Stefan Bergqvist

Stefan Bergqvist’sArticle in HockeysverigeRead the sourceClose hockey roots were in Mockfjärd, where IFK Mockfjärd was his formative club. He moved to Leksand while playing at B-pojk youth levelArticle in HockeysverigeRead the sourceClose. He also played football and went cross-country skiing as a youngster, but those sports gave way to hockey when he joined LeksandArticle in HockeysverigeRead the sourceClose.

In an interview published by Hockeysverige on November 26, 2023Article in HockeysverigeRead the sourceClose, Bergqvist said he thought he became a defenseman because he was initially the only child there in Mockfjärd who could skate backwards. His childhood hockey idol wasArticle in HockeysverigeRead the sourceClose Ulf Samuelsson.

In Leksand, Bergqvist attended a hockeygymnasiumA Swedish hockeygymnasium combines upper-secondary (high school) studies with scheduled ice hockey training.Article in HockeysverigeRead the sourceClose, combining upper secondary studies with hockey. In the interview, he recalled thatArticle in HockeysverigeRead the sourceClose Andreas Karlsson was in his class.

Describing his game in the same interview, Bergqvist emphasized physical play rather than speed or goal scoringArticle in HockeysverigeRead the sourceClose. He also recalled that Wayne FlemingArticle in HockeysverigeRead the sourceClose brought him into Leksand’s senior squad and encouraged him to play physically in practice.