Word with Joacim Eriksson

Catching up with Flyers goalie prospect Joacim Eriksson.

What kind of a person is Joacim Eriksson off the ice?

"Oh, I'm a laid back type person. I like to be at home, watch movies, hang out with my dog. I have a German Shepherd."

Eriksson is happy with how his season turned out.

"It felt really good the whole season. I developed so much in all areas and got a lot of confidence, so it's been great."

"The game is a lot faster in men compared to juniors. It felt really fast in the beginning and it took some time to get used to it. Then I went down to play a couple junior games and they felt slow."

Strengths as a goalie?

"I stay calm in all situations. I try to cover the net and use my size to my advantage."

Weaknesses?

"Haha, none. Everything, really. I want to be quicker, more explosive, get in better condition, get more strength..."

Eriksson confirms that his new two year contract with Skellefteå has the NHL outclause that allows him to move to North America by certain date in the summer. It's not going to happen this summer.

"The Flyers told me that they want to see me in Elitserien, so I'm not thinking much about going to North America."

Eriksson drew a lot of interest in the free agent market in Sweden. Many teams were going hard after him.

"Yeah, there were some. Brynäs, Timrå, Södertälje, AIK, Rögle and Skellefteå. There were a few teams, but Skellefteå felt best. They had been positive about me the whole time. They showed a lot of interest, they have good guys on the team, the goalie coach is really good, the head coach is really good. They were also interested in me already last season."

Eriksson has set simple goals for himself for next season.

"Obviously I want to play as much as possible. I want to keep developing in all areas. Give it my all in every practice."

Eriksson thinks it's positive to have a veteran goalie to share the load with him in Andreas Hadelöv, 34.

"Yeah, definitely. I've also heard only good things about him as a person."