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NHLGamers, We’re proudly welcoming yet another traditional sports organisation into the world of esports and NHL gaming as Växjö Lakers from Sweden have acquired the team formerly known as Lavetten. Recently we’ve seen an increasing number of teams sign deals and represent various organisations in our tournaments, not only is this a step towards a more professional environment but it is growing the game that we love. With traditional sports teams such as Düsseldorf, AIK and today Växjö Lakers joining our ranks we create a connection between the traditional sport and the quickly growing esports scene. This connection will hopefully induce growth on both the virtual and real life sides of the sport. Fredrik Sandberg from the Växjö Lakers organisation highlights the fact that esports is an uncharted territory for them: “In esports, we’re reaching a new demographic in which we see tremendous potential. We’re excited about setting the Växjö Lakers brand into new waters and very happy to have a few hometown guys on the roster.” We caught up with Växjö Lakers captains Fredric @EDHOLMINHO Edholm and Fredrik @Kattenj Jansson for a short interview about the teams current status: How did this project take off and is there a specific connection to Växjö within your team? Fredrik (Kattenj): It all took off a couple weeks back when we made the decision to make a return as Lavetten. One of our new recruits is @Hockeyjohannes, who mentioned that he’s been in talks with Växjö previously and that there’s interest on that front. After some emails back and forth with Fredrik Sandberg at Växjö, we set up a meeting and things went on smoothly from there. We’ve got three guys from Växjö on our roster, so that’s the main reason and it’s with pride we represent our club. Both of you have represented Lavetten before, your new roster consists of some familiar faces but a whole bunch of new guys, what kind of hockey can we expect from you guys in IS Cup 4? Fredrik (Kattenj): Both me and Edholm have represented Lavetten before. Ever since that era came to an end, we have been thinking about joining forces again and now the time seemed right. We knew our team could be successful if we find the right pieces to fit our puzzle. We’ve been able to recruit a competitive roster with impressive depth and having @Hullued as our backstop is a great confidence boost. Our aim is to play fast counter hockey and I believe that is something we’ve excelled at in the last few weeks. We’ve been on a hard grind and are definitely ready for what IS Cup has in store for us. How excited are you about representing Växjö Lakers and what are your goals for IS Cup 4? Fredric (EDHOLMINHO): First of all, we’re extremely grateful to have this opportunity. Växjö Lakers is a large and very well-known organisation and it’s very motivating to represent them in the upcoming IS Cup. Our number one goal is to make the playoffs, after that we’ll see what we can make happen. The roster of Växjö Lakers for IS Cup 4 Växjö Lakers Esport will be making their debut tonight as they face the German based Shooting Stars in an IS Cup 4 double-header tonight at 21:00 CEST. The games can be watched on the Växjö Lakers Esport Twitch channel and will be commentated by Adam @esdor Ericson. The team also has new Twitter and Instagram profiles that they welcome you to follow. Växjö Lakers Växjö Lakers Hockey Club, commonly referred to as Växjö Lakers is an ice hockey club playing at the highest level in Sweden (SHL). The club was founded in 1997 and plays their home games at Vida Arena. Despite their short history, the team has seen some success in recent years, hoisting the Le Mat Trophy awarded to the SHL champions in both 2015 and 2018.