Checking In With Carl Hagelin
9/21/2007 12:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey
For day two of "Checking In With ..." we sat down with freshman forward Carl Hagelin, who hails from Sodertalje, Sweden. Hagelin is U-M's first import from across the Atlantic since 1992.
Hagelin
Although Carl grew up thousands of miles from Ann Arbor, he's known about the University of Michigan since he was 10 years old. The Hagelin family used to visit cousins in the Ann Arbor area, which led to Carl and his older brother attending Red Berenson's Hockey Camp as kids. Carl's father went to Western Michigan University and always admired U-M, so when a hockey scholarship offer came from the Wolverines it was an easy decision for the younger Hagelin.
Carl's grasp of the English language is improving rapidly. It turns out all of the English classes he's taken since he was 10 are paying off. Hagelin's accelerated learning curve in the classroom is matched by his speed on the ice, something fans at Yost will notice as soon as the puck drops.
On his roommate ...
"My roommate is Kevin Quick. He's a defenseman. We didn't talk at all during the summer, but we met each other at the rink at Lake Placid at the U.S. World Junior camp there. Then he got (to Ann Arbor) two weeks later than I did. I like him a lot. We get along well."
On if Michigan's campus is different from college campuses in Sweden ...
"I hadn't been to that many universities in Sweden, but I guess that Michigan is much bigger, because that was my first thought when I got here. Everything was so big, like I had to walk 20 minutes to every class. But now it's so much better when I get to know the place. I can walk to every place now."
On adjusting to cultural differences between Sweden and the U.S. ...
"I would say I picked things up pretty quickly. Just, of course, the language I still have some problems with. But it feels like I'm improving every day."
On his courses ...
"I am taking two different sport management classes. Then I have a psych class. Then I have an English class in the Sweetland Writing Center to learn how to write in the proper way."
On if his teammates have helped him get adjusted ...
"Oh, yeah, some of the guys have helped. Louie Caporusso and I moved in together like three weeks before everyone else. That meant a lot. They help me. I haven't told them to help me with the homework and stuff like that. I'd like to do that on my own."
On when he learned English ...
"I think it was in the fourth grade, we started to learn just words like 'dog,' 'I am,' stuff like that. Then when I came into high school, it involved more and more everyday words. We had two different English classes, English A and English B. English B was, of course, tougher than A. When you're in high school in Sweden, you're supposed to at least know English. Not everyone can speak it properly, but you should at least understand it."
On how often he's had to speak English in the past ...
"This is the longest I've gone. I've been to the U.S. before for like a two-week visit two or three times. When I was here for two weeks I was here with my family so I could still speak Swedish."
On if he's met any other Swedes here in Ann Arbor ...
"I know there is an exchange student at Pioneer High School and we have met and talked. I found one other my first day after orientation. He was from Stockholm, which is like an hour from me (in Sodertalje). He said that he used to play hockey in Sweden too, but I'd never met him before. He was three years older than me."
On when he learned about the University of Michigan ...
"I've actually known about it since I was 10 years old. My dad went to Western Michigan University and he loved the University of Michigan. We still have cousins in Ann Arbor as well. He took my brother to hockey camp here when I was nine and my brother was 13. When I turned 12 I had the opportunity to go to camp too."
On how his dad ended up attending Western Michigan ...
"I think his dad told him to take a chance and go to the U.S. Like I said, he had some cousins here, but I don't know how they got here or how long they've been. It was probably some job."
On when he began playing hockey and what other sports he played ...
"I was probably seven years old. We had a league where everyone just sort of played for fun. I played soccer as well. That's the biggest sport in Sweden. I liked soccer more when I was young. I began really liking hockey when I was 13."
On his play in the Swedish Junior League the last two seasons ...
"Last year felt pretty good. The year before that it was like I developed my hockey skills a lot. In my first year in the junior league everyone was bigger than I was and stuff like that. The last year it felt like I could do things all the time."
On if the Swedish Elite League was well above his level of play ...
"Yeah, I would say that. Maybe I could have been like a fourth- or fifth-line player now. Sometimes they have some juniors up in the elite league to play 20 games up and 20 games down."
On when he started thinking about coming to play U.S. college hockey ...
"I would say about a year and a half ago. The Bemidji State coach called me and talked to me about college. I didn't really know that much, and then I talked to my dad about it and he said, 'Go for it if you have the opportunity.' I started talking to Michigan one year ago. I had met the U-M coaches when my brother and I were at camp. We talked to them again and they watched me."
On choosing to attend Michigan ...
"I had some other offers, but you can't compare U of M to other schools, both academically and athletically."
On if he's seen a game at Yost Ice Arena ...
"Yes, two games (last year against Nebraska-Omaha). It was exciting. It was awesome when everyone sang the fight song. I was like, I want to play here."
On what his first game playing at Yost will be like ...
"It will be a new experience. Last year I had like 40 people watching every game. That's going to be a big change, but I will like it."
On his strengths as a player ...
"I like using my speed and acceleration. I feel like I can do something with the puck when I have it -- find some good passes. And then work hard all over the ice. I think of myself more as a passer. I used to have 50 percent goals and 50 percent assists."
On his favorite player ...
"I started liking Martin St. Louis about three years ago. I was still really small back then. I just tried to do what he did because he was also short. My favorite Swedish player is Henrik Zetterberg."
On if he's talked to any of the Swedish players on the Detroit Red Wings ...
"One guy on the Red Wings -- Mikael Samuelsson. He's from the same town as me. He actually used to practice with the junior team in the summer time. It would be really cool if I saw them."
On being drafted by the New York Rangers ...
"It was a pretty unique experience. I actually had no idea they would draft me. I hadn't really talked to them before. I really thought that to get drafted you had to talk to the team before. When they called -- I can't describe it."
On wearing jersey No. 12 ...
"I actually wore 26, but Danny Fardig has that number. Number 12 is what I wore when I was young, and my brother wore it so I wanted to do it for me and my brother."
On if his family will get to see him very often ...
"Yes. First my sister and mom will come in October. Then my dad and his friend will come down after Christmas if we're doing well and if I'm playing."
Checking In With ... Schedule
Sept. 20 -- forward Louie Caporusso
Sept. 21 -- forward Carl Hagelin
Sept. 24 -- goalie Bryan Hogan
Sept. 25 -- goalie Shawn Hunwick
Sept. 26 -- defenseman Chad Langlais
Sept. 27 -- defenseman Tristin Llewellyn
Sept. 28 -- forward Max Pacioretty
Oct. 1 -- forward Aaron Palushaj
Oct. 2 -- defenseman Kevin Quick
Oct. 3 -- forward Matt Rust
Oct. 4 -- defenseman Scooter Vaughan
Oct. 5 -- forward Ben Winnett
Contact: Matt Trevor (734) 763-4423
