Daniel "Demski_" Gadd: ”As a kid I dreamed of representing HV71 but I never thought it could become a reality”

We had the opportunity to discuss with one of the most influential Swedish NHL esports personalities, Daniel @Demski_ Gadd, who has captained the HV71 esports project since the start and is now entering the first Elite campaign with the club near and dear to him. 

Daniel @Demski_ Gadd believes that work experience with children has also brought a lot of benefits in the field of virtual hockey. He feels he has grown as a person and become an even better leader.

”Working with kids you need to be good at noticing how people feel even in stressful situations. You need to learn what to look for in peoples behavior in order to know how to help them and be there for them without having to ask. If you are good at those things the job just gets so much easier. Understanding that every person is unique and that people thrive under different circumstances is almost mandatory to be good at the job. I’ve really grown as a person and have become better and better at noticing small things while working with kids. I feel like those things are directly applicable when leading a team as well. Obviously it’s not the exact same thing but those skills have really helped me become a better leader. Because in my opinion, you can talk about tactics and how to get better at the game all day long, but if people in the team don’t  feel good about themselves and enjoy playing, you won’t get any better at the game anyway. Feeling good and being happy is the most important thing, that’s where you need to start, because that’s where all good comes from.”

Daniel has been playing competitive virtual hockey for many years. Earlier in his career, he won bronze at the SCL in 2019 with the Bucketeers. Gadd says he got his first NHL from his dad back in 2004, and has been playing with passion ever since.

”I’ve always been a big hockey fan, so hockey has always been a natural part of my life. Growing up I had a full size rink just a couple of meters outside the house where I spent a lot of hours as often as I could. Naturally you can’t play hockey outside when it’s not cold, so my father surprised me with a gift back in 2004, NHL 04. Since then I have been hooked on the NHL series playing every game that came out.”

Now with several ECL campaigns under his belt, Gadd recalls with warmth the first tournaments he participated in. He emphasizes that he is very grateful for every opportunity that has presented itself throughout his career.

”My first experience with EASHL was when I was just playing for fun with a couple of friends. Back then I honestly didn’t even know that you could compete in NHL. Luckily for me we randomly got matched up against Bucketeers (now Färjestad) where Johan @Jerkix Eriksson played. He must have picked up on something when we played them because later on we got in contact and a new world opened up for me when he told me they were interested in signing me to compete for them in ECL 7 PRO. We put together a real solid team and managed to earn that elite spot my first season competing. To be able to compete in NHL was so much fun and something that really made it worth putting in all the hours that you have to. Looking back I am so grateful for Bucketeers giving me the opportunity that they did”, Gadd continues.

He warmly recalls how HV71 has always been a very important thing throughout life. Gadd has grown up in the hockey town of Jönköping, so supporting the club has been a natural part of the Swedish players youth. He tells how he has watched almost every match of the Swedish team during the twelve years and these years are associated with very fond memories.

"I have tons of amazing memories but the two greatest ones that come to mind is my first ever live hockey game that my dad took me to. HV71 won against Djurgården Hockey with 7-1, I think it was the season of 03/04 so I was only around seven years old. The other one is without a doubt HV71's latest championship in 2017. Overtime in a game seven for the gold medal and Simon Önerud scores the game winner assisted by Martin Thörnberg, both of them local hockey players whose hearts beat for HV71, I get goosebumps just thinking about it."

The Swedish player has been involved in the construction project of the HV71 esports squad from the beginning and he also serves as the team captain. He feels that the decision to join the project was the best he has done in his career.

"It’s an honor and a privilege. As a kid I dreamed of representing HV71 but I never thought it could become a reality, it really is a dream come true. I’m so glad HV71 keeps believing in me and the team and what we can do together. To be able to make this journey with such a great organization and amazing teammates, I really am blessed to have this opportunity. I am very exited for the new season, it’s going to be a lot of fun competing with the team again. This season will be by far the biggest challenge for us since HV71 was created two years ago. We as a team haven’t played in Elite so far and it will be a new experience for most of our players. It’s an amazing opportunity for us to grow though, both as a team and as players and I am really looking forward to see how we can handle it. I truly believe in this team and I will do my very best to help out as much as I can with the experience that I’ve got so far.”

