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Record Pace? Red Wings Prospect Couldn’t Care Less

Sandin Pellikka could shatter world junior records

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2 weeks ago

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Axel Sandin Pellikka, Red Wings prospect
Red Wings defense prospect Axel Sandin Pellikka only wants to record a gold-medal victory at the world juniors.

There’s plenty of potential to make history at the IIHF World Junior Championship for Detroit Red Wings defense prospect Axel Sandin Pellikka.

So what’s his take on the all the fuss?

Well, to put it into basic terms, you could say that his approach is “so what?”

It’s nothing personal. For Sandin Pellikka, at the moment, only the collective matters.

“I am not in Ottawa for personal awards, but to win gold,” Sandin Pellikka told Swedish website Aftonbladet.

Last year on home ice, the Swedes fell in the gold-medal game to the USA. In his third world junior tourney and serving as captain of the Swedish squad, Sandin Pellikka’s only objective is to bring glory to his country by going one step further on the ice this week in Canada.

Sweden is playing arch-rival Finland in Saturday’s semifinals. He’ll be facing fellow Red Wings prospect Jess Kiiskinen in that game.

“I don’t attach any importance to it at all,” Sandin Pellikka said of his impending record haul. “I’m just here to win championships with the boys.”

Plethora Of Records At Fingertips Of Red Wings Prospect

Okay, so maybe ASP isn’t at all interested in what he can achieve on the ice over the next few days. That doesn’t mean we can’t talk about it.

For starters, a year ago he was voted the top defenseman of the tournament. Just one defenseman has earned that honor in successive world juniors. That would be Russian hockey icon and two-time Red Wings Stanley Cup champion Viacheslav Fetisov in 1977 and 1978.

“I don’t read and try to stay away from social media as much as I can, so I guess I haven’t thought about it very much,” Sandin Pellikka said his potential place in history.

With 4-5-9 totals, the player Detroit was choosing 17th overall in the 2023 NHL entry draft is the tournament’s leading scorer. He’s unlikely to get the record for most goals in one world junior by a defenseman. Finland’s Juha Jyrkkio was a seven-goal scorer in this event 47 years ago.

Then again, Sandin Pellikka did net a hat-trick in group stage play against Slovakia, so you never know.

Sitting with 16 career points in world junior play, Sandin Pellikka is two shy of the Swedish record for a defenseman of 18 points. That was set by former NHLer Peter Andersson from 1983-85.

Interesting facts, even if ASP could care less. Like any stalwart defender, if you choose to aim these questions in his direction, he will aptly deflect them aside.

Ask. Deflect. Repeat.

“Yes, kind of like that,” Sandin Pellikka said. “I don’t think about it at all. I don’t focus on that. I’m here to win a championships with the boys and not any personal achievements.”

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