photo: © International Ice Hockey Federation / Chris Tanouye
There is a resurgence in Norway’s junior hockey program, and it’s going on right now, before our eyes. Never a powerhouse for teenagers internationally, Norway returned to U18 play last year for the first time in 12 years and finished 9th to qualify for the top group again in 2024.
The U20s meanwhile, won Division I-A last year and are in Gothenburg playing with the big boys for the first time in a decade. Coincidence? Not if you ask coach Christer Nylund, who was U18 coach last year and is now in charge of the U20s this year.
“First of all, we have come together as a small country, so we try to work with the federation, the national team, the club teams, and the players who are playing abroad,” Nylund explained. “Everyone knows how we want to play hockey, so we start with that at the ground level and work that into the clubs as well.”
But now that his team is at the World Juniors, he has to find a way to keep them up. The longer they stay up, the easier it is to remain up. Being an elevator team—promoted, demoted, promoted, demoted—makes the federation’s ambitions more difficult.
“It's a big challenge,” Nylund admitted. “We want to succeed on this level, and we want to stay here, but it takes time getting used to playing those big games. These are all big games for the guys, and we need more of them, not only at the championships but exhibition games as well. We need to get to this high level and stay here, and that's very difficult.”
What makes things doubly difficult for the coach this year is that his roster that earned promotion in I-A last year is mostly the same but without top-level experience. In Gothenburg, the team has only five players from top level U18 in 2023 and two players who appeared in the senior Men’s Worlds last year—forwards Noah Steen and Petter Vesterheim. That means there are 15 players from I-A who are playing at the top level for the first time. The learning curve just got steeper.
“Just look at the game against the Americans,” Nylund continues. “We need to skate with them and outwork them, and when you play against good opponents, everything happens fast. That's what we're learning, even with things like the breakout, where we have to have fewer touches of the puck, how we enter the zone, the power play. Everything has to be quicker, and we're learning that every day.”
Nylund coached the U18 last year and the year before and hadn’t planned to move up to the U20, but sometimes fate has other ideas.
“I had a plan,” he explained. “I moved to Finland before the season to coach, and the original plan was to coach only there. But there were some changes in the federation and they asked me to coach the U20, and I know the program and have been in it for a long time. I felt I had more to give, especially on this level, and I know the group. So to be a little bit selfish to say, I think I was the right guy for the job.”
Coaching teens is about much more than x’s and o’s. It’s about connecting and teaching and being patient. But on ice, Nylund aims big and doesn’t apologize for doing so.
“Our goal here is to play the quarter-final, and to do that we need to win at least one game, maybe get some more points as well. It's a battle every game, but I think we have it in ourselves to get there, for sure.”
His biggest challenge isn’t necessarily in skill or size—it’s between the ears. Too often lower-ranked teams lose games even before the opening faceoff because they are intimidated, nervous, overwhelmed by the moment. Nylund is confident he can help.
“I'm a big believer in having routines, but I also believe I'm a funny guy and try to get the players to relax. At the end of the day, when it's a big venue and a tough opponent, the players feel that pressure, for sure, so me and my coaching staff try to take away that pressure and make them feel relaxed, and then we can get those results.”
Nylund and the Norwegians are here. They have lost their first two games, but they know they have a chance to pick up points against Slovakia on Friday. And then their biggest game is Saturday against Switzerland. The Swiss game looks like a must-win to reach the playoffs, but Nylund is undaunted. He has seen an upturn in the junior program at home, and he wants results now to help push that momentum forward.
The U20s meanwhile, won Division I-A last year and are in Gothenburg playing with the big boys for the first time in a decade. Coincidence? Not if you ask coach Christer Nylund, who was U18 coach last year and is now in charge of the U20s this year.
“First of all, we have come together as a small country, so we try to work with the federation, the national team, the club teams, and the players who are playing abroad,” Nylund explained. “Everyone knows how we want to play hockey, so we start with that at the ground level and work that into the clubs as well.”
But now that his team is at the World Juniors, he has to find a way to keep them up. The longer they stay up, the easier it is to remain up. Being an elevator team—promoted, demoted, promoted, demoted—makes the federation’s ambitions more difficult.
“It's a big challenge,” Nylund admitted. “We want to succeed on this level, and we want to stay here, but it takes time getting used to playing those big games. These are all big games for the guys, and we need more of them, not only at the championships but exhibition games as well. We need to get to this high level and stay here, and that's very difficult.”
What makes things doubly difficult for the coach this year is that his roster that earned promotion in I-A last year is mostly the same but without top-level experience. In Gothenburg, the team has only five players from top level U18 in 2023 and two players who appeared in the senior Men’s Worlds last year—forwards Noah Steen and Petter Vesterheim. That means there are 15 players from I-A who are playing at the top level for the first time. The learning curve just got steeper.
“Just look at the game against the Americans,” Nylund continues. “We need to skate with them and outwork them, and when you play against good opponents, everything happens fast. That's what we're learning, even with things like the breakout, where we have to have fewer touches of the puck, how we enter the zone, the power play. Everything has to be quicker, and we're learning that every day.”
Nylund coached the U18 last year and the year before and hadn’t planned to move up to the U20, but sometimes fate has other ideas.
“I had a plan,” he explained. “I moved to Finland before the season to coach, and the original plan was to coach only there. But there were some changes in the federation and they asked me to coach the U20, and I know the program and have been in it for a long time. I felt I had more to give, especially on this level, and I know the group. So to be a little bit selfish to say, I think I was the right guy for the job.”
Coaching teens is about much more than x’s and o’s. It’s about connecting and teaching and being patient. But on ice, Nylund aims big and doesn’t apologize for doing so.
“Our goal here is to play the quarter-final, and to do that we need to win at least one game, maybe get some more points as well. It's a battle every game, but I think we have it in ourselves to get there, for sure.”
His biggest challenge isn’t necessarily in skill or size—it’s between the ears. Too often lower-ranked teams lose games even before the opening faceoff because they are intimidated, nervous, overwhelmed by the moment. Nylund is confident he can help.
“I'm a big believer in having routines, but I also believe I'm a funny guy and try to get the players to relax. At the end of the day, when it's a big venue and a tough opponent, the players feel that pressure, for sure, so me and my coaching staff try to take away that pressure and make them feel relaxed, and then we can get those results.”
Nylund and the Norwegians are here. They have lost their first two games, but they know they have a chance to pick up points against Slovakia on Friday. And then their biggest game is Saturday against Switzerland. The Swiss game looks like a must-win to reach the playoffs, but Nylund is undaunted. He has seen an upturn in the junior program at home, and he wants results now to help push that momentum forward.