By Matthias Ek mattias@hockeynews.se
August 7, 2023
STOCKHOLM-Djurgården has signed Canadian center Zach Magwood to be one of the top offensive players. The right-handed shooter from Cambridge, Ontario, trades Krefeld in the German second division for play in the Hockeyallsvenskan.
He has moved into an apartment on Söder in Stockholm and is already enjoying himself.
I’m alone here, no wife, no children, but family and friends will come to visit and I’m looking forward to that, says Magwood to HockeyNews.se after one of the ice training sessions at Hovet.
When he received an offer from Djurgården, he jumped right in.
You know, the club showed a lot of interest and of course Stockholm and this association speak for themselves. When the opportunity came, I jumped at it right away. I’m really looking forward to getting started and the guys have been great and the coaching staff and the staff and they’ve made it easy for me.
What do you know about the league and the game?
I know that it goes fast and that there is a lot of skating. That the players are skilled. It goes without saying that Swedish players are very skilled hockey players. You can see it on the ice at our practices. There are a lot of guys who are skilled and work hard. I’m looking forward to this and love the challenge. I want to succeed here.
In Krefeld, Magwood scored 52 points (26 goals, 26 assists) in 50 games. And he had a good season in many ways.
Germany is of course a beautiful country. The club was very good to me too. But Swedish hockey, you don’t have to say it, but it’s good and it seems to get better every year that goes by. I’m looking forward to it and adding some new things to my game and learning new things on top of that.
Zach Magwood has been playing junior hockey at home in Ontario with Swedish defenders Rasmus Andersson (Calgary) and Tom Hedberg (AIK) in Barrie.
I have had many friends over the years who have played in Sweden, so I contacted some of them. Like Tom Hedberg in AIK. Jack Kopacka, he’s in Brynäs, and some older guys. And I have played with some Swedish guys in the junior team back home in North America. They have talked warmly about playing in Sweden regardless of whether it is the SHL or the Allsvenskan.
How well do you know Tom Hedberg?
We played junior hockey together in Barrie. He was there for a year.
And now he is also in Stockholm just like you?
– Yes, as soon as I had signed, he sent a congratulatory SMS and wished me welcome. It was very nice.
So do you have any interesting derbies against AIK to look forward to?
Oh yes, I’ve heard all about it and I’m looking forward to playing in the big rink (Avicii Arena). This arena is also big and I have heard a lot about the fans, that they are very passionate.
Have you had time to talk about your upcoming role in Djurgården?
I bring with me a good work ethic above all. Wherever the coaching staff wants me, whether it’s in the power play or the box play. I see myself as a playmaker and I’ve been told I’m a shooter so you know, it goes back and forth a bit. Sometimes I try to fit a little too much, sometimes I shoot too much. But I’m working hard and hope to shoot a lot score a lot.
Zach Magwood was one of the players at Djurgårdsträningen who kept going a little extra afterwards with the shooting.
There will be many shots after training. I think I shot 200 rounds just now so my arms are tired now, hehe. Even if we are not up to full speed, there are still many who drive hard. It’s great to see that level of competition.
Zach Magwood was born and raised in Cambridge, Ontario, but lives in the neighboring city of Kitchener, which is a real hockey town outside of Toronto. Färjestad’s Axel Bergkvist, Skellefteå’s Rickard Hugg and BIK Karlskoga’s Gustaf Franzén are the latest Swedes to have played junior hockey there. Gabriel Landeskog is the most well-known.
Last year I lived in my hometown, where we have many professional players. And the summer before that I lived in Toronto. There are hockey players everywhere. It’s Canada so there’s no shortage of ice and there’s no shortage of talent. It is good. I had a good summer. Many Swedes have played in Kitchener and I have had many friends in that team. They texted me too and I talked to some of them.
And now Zach Magwood is installing himself at Hovet, which is an over 60-year-old arena that is singing its last verse before demolition in 2025.
For being an old arena, it’s great. It doesn’t look old at all. Everything here looks new and I’m looking forward to seeing the Avicii Arena and I’ve heard it’s nice too,” says Magwood, smiling.