Wild in Sweden: Similarities to Minnesota abound — except it's colder

STOCKHOLM — Rust-colored leaves littered the ground as a biting wind swirled under a dreary sky that, as Marco Rossi pointed out, featured "no sun."

The Wild held their first practice in Sweden on Wednesday as part of the NHL Global Series, with their first game Saturday vs. Ottawa, and Stockholm felt more Minnesota than the unseasonably balmy Minnesota the players left behind.

"The weather is pretty similar, and the people are very similar," Jonas Brodin said. "They're both nice. There's some similarities, for sure. A lot of lakes, too."

Stockholm spans across 14 islands: Sweden's capital city is nestled in the midst of where Lake Mälaren connects with the Baltic Sea.

None of the Wild's Swedish players are from Stockholm, but this isn't unfamiliar territory for them or some of their teammates.

Brodin will spend his offseason weekends here, the defenseman popping in for shopping, dinner and to visit his friends.

His favorite restaurant is Brasserie Astoria, where the Wild planned to have a team meal Wednesday night.

(Meatballs and mashed potatoes are a lunch staple, but don't sleep on kebab pizza, which is a thin-crust pie: "The pizza is amazing," Brodin said.)

A 2 ¹⁄₂ -hour drive from Stockholm is Brodin's hometown of Karlstad, and he expected about 25 of his family members and friends to watch the Wild's games — including his parents, brother and sister.

Filip Gustavsson grew up even farther away in Skellefteå, a nine-hour commute, but the goalie has cousins who live in Stockholm, and he'd go there for holidays and birthdays.

This series will be the first time Joel Eriksson Ek's grandparents get to watch him play in person since the center last played in Sweden during the 2016-17 season.

"It's going to be great," Eriksson Ek said. "It's going to be a fun experience, but at the same time, it's important points for us, too."

Kirill Kaprizov and coach Dean Evason have competed internationally in Sweden, with Evason's first trip to Europe to suit up for Canada at the 1984 World Junior Championship in Sweden.

Kaprizov will have his parents and brother in attendance, and this is the first time Kaprizov's brother Anton will be at one of Kaprizov's NHL games.

"Love the city," Kaprizov said in Russian through an interpreter. "Amazing city."

In 2019, Marcus Johansson played in Stockholm with Buffalo against Tampa Bay and current Wild teammate Pat Maroon.

Johansson, who's from Landskrona, set up a Sabres goal, but that wasn't enough to upstage the Lightning (or Maroon). After assisting on the game-winner in the first game, Maroon scored twice en route to a 5-3 victory in the rematch the next day.

"Hanging out away from the rink builds chemistry in the room," Maroon said. "Young guys feel comfortable, they feel comfortable in the room, they play better on the ice together. Sweden's a good opportunity for us to come together as a group."

When Marc-Andre Fleury was in net for Pittsburgh during its Sweden stint in 2008 against Ottawa, the Penguins' trip also included the team going on a scavenger hunt around Stockholm.

"Good times," said Fleury, who remembered the cobblestones but not much else.

He'll be seeking restaurant recommendations in his return from those who know best.

"We have so many Swedish guys," Fleury said. "They're in charge of setting things up and showing us the way."