Postcards From Europe: April 23

The Jr. Avalanche had an action-packed day on Tuesday that started with an in-depth sightseeing tour led by a local guide. They stopped at multiple spots including the highest point of Stockholm and Old Town where the Royal Palace is located.
"We got to see some really nice views and learn about the city," second-year forward George Poirier said. "I thought it was interesting that you aren't allowed to build floors above seven stories because the King wanted to the live in the highest building."
The team was also able to witness the Royal Palace changing of the guard before they headed to the Vasa Warship Museum where the 17th century recovered warship resides.

"That was really cool. It was the biggest warship at the time," George added. "It capsized and was preserved because of the salt concentration. I like stuff like that, warships and history. Just the size of the ship was impressive. The skeletons were weird."
With a little free time before puck drop, the team took to the park outside of their hotel and played ultimate Frisbee and enjoyed some quality team bonding in a foreign land. Finally it was time to play some hockey.

In the last practice in Denver, the players approached the Avalanche staff asking to do something in tribute of the Humboldt Broncos. For the entire trip the Jr. Avs and coaching staff are wearing green ribbons attached to the Avalanche alternate "C" (Colorado) pins on their team apparel.
"It was a lot of fun. They played differently than us," said George. "Because of the size of the rink, there's more time to do stuff and I don't think they were used to our style of play. Our style is faster; get the puck to the net quickly. They're used to having time breaking out and making plays."
George brings up a great point as the Jr. Avs ousted AIK 9-3 in their first matchup of the trip. Goalies Derek Wood and Levi Bartholomew split the game while 6 different players scored goals in the exhibition game. The coaching staff gave out the team's hardhat award to forward Gavin Rowan for his excellent two-way play all game. After the game, both teams headed up to the arena cafeteria to have dinner together and connect.

"They were really funny. I liked hanging out and meeting new friends," George added. "We talked about Swedish teams in general and played foosball. It was a great time."
At the conclusion of the night head coach Marcus Scarafoni presented the AIK coaching staff with a parting gift as a thank you for hosting the Jr. Avs. Both teams exchanged pins and said their goodbyes.
The Jr. Avalanche will have another travel day tomorrow heading to Helsinki via cruise ship and will be in Finland for the remainder of the trip.