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Claimed: Longrod Von Danglecoch - Coming to America


Kmarko

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Longrod arrived in Saskatoon late Thursday night. Weary from the 9 hour flight from Stockholm, Sweden, Von Danglecoch quickly scanned the mostly empty airport for his personal driver. He was discouraged when he realized there was no one there to greet him. He grabbed his suitcases full of equipment and hailed a taxi to the Saskatoon Wild team hotel. As he rode across the plains of Saskatoon, he couldn’t help but wonder how he ended up in this position…

Longrod Von Danglecoch was once considered the most exciting player to enter the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). At age 17 Longrod was a player of monstrous stature and speed. His incredible puck handling and skating allowed him to dodge defenders and deke goalies into submission. At 18 he signed a massive 3 year contract with Djurgårdens IF. He started the season as the team’s 2nd line center, where he struggled immensely. Longrod posted a -35 +/- in 52 games with the club, and finished with an abhorrent 1 goal, 2 assists. Djurgårdens IF searched desperately for answers as to why their expected franchise center wasn’t preforming. They tried many different combinations of lines, but ended up missing the playoffs in a year that they were supposed to be cup contenders. It was a disappointing season, but many believed Longrod just needed time to grow into his role.

Fast forward to Longrod’s 2nd season with Djurgårdens IF. Von Danglecoch is pointless through 7 games, when his season is ended by a torn meniscus. Rather than focus on rehab, Longrod lost control of his life. Reports of his drunken and drugged up antics in Stockholm became more and more frequent. Longrod put on a massive amount of weight, and when he reported for Djurgårdens IF’s training camp he was sluggish and off balanced, a complete 180 from the speedy skater he once was.

Despite all of his issues during his 2nd season, Von Danglecoch made Djurgårdens IF’s roster, but played on the 4th line and was often a healthy scratch. Late in his 3rd season with Djurgårdens IF, Longrod began to show improvement. He was winning a majority of his face-offs, gathering some assists, and playing a much better overall 2-way game. In the last game of the season, Von Danglecoch finished with 2 goals and 2 assists, and Djurgårdens IF fans rejoiced. Perhaps Longrod would still work out after all.

The celebrations that followed Longrod’s career game would be his downfall. Swedish police found the Center blacked out in a dumpster, toxicology reports would later indicate that he had Cocaine, Xanax, and Ketamine in his system, in addition to alcohol. Djurgårdens IF cut the once star prospect the following day.

To his surprise, Longrod began receiving offers from VHLM teams that were in need of forwards. After being cut by Djurgårdens IF, he believed his career was over. He had never been to North America, and figured that this would be his chance to start fresh. He accepted an offer from the Saskatoon Wild, and made his way to Canada, not knowing what to expect.

There was no crowd of fans waiting for him at the airport. There were no radio shows discussing his future, or newspaper articles comparing him to Henrik Zetterburg. This was a completely different experience than the one he had as a 17 year old star. Perhaps that’s what Longrod needs to reach his potential, a humble beginning, away from the spotlight, in Saskatoon Canada.
 

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  • Corco changed the title to Claimed: Longrod Von Danglecoch - Coming to America

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