Sweden / Finland Lions Cup Tournament

Playing in the tournament in Finland was one of the best hockey experiences I’ve had. It gave me the opportunity to compete against high-level European players, experience a different style of hockey, and do it alongside a new group of teammates who had to come together quickly.

From the first game, the biggest difference was the style of play. European hockey puts a huge emphasis on puck possession, speed, spacing and using the entire width of the ice. On the bigger ice surface, there is more room, but good teams also take that space away quickly. You have to constantly scan the ice, anticipate where pressure is coming from and make decisions before the puck gets to you.

It forced me to think about the game differently.

Instead of always attacking directly, there were opportunities to use open ice, change the point of attack and create space before attacking again. Offensively, I had to recognize when to push the pace and when to hold onto the puck and allow a play to develop. Without the puck, positioning and anticipation became even more important because there was so much ice to defend.

I really enjoyed that challenge. Hockey IQ and the ability to read the next play have always been important parts of my game, and playing in Finland gave me a chance to test those abilities against players and systems I had never faced before.

The competitiveness of the tournament was another highlight. We weren't travelling across the world just to experience European hockey — we wanted to compete. Every game had intensity, and playing against teams with different systems and styles meant we had to adjust throughout the tournament. There wasn't much time to get comfortable.

That was especially true because I was also playing with a completely new group of teammates.

When you put players together who are used to playing significant roles on their own teams, everyone has to figure out pretty quickly how they fit together. You learn who wants the puck in certain situations, who likes to play fast off the rush, who can find seams through the middle of the ice and where your linemates are going to be before they get there.

As the tournament progressed, our chemistry continued to improve. Practices, games and time together away from the rink helped turn a group of individual players into a team. By the later games, we were reading off each other much better and playing with more confidence as a group.

That was probably one of the most valuable parts of the experience for me. At higher levels of hockey, you are constantly going to find yourself playing with new players, new coaches and different systems. Being able to adapt quickly, earn the trust of your teammates and find ways to contribute is an important part of becoming a better player.

Finland also gave me a new appreciation for the different ways hockey can be played. Canadian hockey has shaped the player I am, but experiencing the European game showed me another side of the sport. The creativity, puck movement, patience and use of open ice were things I could bring back and incorporate into my own game.

I left Finland feeling like I had grown as a player. I had competed against strong international competition, adapted to a different style and ice surface, learned to play with new teammates and experienced hockey in a part of the world where the game is played and understood a little differently.

The results and competition mattered, but the biggest takeaway was the experience itself.

Playing hockey in Finland challenged me to process the game faster, adapt quicker and become more comfortable finding different ways to create offence.

That’s something I’ll carry with me wherever hockey takes me next.