Two GMHL Alumni Re-Sign in Sweden (Division 1)

Vännäs, Sweden- Former Kingsville King Ludwig Niederbach and Bradford Rattler Joakim Lövgren have re-signed with Vännäs HC in Division 1 (HockeyEttan), a Swedish professional hockey league!

Ludwig Niederbach joined the GMHL in 2014-2015, playing for a top end Seguin Huskies team. Niederbach was a big part of the Huskies team, and the big power forward was able to put up impressive numbers in his rookie season, posting 25 Goals and 34 Assists for 59 Points in 31 Regular Season Games. He continued his performance into the playoffs, leading the way to the Russell Cup Finals with a stat line of 9 Goals and 18 Assists for 27 Points before bowing out to the eventual champions the Temiscaming Titans. Niederbach had an impressive first year, and was sought after in the off-season, eventually being traded to the Kingsville Kings for their inaugural season. Niederbach came back to the GMHL even better the following year and had the most points for his team that year, posting 38 Goals and 35 Assists for 73 Points in 36 Regular Season Games Played. The Kings went on to win the South Division in their inaugural year, with an impressive record of 39-3-0. The Kings were one of the favourites for the Russell Cup that year, and again Niederbach led his team to the Russell Cup Finals again, posting 15 Goals and 22 Assists for 27 Points in 18 Playoff Games Played, before bowing out to the Tottenham Steam. Niederbach’s performance in the GMHL turned a lot of heads at the next level, and soon he signed a contract at the professional level in Sweden’s Division 1 league. Niederbach has spent three seasons at this level, and he has just re-signed to his fourth year with Vännäs HC.

Joakim Lövgren joined the GMHL in 2013-2014, playing for the always strong Bradford Rattlers. The Rattlers were coming off of a Russell Cup win the following season, and were experiencing a cup hangover at the beginning of the year. Lövgren joined the Rattlers part way through the year, and was able to add some stability to the Rattlers defensive core, and became one of the stingiest defenceman to play against in the GMHL, chipping in offensively as well with stats of 5 Goals and 7 Assists for 12 Points in 15 Regular Season Games Played. The Rattlers went into the playoffs as the underdogs, and many thought wouldn’t make it past the second round. However, the Rattlers, including Lövgren, were able to put their regular season struggles behind them, and worked their way to the Russell Cup Championship, including a sweep of the top team in the Regular Season, the Seguin Huskies, in the semi-finals. Lövgren played a vital role in this route to the Russell Cup Finals, playing solid defensively and adding 5 Goals and 6 Assists for 11 Points in 13 Playoff Games Played, before bowing out to the eventual champions, the Bradford Bulls. The Rattlers have always had a tremendous Swedish connection, and after a great year with the team, they were able to find Lövgren a contract at the professional level in Sweden’s Division 1 league where he has spent four seasons, and just re-signed for his fifth year.

Division 1 is the third highest level of professional hockey in Sweden, and has a lot of high-level players, whom advance to higher levels of professional hockey, such as the Allsvenskan, SHL, ECHL, AHL, and NHL. Alumni from this league include NHL players Patric Hörnqvist and Henrik Zetterberg. It is great to see alumni from the GMHL playing at this level of hockey, and we hope to see more in the future!

Congratulations to Niederbach and Lövgren on re-signing with Vännäs HC for the 2018-2019 season, and we wish you the best of luck for the next season!