Luleå’s SM gold celebration was magnificent.
When it came time for a trip to Spain with the team, William Håkansson, 18, stepped forward as an unexpected party fixer.
– I got a few pats on the back there a few times so it was fun, he says.
William Håkansson.
Photo: ARON BROMAN / BILDBYRÅN
The defender has previously played in Djurgården’s youth team.
Photo: Pontus Lundahl/TT / TT NEWS AGENCY
Now Håkansson belongs to the SHL club Luleå.
Photo: PÄR OLERT / BILDBYRÅN
Håkansson, on the right, under JVM.
Photo: JOEL MARKLUND / BILDBYRÅN
He describes the selection for the tournament with the Junior crowns as “a dream” and has now had to put on the blue and yellow suit with many eyes on him.
– Hopefully I’ll do really well here, come back, gain some confidence and be able to build on something, says the 18-year-old defender.
But William Håkansson has also seen the competition increase in the Luleå club team during the autumn.
– Competition is also good, you have to play your best hockey to get ice time. I will do everything I can to get my minutes there and earn them. Now I got a little started here and get to play.
Left the family at 15 years old
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Already in 2023, he took his pick and pack from Solna to move up to Norrbotten.
– It has probably gone up every year. I think above all after the turn of the year last year, I think that things have gone up more than ever. I love being there, says Håkansson.
When the move went, he was 15 years old.
– I thought moving away from home was fun. The fact that it happened when I was 15 is probably not that common, but it was fun. I came up and had a great time in Luleå from day one and yes, it’s awesome up there. It’s like home. It has not been as difficult as many others might think. It has flowed really well.
In March this year, he also got the chance to make his SHL debut for the club and has since been almost a regular in the team during the fall, which resulted in a JVM place.
– The first time you entered the dressing room at a training session, you weren’t that much… you were quiet and then you saw Omark there and didn’t dare say anything. But they are damn nice, says Håkansson.
Nervous meeting with “Bulan”
How did they receive you?
– It was probably a bit nervous the first time you talked to him and Stridh, but you get to know them. It’s a bit different when you’re so young, they’re so much older and have been around for so long. But you get into it fairly well.
Although there was only one match in the semi-final series against Frölunda, he was counted as one of the team’s gold winners.
Coaches Henrik Stridh and Thomas “Bulan” Berglund.
Photo: SIMON ELIASSON / BILDBYRÅN
Linus Omark during the golden celebration.
Photo: SIMON ELIASSON / BILDBYRÅN
Håkansson was part of Luleå’s squad already last year.
Photo: SIMON ELIASSON / BILDBYRÅN
The celebration was grand.
Photo: SIMON ELIASSON / BILDBYRÅN
What was it like to be part of what became a golden celebration?
– It was super cool. To be part of and see what happens in a winning team off the ice and on the ice, as well as how the group comes together all the way to the end. It was a hell of an experience. Very educational for me.
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In May, Håkansson got to join in and receive the people’s cheers in Luleå.
– It was cool too. Standing in Södra Hamn in front of 15,000, it’s not every day you do that. To see how much it meant to the whole of Norrbotten and Luleå above all. It was a hell of an experience, says the back.
Luleå’s unknown party fixer
But it didn’t stop there.
When extra gold celebrations and a trip to Spain with the team were called for, he had a hand in the game.
He became something of a party fixer in the difficult-to-maneuver entrance queue.
– A family friend I had down there knows the stuff, so I thought I might contribute something. If I’m not on the ice, I guess I can solve something else and be happy that I’m on the trip. So then I had to pull some strings and solve some fun.
It impressed Linus Omark, Erik Gustafsson and the rest of the gang.
– I got a few pats on the back there a few times so it was fun. I guess I posted a little thread there to help as much as I could. They had to do everything else themselves and so I just helped in a corner, says William Håkansson.
Are you the unexpected party fixer?
– No… maybe? Someone else will decide that, haha.
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