czech Republic, and Russia.cite web | author=Bengtsson, Janne | title=Han ringmärker talangerna | publisher=SvD.se | url=http://www.svd.se/sportspel/nyheter/artikel_83712.svd | date=2003-03-10 | accessdate=2008-05-26 | language=Swedish] cite web | author=Kennedy, Kostya | title=How Swede it is for Red Wings | publisher=Sports Illustrated | url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/kostya_kennedy/05/09/wings.swedes/index.html | date=2008-05-09 | accessdate=2008-05-26]

His scouting and player evaluation has been credited, along with that Director of Amateur Scouting Joe McDonnell and Assistant General Manager Jim Nill, by Red Wings General Manager Ken Holland as the reason for the long term success of the Red Wings, specifically the ability of the team to find talented players late in the draft.cite web | author=LeBrun, Pierre | title=Wings’ drafting and developing the reason they remain on top | publisher=The Hockey News | url=http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/16226-Wings-drafting-and-developing-the-reason-they-remain-on-top.html | date=2008-05-24 | accessdate=2008-05-26]

Early life

Quote box
quote = I was a better fishing guide than scout.
source = – Håkan Anderssoncite web | author=MacLeod, Bruce | title=Andersson reels in Red Wings' big fish | publisher=Red Wings Corner | url=http://redwingscorner.blogspot.com/2008/05/andersson-reels-in-red-wings-big-fish.html | date=2008-05-30 | accessdate=2008-06-15]
width=20% As a talented hockey player growing up, in his pre-teen years from the age of 10-14 he played with Charles Berglund on the IFK Tumba hockey club, and continued playing hockey until the age of 19 when, after having suffered a knee injury, he began his compulsory military service in Sweden.cite web | author=Aykroyd, Lucas | title=Euro Vision: Hakan Andersson Spots Future NHLers for Detroit | publisher=Hockey Adventure | url=http://hockeyadventure.com/2007/08/12/euro-vision-hakan-andersson-spots-future-nhlers-for-detroit/ | date=2007-08-07 | accessdate=2008-06-26] cite web | author=Jönsson, Kent | title=150 scouter synar talangerna | publisher=Sydsvenskan.se | url=http://sydsvenskan.se/sport/article153401.ece | date=2006-04-12 | accessdate=2008-07-01 | language=Swedish]

Sometime after his military career was over he began working as a fishing guide with Frontiers International Travel, guiding clients such as Seymour Knox, founder of the Buffalo Sabres, around the waters of Sweden, Norway, and Argentina. After joining the Red Wings he kept that job part time until the mid-1990's when scouting took over as his full-time career.

couting career

Quote box
quote = Håkan certainly is one of the best in the business. You've just got to look at his track record. … Obviously Håkan has been an MVP behind the scenes for us.
source = – Ken Holland, General Manager of the Detroit Red Wings
width=40%Andersson began scouting for the Wings in 1990 after being recommended to the position by Christer Rockström, who was leaving the Red Wings organization to work for the New York Rangers.cite web | author=Manojlovic, Zoran | title=Håkan Andersson, scout extraordinaire | publisher=hockeysfuture.com | url=http://www.hockeysfuture.com/articles/7606/hkan_andersson_scout_extraordinaire/ | date=2005-03-19 | accessdate=2008-05-25] cite web | title=Drake/Holland conference call transcript | publisher=mlive.com | url=http://blog.mlive.com/snapshots/2008/05/drakeholland_conference_call_t.html | date=2008-05-22 | accessdate=2008-05-25]

While scouting in Sweden in 1993, Andersson visited the national team selection camp for players born in 1973 in order to scout players such as Peter Forsberg and Markus Näslund, and while there noticed a young Tomas Holmström. The next year Holmström caught his attention again when Holmström's coach at the time, Niklas Wikegård, described Holmström as the best player on the team. In 1994 the Red Wings for the first time gave Andersson a draft pick, their 10th round pick, meaning he had first and final say over who would be chosen by the team in that round. Andersson chose Holmström, who has since been part of four Stanley Cup winning teams in Detroit.

It was through happenstance that Andersson discovered first Pavel Datsyuk and then Henrik Zetterberg. In 1997 he went to Moscow to scout Dmitri Kalinin, noticed Datsyuk playing for the other team, and decided he needed to see more of Datsyuk. He made the trip a second time and would have come again, but the flight he and a scout from the St. Louis Blues were on was cancelled due to a storm. The Wings drafted Datsyuk 171st overall in the 1998 NHL Entry Draft and Andersson believes he was the only NHL scout to have seen Datsyuk play prior to the draft.cite web | author=Farber, Michael | title=Spreading Their Wings | publisher=Sports Illustrated | url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/michael_farber/06/03/cup.finals0609/ | date=2008-06-03 | accessdate=2008-06-14] cite web | author=Rosenberg, Michael | title=Secret to success? Meet the Wings' super scout | publisher=Detroit Free Press | url=http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080609/SPORTS05/806090354/1053/rss17 | date=2008-06-09 | accessdate=2008-06-14] The next year Andersson travelled with Nill to a tournament in Finland to scout Mattias Weinhandl. Nill was distracted, however, by "this little Zetterberg guy who always seemed to have the puck." Andersson and Nill came away with a very high opinion of Zetterberg, whom they drafted 210^th overall in the 1999 entry draft, and he has matured into a superstar in the NHL. [cite web | author=Wigge, Larry | title=Zetterberg has grown into an NHL superstar | publisher=NHL.com | url=http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=363926 | date=2008-05-22 | accessdate=2008-05-25] Their decisions to go with Zetterberg and Datsyuk have paid off handsomely. The two star centers were named as finalists for the Frank J. Selke Trophy in 2008, with Datsyuk winning the award, [cite web | author=Kulfan, Ted | title=Red Wings get hat trick at 'NHL Awards Show' | publisher=Detroit News | url=http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080613/SPORTS0103/806130400/1128 | date=2008-06-13 | accessdate=2008-06-13] while Zetterberg set a new franchise record for most points in a post-season (27) and won the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the 2008 playoffs. [cite web | author=Ungar, Lindsey | title=A real Conn artist | publisher=Detroit Red Wings | url=http://redwings.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=365295 | date=2008-06-05 | accessdate=2008-06-08]

