CURTIS HENRY
Special to The Leader
“You want to know where I’ll be five years from now?” he said, a grin becoming prominent on his face. “I don’t even know where I’m going to be five minutes from now.”
Those two sentences from a recent interview with sophomore Marcus Andersson pretty much sum up everything you need to know about him. It’s easy to tell that the 20-year-old from Sweden knows how to live in the moment.
Andersson is currently in his first year at Fredonia. After studying in his homeland of Sweden and playing hockey at the junior level in recent years, he’s made Fredonia his new home.
The six-foot, 180-pound sophomore from the town of Örnsköldsvik has the stereotypical build of a forward on the ice. You get the feel that he’s athletic enough to have success in any sport of his choosing. Off of the ice, he’s got a demeanor that’s both friendly and calming. He comes off as one of those people whom you want to know.
Andersson’s love of the game of hockey stems from his humble beginnings. His hometown is, in his words, the biggest hockey town in all of Sweden. He started playing the game at the tender age of five.
“Everyone plays. I really do mean everyone,” Andersson said. “I wasn’t going to be left out. I started playing, and I loved it.”
Fifteen years later and he’s still playing the sport he loves so dearly. But one is left with the question: how did he end up in Fredonia?
Jeff Meredith, head coach of the men’s hockey team, had the answers.
“He really wasn’t on our radar, but he contacted us through email and introduced himself and what he wanted to do,” Meredith said. “From there we got much more involved in recruiting Marcus.”
The two would continue to Skype weekly throughout the recruiting process. As time went by, Andersson felt more and more confident that he was making the right decision.
“I had a couple of options,” Andersson said. “But it really wasn’t long before I knew that Fredonia was right.”
There has been a learning curve in Andersson’s transition to the American game, as noted by both player and coach.
“It’s faster and you have to be much quicker with your decision making,” Andersson said. “It took me a while to transition to how much more you’re getting hit.”
Meredith agrees 100 percent.
“Marcus is good and has a lot of potential,” he said. “But there was definitely a long transition period over the course of this season as he got used to the American game. I feel like the game against Plattsburgh was the first time [Andersson] was really assertive on the ice. We need that from him.”
While Andersson is a sophomore in standing, he has three more seasons of NCAA eligibility.
This season’s hockey roster actually boasts three others from Andersson’s home: freshman Oskar Gerhardson, sophomore Erik Moberg and junior Daniel Martensson are all from Sweden.
Martensson says that the four being from Sweden gives them a special connection and betters their communication.
“Having the ability to speak your primary language with other people when you’re so far from home definitely gives you a special connection,” Martensson said.
The only place that Andersson performs better than he does on the ice is in the classroom. He majors in journalism and last semester accumulated a 4.0 GPA en route to making the dean’s list.
That is an impressive accomplishment by any student, but it’s a true testament to how talented Andersson is. Even more impressive is the fact that he’s doing it in his second language. His choice of major forces his English to be as precise as his Swedish.
“I was thinking a lot before I actually chose journalism because of how much English I would have to use,” he said. “I made the right choice though. I love it.”
Andersson sees his future as a bright one. He plans to return to Sweden and make a career for himself as a reporter.
His future with regard to hockey? It’s complicated.
“I want to play for as long as I can and would love to keep playing at a higher level. We’ll see if the opportunity ever presents itself,” Andersson said.
Just how far Andersson can go is yet to be seen, but Meredith has high confidence in regards to his potential.
“He’s got great stick skills and is a very good player. Once he settles in fully, he’s got the chance to be special,” Meredith said.
As far as the team’s success, it’s been a tough year for the Blue Devils. Before this past weekend, Fredonia sat at 4-12-5. They played Buffalo State twice over the weekend and will finish up the season hosting Geneseo on Friday, Feb. 20, and Brockport on the 21.