Set your clocks for some afternoon hockey (if you’re in the metro area) next November: The Detroit Red Wings are headed back to Sweden.
The NHL announced Wednesday that the Wings, Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators and Minnesota Wild will play in the 2023 Global Series. That means two games in Sweden — home to Wings forwards Lucas Raymond and Jonatan Berggren — early next season.
The Wings are scheduled to play the Senators on Nov. 16 and the Maple Leafs on Nov. 17. The Senators and Wild play Nov. 18 and the Leafs and Wild on Nov. 19. All games are at Avicii Arena in Stockholm. Both Wings games are at 8 p.m. in Sweden, six hours ahead of Eastern time.
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It marks the second time the Wings have played in Sweden. They were there at the start of the 2009-10 season, losing a pair of games to the St. Louis Blues. Back then, the arena was called the Ericsson Globe, or Globen to locals. In 2021, it was renamed in honor of the late Swedish DJ Avicii, who died in 2018.
In addition to Raymond and Berggren, defenseman Simon Edvinsson is likely to be a part of next season’s lineup. Elmer Söderblom began last season with the Wings, then was assigned to the minors in early January after being made a healthy scratch, right around the time Robby Fabbri returned. Söderblom dealt with injuries during the second half.
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There are other players who have ties to Sweden: Moritz Seider played there in 2020-21 because of the pandemic, enjoying a standout performance with Rögle BK. Joe Veleno likewise played for Malmö during the pandemic.
Back in 2009, the lineup included Swedes Nicklas Lidstrom, Niklas Kronwall, Jonathan Ericcsson Tomas Holmstrom, Henrik Zetterberg and Johan Franzen.
Contact Helene St. James at hstjames@freepress.com. Follow her on Twitter @helenestjames. Read more on the Detroit Red Wings and sign up for our Red Wings newsletter. Her latest book, “On the Clock: Behind the Scenes with the Detroit Red Wings at the NHL Draft,” is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Triumph Books. Personalized copies available via her e-mail.