He believes that when they started as a team (in 2019), their greatest strength was building the squad from local players. He also feels that it has improved the chemistry between the players as they were also better able to practice in LAN environments.

"I’m confident in saying that locality in the early stages of developing this team was the most important thing. It gave us the opportunity to practice together in HV71's arena, Husqvarna Garden. It helped me out as the captain of the team in an amazing way making strategies and helping players with small details in their game so much easier. And the team chemistry really took a big step forward being able to hang out together, we really became tighter as a group. I think we created a very good foundation of our team play back then, something we to this day keep building on. But as I mentioned before, sometimes you need a change and as important as locality was before I wouldn’t say it’s the most important thing right now. A good example of that would be how much my good friend and teammate Robin @Rubituss Söderqvist have helped us become a better team. The impact he has had is huge and also one the biggest reasons of our success. Putte @Putteekiing Unasin is another example of a player bringing something to the team that we just didn’t have before, a puck moving defender who is calm with the puck and good at setting up plays. The impact both of these players have on our team is big and the “A” on their chests is well deserved. Locality created the foundation of our team play, but the signings of some big names has given us an edge we simply didn’t have before.”

The road they've traveled with HV71 has been a memorable one, and it's still tough to believe that the squad has paved their way to the European top in a relatively short time: "When starting out I couldn’t believe that one and a half year later I would throw the puck on net looking for a rebound and Martin @Zupancic_King424 Zupancic would score the game winning goal from that rebound securing the elite spot for us. The moment that puck crossed the goal line is by far my best memory as a captain.”

He admits that the team has strengthened despite the player changes: ”To be honest most of the lineup have changed since we started two years ago. Sometimes you just need a change to take that next step in developing a team and in other cases you just kind of grow apart and heading in different directions just makes sense for both parties. However I have a strong belief in not changing too much too quickly, I think you need consistency to be able to grow, both as a team and as a player and I think that shows since a lot of players have played multiple seasons in HV71. The only players left since we first started is me and one the best goalkeepers in Europe, Christoffer @Tiipponenii(Coffelainen) Ericsson. He is very important for us and a big reason behind our success. The changes that we have made have always been one or maybe two at a time, keeping the core in the team and therefore the consistency. I’m very grateful for every player in HV71, both current and past, they all have a big part in what we have built so far."

The HV71 centerman mentions that the fight for the Elite title will be tougher than ever this upcoming season. However, he has an exceptional eager to play the encounters between the Swedish teams: "In Elite every single team is so talented and there is so much skill in every player. I think all matchups will be very tough and it will be an honor to play against the very best of Europe night in and night out. Our goal is to establish ourselves in the Elite so our biggest competitors will be the teams looking to do the same. However, including ourselves it will be four Swedish teams in Elite and those games is always extra fun to play so I will have to say that Granit Gaming, Färjestad BK and Djurgården Hockey is a couple of big matchups for us."

The Swedish player sees his team's greatest strength as a great team spirit and very good chemistry. He states that they enjoy playing together.

”I think we have a very well balanced team with players complementing each other creating a team first mentality. We love playing together and we have so much fun while playing, after all you gotta have fun to be able to perform. So our chemistry both on and of the ice is also one of our biggest strengths, creating the foundation of everything we do. Playing as a unit really is key for us, that said sometimes you need to do something extra, something out of the ordinary, especially when you are up against the very best of Europe, and I am confident we have the players to do so when needed. We also have a lot of young and hungry players who want to show the world their potential, that in combination with a couple of players with a lot of experience is a really good mix."

"The two most important things for us this season is to stay humble for the task ahead of us and believing in ourselves and what we can achieve together. No matter how the seasons starts, no matter if we win or loose we can’t get too high or too low. We need to take one game at a time without thinking about the game before or the game after. We need to be consistent and not forget why we are here in the first place. We earned this spot in elite through determination and hard work, so let’s enjoy this season and work even harder to keep that spot", Gadd finishes.