Predators' Swedish players form family far from home

Adam Vingan | USA TODAY NETWORK — Tennessee

Inside of a West End apartment complex bordering Centennial Sportsplex, Predators defenseman Mattias Ekholm slices into several slabs of thick-cut ham, preparing to try a new carbonara recipe. Forward Calle Jarnkrok dices tomatoes, peppers and onions, pouring the vegetables into a large clear bowl.

Attempting to push the pasta into a pot of boiling water with a potato masher, forward Filip Forsberg briefly leaves to retrieve a pasta fork after some light ribbing, or at least that's what it sounds like to those present who don't speak Swedish.

When the Predators' hectic schedule permits, Ekholm, Forsberg and Jarnkrok congregate for a weekly dinner. This particular meal in early December is hosted by Jarnkrok, who looks at his light-filled Christmas tree and admires his handiwork.

The three, simply known by their Predators teammates as "the Swedes," are virtually inseparable. They all live on the same floor, which they negotiated when re-signing their individual leases. They carpool to games at Bridgestone Arena — Ekholm always the driver, with Jarnkrok riding shotgun and Forsberg in the back.

"If you see one," Predators forward Eric Nystrom said, "you see three."

In order for many Europeans to fulfill their NHL dreams, they must leave their native countries and migrate to North America, often as teenagers who have never really been apart from their families. Of the 803 players that have appeared in an NHL game this season, 604 were born in either the United States or Canada. Swedes make up a sizable portion of the NHL's non-North American players, but there's still only 75 of them in the league.

Ekholm, 25, Jarnkrok, 24, and Forsberg, 21, have formed a family-like bond, which aided their transition to life far away from home.

"We've all been going through the same stuff over here," Forsberg said. "We've always had each other for support. Just going to the rink together and just hanging out all the time, it obviously creates a special thing."

Ekholm, a 2009 Predators draft pick, and Jarnkrok, acquired from the Red Wings in March 2014 as part of a trade involving original Predators forward David Legwand, had a previous relationship before the two became teammates in Nashville, playing on the same Swedish Elite League team during the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons. Forsberg was the centerpiece of a 2013 trade-deadline deal with Washington, which is considered to be one of the most lopsided NHL trades in recent memory.

"I went to (AHL) Milwaukee right away," Jarnkrok said. "Filip was there and (Ekholm) was up here, so I spent the first couple weeks in Milwaukee with Filip and it was good."

Predators general manager David Poile's main responsibility is to assemble the best possible on-ice product, but he is cognizant of players' personalities when doing so. According to Poile, having Ekholm on the roster was an "added bonus" in that it made Forsberg and Jarnkrok more comfortable upon their respective arrivals.

"They just seemed to hit it off," he said. "It was more natural because they're from Sweden. They decided when they came up here that this is where they would live and they all decided to live in the same place and it just goes from there, so it was perfect. They all have friends and they all go do things from going out together to eating together to driving to the games together, sitting together on the plane, rooming together, all that stuff. It's worked out great."

The challenges awaiting them were evident. Swedes typically have a better grasp of English than other Europeans, but developing a conversational command of the language was paramount, picked up through locker-room chatter and living with English-speaking teammates.

The Predators are proactive in easing the acclimation process, helping prospects set up bank accounts, acquire driver's licenses and find language tutors, among other things. Locating an apartment was initially a daunting task for Forsberg, who had always lived with his parents until he arrived stateside.

"I think my mom was actually more nervous about me moving away than just playing hockey," he said. "My dad, he's just about the hockey, but my mom was more worried than me probably about the living situation. Now, they've been here a bunch of times, they know the area, they know Nashville's a good city. They're now more used to it and more adjusted to it as well. I think they believe I'm at the best spot, so they're pretty satisfied."

Ekholm, Jarnkrok and Forsberg's teammates like to tease them about their togetherness, but they inherently understand the importance of their relationship.

"These are young kids that are coming over from another country," Nystrom said. "They're not familiar with anything. If you've got a few people from the same country on your team, you're obviously going to gravitate towards them and have a familiarity and a comfort with them. ... These guys are top-notch guys. They're great to be around. They're such nice kids and humble. I'm glad that they have each other and I'm glad that we have them."

Dinner is served, and Ekholm, Jarnkrok and Forsberg all help themselves to large plates of pasta and salad before sitting at the modest dining-room table. The home-cooked meal has become something of a tradition for the Swedes, no different than those of any other family.

"At home in Sweden, actually hanging out with my friends that I grew up with, I only get three months," Ekholm said. "These guys I almost see nine months. In those nine months, we drive together to the rink, we practice together, we come back from the rink, we go to lunch together. We cook dinner together. We know (about) each other pretty much everything. ... We spend so much time together that that's just what it becomes.

"We're like brothers."

Reach Adam Vingan on Twitter @AdamVingan.