An Odd Journey – from the World Juniors to the lower leagues of Sweden
In 2013, he won silver with Team USA in the U18 World Championships with, among others, Buffalo’s Jack Eichel as a teammate. Five years later, he was playing his hockey in the way down in the Swedish league system, representing Åmåls SK in the fourth division.
Here’s the story of how Evan Allen went from being on the radar of NHL teams ahead of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft to the lower leagues in Sweden.
Evan Allen plays in the Swedish third division today. In November of 2018, he moved from Norway to Sweden after having left Manglerud for Kalmar. A step in the wrong direction, you might think, for a player that had put up 12 points in 13 games in Norway.
“It didn’t work out for me and some other imports on the team”, he explains, without wanting to shed light on why he left the Norwegian team.
COMPETED AGAINST McDAVID
The journey seems odd for a player that participated in the U18 World Junior Championships in Sochi in 2013, one year before the Russian city hosted the Winter Olympics. He had four points in the tournament that ended with the Americans losing the gold-medal game to Canada, 3-2.
Evan Allen played on the third line with Tyler Kelleher and Michael McCarron. The team also featured players like Buffalo’s Jack Eichel, Vancouver’s Tyler Motte and San Jose’s Kevin Labanc, all NHL players right now.
“I especially remember the game against Latvia in the round robin. It was only seconds left of the period and I scored on a one-timer”, Evan Allen remembers and continues: “ It was a great time and we had a great team. Unfortunately, we lost the final against an incredibly strong Canada, but it was an experience.”
On Team Canada’s roster was future superstar Connor McDavid, two years younger than most other players in the tournament. Still, he won the scoring title in the tournament.
”YOU MOVE ON”
The question you ask here is: What happened to Evan Allen?
From the outside, it seems like an odd career direction for a player who was considered a top prospect back in 2013.
“Unfortunately, I wasn’t drafted”, he says. “I don’t remember what the rankings looked like, but I remember talking to my coaches and my agent that I could get drafted. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.
“Some think it’s better not to get drafted, but I really looked forward to it. But… You move on with your life.”
During the 2012/13 season, Allen was a part of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program in Ann Arbor, Michigan. That meant he and his teammates were showcased in front of scouts on a regular basis.
“I probably talked to 12-13 teams, had individual meetings and things like that. It was awesome to get that experience and see how things work when they recruit players compared to how they recruit for college and junior hockey.”
He never got an explanation to why he didn’t get drafted in the end.
“No. I haven’t, but I think the size may have a little to do with it”, the 5’11 Evan Allen guesses. “I worked hard and did everything I could during my U18 year … But, there are very good players in the NHL right now who have not even been drafted.”
Allen with the Wolverines. Photo: IBL
FOUR YEARS IN COLLEGE
Like most other young American athletes, Evan Allen went to college. The 24-year-old of Sterling Heights, Michigan, began his studies at the University of Michigan in 2013. An institution that has produced numerous NHL players over the years. Most notably Dylan Larkin, Jack Johnson and Kyle Connor. But also former NHL players like Mike Knuble, Steve Shields and Marty Turco.
But for Evan Allen, the four seasons with the Wolverines was a letdown.
“It was four long and hard years”, he confesses. “I don’t think that I lived up to my own expectations and that may be due to various reasons. I didn’t have any confidence, it’s a tough league.”
An example of that was his second season with the team. During the whole year, he was only dressed for ten games. Not because of injury. It was just that the competition for ice-time was that tough.
“Michigan is good at developing players and I played with very good players”, he notes. “It was tough to make the lineup. You have to fight. I got to practice with good players like Dylan Larkin, Zach Werenski and Kyle Connor.
“I really don’t have a good answer to why I didn’t develop as I should have. But it belongs to the past now.
“It’s hard to talk about it, I don’t really have any regrets, but I wish I had taken more advantage of my chance there.”
However, his fourth and final year at the University of Michigan was successful. The coaches and teammates named him the most improved player from the previous season.
“I had a good last season, but I got no glances from teams in the ECHL, AHL or similar leagues. I had a couple of teammates who graduated before me who went over to Europe and they recommended me to test it too. They said that a player of my caliber would find the right way here, no matter where I started.”
”F#CKING ÅMÅL”
The European journey started in Sweden with Åmåls SK. And he says that yes, he often gets asked how on earth he ended up there.
For those of you who don’t know, Åmål is a small town in the west of Sweden, less than an hour from the Norwegian border with approximately 10,000 residents.
One of the few things the city is known for is the 1998 movie called ”Fucking Åmål”. Directed by Lukas Moodysson, the movie describes the sadness and anxiety of a group of teenagers that had grown up in the city and wanted nothing more than to get out of there.
Allen in Kalmar’s jersey. Photo: Henrik Skoglund
The answer to the question of how Allen ended up there is his former teammate in college, Michael Chiasson, son of former NHL defenceman Steve Chiasson who tragically passed away after a car accident in 1999. Michael Chiasson, now an assistant coach with San Jose Barracuda, played for Åmål during the season 15/16.
“He took a year off after college and during my last year in college, he said that he could connect me and my teammate Max Shuart with a team in Sweden that had a good coaching staff.”
The time in Åmål was a success for the winger. He scored 52 goals and had 45 assists in 41 games. This season in Kalmar, he has collected 18 goals and 15 assists in 29 games in the Swedish third division. Kalmar won promotion from the fourth division last year and just ended their season this weekend in the qualifiers for second-tier Allsvenskan. His strong performance on a much improved team could open some doors for the future.
“The season is coming to an end, and I think of the future and I have high ambitions and want to move up the leagues to see how far I can go”, he says. “I’m still young and I have just started my career over here. I will continue to work hard and play my game, which is offensive and I think I have proven myself here of what I can do.
“The sky is the limit and we will see how far it will take me, no matter where in Europe it is.”
At this point, there are no offers on the table for next season, but Evan Allen is still positive about what the future holds.
“I work with my agents to find something and I expect it to be a busy summer”, he says confidently.