It’s been a pretty good week for Axel Hurtig.
Not only did his Calgary Hitmen advance to the second round of the WHL playoffs, the Flames prospect signed his first NHL contract, too, putting pen to paper on a three-year pact that will see him move a few yards down the Scotiabank Saddledome hallway next fall.
Drafted by the Flames three years ago, Hurtig’s move to North America has already paid off. The 6’5” defenceman was playing pro in Sweden, but opted to come to Calgary two autumns ago to play in the WHL.
Now the team’s captain, Hurtig figures being up close and personal with the NHL staff that selected him in the seventh round has helped on and off the ice.
“I’ve been able to work with them, but more on the personal side, I get to talk to them a lot, I get to know the staff,” the 20-year-old shared over the phone from Virden, Man., shortly before his Hitmen completed a four-game sweep of the Brandon Wheat Kings. “I felt like it helped me at camp, especially having the confidence of knowing people there.
“I feel like I was more comfortable.”
His impeccable English can’t hurt, either.
But so too, his time back home, learning from veterans about the ins and outs of pro hockey life.
“I think I learned a lot my last year in Rögle, in Sweden, being up with the pro team for almost the whole year,” said Hurtig. “Not getting that much game time, but practicing and seeing the daily habits they have, and the dedication you have to put in to be a top player at the pro level.
“I’m trying to adapt that even now, in the steps I need to take.”
Sacrifices, too. Hurtig left friends and family behind back home in Sweden to come and ply his trade with the Hitmen. But over a series of phone calls with his parents - he joked his Mom was in a workout class when he tried to tell her the happy news - he was able to share a moment he and his family has been working toward since he first put on skates.
“It’s something you’ve dreamed about as a kid, and you’ve worked towards your whole life,” said Hurtig. “It’s just a really happy moment for me and my family.”
Hurtig will start the North American portion of his pro hockey journey in the fall, but a week into the WHL playoffs, he’s hoping that his off-season is as short as possible.
The Hitmen are the No. 4 seed in the Eastern Conference, but their first-round matchup was the first of four Eastern series to end in handshakes.
But as Hurtig and his teammates await their next foe, he’s pleased with his - and the team’s - growth as they continue their pursuit of a WHL crown.
“It’s been a really fun year so far,” Hurtig said. “It’s my last ride with the Hitmen, my last playoffs, so you know you want to make the most of it.
“We have a really good group, we’ve kind of rallied together.”
