Andrew Calof is currently playing his rookie season with Skellefteå in the Swedish Hockey League and will be providing updates on his experience. Calof, 23, spent four years at Princeton University where he finished as the third highest point getter in school history.

from Andrew Calof at Shnarped,

Starting my first year of professional hockey in Europe has truly been an incredible experience. Living in Skellefteå, Sweden and playing for a team with predominantly Swedish players has had its challenges but has also accelerated my learning of the Swedish language and culture. When I was offered a chance to play for Skellefteå, arguably one of the best hockey organizations in Europe, I jumped at the opportunity.

However, with this opportunity would come a number of potential challenges. I was moving to a new country where I did not speak the language and didn’t know if I’d be able to communicate well with my teammates and coaches. Luckily for me, the majority of the team, coaching staff, and members of the organization are fluent in English. With this language barrier comes some challenges, but there is also an aspect of excitement being immersed in a new culture.

Almost all team activities are in Swedish, whether it’s the practices, video sessions, meetings, etc. Since Skellefteå has had other players from North America that don’t understand Swedish, they were easily prepared to deal with this.

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