Timothy Liljegren aspires to be the next Victor Hedman

The Toronto Maple Leafs entered the 2017 NHL Entry Draft with the 17th overall selection. They used that draft pick to select Kristianstad, Sweden native, Timothy Liljegren. Scouting reports had Liljegren labelled one of the most dynamic offensive defencemen of the past few draft classes, originally having him ranked in the top 10 (TSN's Craig Button had him ranked 2nd). Sickness, injury and bouncing around between 2 teams limited Liljegren to only about a half-season in his draft year, causing him to slide down the board and right into the Leafs' lap at 17.

The now 20-year-old has spent most of his young hockey career idolizing fellow Swede, Erik Karlsson, but as Liljegren has evolved, he has experienced somewhat of an internal paradigm shift. Now there is another player that he aspires to emulate.

“I think Victor Hedman is a good example of what kind of player I want to be,” said Liljegren. “He's solid defensively and he's a good offensive player as well.”

Though the two players have never actually met, they are quite familiar with one another, each having spent time at different stages of their careers with Sweden during International play. In fact, Hedman paid close attention to his fellow countryman at the 2018 World Juniors. Hedman's opinion of the younger Swede was that he was "very highly skilled offensively", adding, "I like the way he plays the game.”

The 28-year-old Hedman had some insight to provide for 20-year-old Liljegren when asked what sort of advice he could give to a young, budding defenseman with dreams of being an impact player at the highest level. “You can play defence 200 feet away from your net. You need to have good gaps and skating abilities. If you can cut plays off before they get to the D-zone, then the less time you have to spend time there.”

Liljegren still has areas of his game that need improvement before he can really begin to shine, as Hedman does. Specifically cardio. “I have no problem playing like 26 or 30 minutes in a night,” said Liljegren. “But to do it every night and to be focused all day long, you have to have good cardio.”

The Maple Leafs' 2019 training camp was Liljegren's third with the team and many feel as though he has made strides in his game and that he is close to ready to make an impact at the NHL level. During camp, Liljegren paid close attention to consummate pro, and now team captain, John Tavares. The Swede was very impressed with how hard Tavares trained. “You think you're doing a good job of it,” he said. “And then you watch the best guys and they're doing an even better job.”

Liljegren acknowledges that training is hard work and that it isn't always the most fun, but it is absolutely integral to the success of a team and the success of a player. He has focused on improving his off-ice preparation, eating properly and stretching to ensure that he is showing up to each game in the best shape that he can, but he still has some work to do on his patience, admittedly.

Leafs' Head Coach, Mike Babcock, sent the young Swede back to the Marlies with some advice; "Keep an even keel and don't get discouraged." Cooler heads prevail, a stellar message to send to a young defender who struggles with his confidence.

Hedman also commented on how patience will benefit the Liljegren; “It's tough having patience, but sometimes it's worth it. If he gets a chance, then all of a sudden he's not going to look back.”

With the Leafs' blue line in a constant state of flux, Liljegren stands a very good chance at getting his chance to make an impact at the NHL level. If he develops into half the pro that Hedman is, Leafs fans will be thrilled.

Source: The Athletic

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