Oskar Andren Adds Speed – Skill To Brahmas Forward Rotation

Oskar Andren has been with the Lone Star Brahmas for only eight games, but is seventh on the team in scoring with eight points. The native of Stockholm Sweden who stands 6’ 1” and tips the scale at 180 pounds has spent the past three seasons with Djurgarden in the Elit and SuperElit leagues.

The Brahmas were not the only team in the NAHL that showed interest in Andren, but he said that “Lone Star was always my first choice.” So, far he is happy with the decision he made. NYTEX Sports Centre has quickly become a home away from home “to play at our home arena, it is great and I love our fans!” said Andren.

Part of that comfortable feeling and the quickness with which Andren settled into the Brahmas lineup is the presence of four other Swedish born players on the roster. “Of course it feels a Little bit more like home,” Andren said of having his countrymen in the locker room. While he did not know any of the other Swedes before arriving in North Richland Hills, he followed the same path as Anton Santesson and Ludvig Larsson, reaching out to Brahmas veteran Sebastian Vidmar before making his final decision. “I was asking some questions to Vidmar before I got here,” recalled Andren. “He just said that everything was great and this is a great way to go if you want to get a chance to play college hockey in the future.”

“to play at our home arena, it is great and I love our fans!”

Andren has been playing on a line with Larsson and Eric Carreras and they have jelled quickly into a very productive unit. The trio has 21 points in the past six games with 6G – 15A. Having a fellow Swede on the ice has made the transition to the American game easier for Andren. “Absolutley, it helps a lot,” he said of playing on a line with Larsson. “I played a couple of games before he was able to play and I have to say that I struggled a little. Now my line with Larsson and Carreras works really well and we complement each other very well.”

When asked to describe his style of play Andren responded, “I would say that I am a speedy, skilled hockey player with a good hockey IQ. I have been trying to look and learn from Daniel Alfredsson.” However, he has had to make a few changes to his game now that he is playing on the smaller ice sheets here in the US. “I try to play more physical and go more to the net at every shift and the systems are a little bit different from back home,” he said.

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“The style of hockey is very different,” Andren said comparing the Swedish and American game. “There is a lot more hits and go straight to the net here in the US than if I compare to the Swedish style of hockey where it is more skilled play involved. So I wouldn’t say that one is better than the other since it is a lot different from each other.”

The main goal for Andren in coming to the US to play juniors was the opportunity to earn an NCAA D-I scholarship. He was also looking forward to getting a new experience in Life. “Living with another family, talk another language. It is a lot of new things but I have to say that I really like it so far,” he said.

Oskar says that the Brahma faithful can expect him to be “a hard working forward who does everything he can to make the team win. Either it is a game wining goal or a blocked shot at the last second. I will do everything it takes to win.” If his first eight games are any indication of how hard he will compete the rest of the season, fans are in for a treat the next few months.

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