Andersson's good fortune in stumbling across prospects continued in 2001 when he happened to see a game in which Jonathan Ericsson, at the time a center, had been switched to defense temporarily due to injuries on his team. Ericsson had not garnered any attention from professional scouts as a forward, but Andersson thought he was an excellent defender with great size and reach, and so he recommended that Ericsson should move to defense permanently.cite web | url=http://www.faceoff.com/hockey/columnists/bios/story.html?id=7449ded3-5121-4566-a73d-c06e0adc27da | title=Detroit's bad luck balances out it's good luck | publisher=The Province | author=Gallagher, Tony | date=2008-05-28 | accessdate=2008-07-01] The Wings subsequently drafted Ericsson with the last pick in the 2002 draft on Andersson's word of his potential as a defender, and he has so far played eight games in the NHL and scored one goal.cite web | url=http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/draft2008/news/story?id=3457328 | title=Who could be the next under-the-radar star? Here are three to watch | publisher=ESPN.com | author=Joyce, Gare | date=2008-06-23 | accessdate=2008-07-01] Assessing both the status and potential of Ericsson, Detroit head coach Mike Babcock has said "I can't believe we don't dress him. I think he's going to be a stud in the league."cite web | url=http://www.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/nhl/wings/2008-05-11-wings-defense_N.htm | title=Defense provides big boost for Red Wings | publisher=USA Today | author=Allen, Kevin | date=2008-05-12 | accessdate=2008-07-01]

In 2004 Andersson took a chance and recommended the Wings draft an unheralded defensive-minded Swede center named Johan Franzén despite Franzén's age at the time (24). Franzén was big, had a heavy shot, and very good skating abilities for his size, and Andersson believed Franzén could at least be a good checking center. [cite web | author=Kennedy, Kostya | title=Move over, Mr. Hockey | publisher=Sports Illustrated | url=http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1136289/index.htm | date=2008-05-12 | accessdate=2008-05-25] [cite web | author=St. James, Helene | title=Tough as a Mule | publisher=Detroit Free Press | url=http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080426/SPORTS05/804260385/1053 | date=2008-04-26 | accessdate=2008-05-25] Andersson's expectations were exceeded in 2008 when, despite missing six games, Franzén set a new Red Wings franchise record by scoring 13 goals in a single post-season, a mark subsequently matched by Zetterberg. [cite web | author=Lage, Larry | title=Red Wings roll past Stars 4-1 in West finals opener | publisher=Yahoo! Sports | url=http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/recap?gid=2008050805 | date=2008-05-08 | accessdate=2008-06-08] [cite web | author=Robinson, Alan | title=What a finish: relieved Red Wings win Cup | publisher=Yahoo! Sports | url=http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/recap?gid=2008060416 | date=2008-06-05 | accessdate=2008-06-08]

Besides Holmström, Franzén, Datsyuk, Ericcson, and Zetterberg, Andersson has also been responsible for the selection by the Red Wings of Niklas Kronwall, Jiří Hudler, and Valtteri Filppula, among others. [cite web | author=Simmons, Steve | title=Diamonds in the Rough | publisher=Slam! Sports | url=http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/Playoffs/Detroit/2008/05/28/5692801-sun.html | date=2008-05-28 | accessdate=2008-06-27] [cite web | author=Niyo, John | title=Faraway eyes: Superscout is Wings' European connection | publisher=Detroit News | url=http://detnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080530/OPINION03/805300387/1128 | date=2008-05-30 | accessdate=2008-05-31] In 2008, the Red Wings' top five post-season scorers (Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Franzén, Kronwall, and Hudler) had all been scouted and recommended to the team by Andersson.cite web | title=Red Wings' top playoff scorers came courtesy of European scout | publisher=National Post | url=http://www.nationalpost.com/related/topics/story.html?id=575641 | date=2008-06-10 | accessdate=2008-07-01]

Personal

Andersson and his wife live in Stockholm where they have recently started a family. In his free time he enjoys fishing, sometimes with former clients.

References

External links

* [http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZtE9RDFqOwk A short interview with Håkan Andersson on YouTube]