Kågström: Hard Work, Perseverance Carry Buffalo Sabres Goaltender Jonas Johansson Through Hard Times to an Unlikely NHL Debut

“When you feel like you’ve hit rock bottom… That’s when you got to dig a little deeper. In the end, it’s always worth it”.

The words are Buffalo Sabres goalkeeper Jonas Johansson‘s. He isn’t particularly old, this tall Swede, but he sure knows what he’s talking about.

The 24-year-old netminder has had his fair share of setbacks in his four and a half-year career as a professional goalkeeper. Battles with injuries and illnesses kept the Gävle native from getting the most out of his tenure with Swedish Hockey League club Brynäs. He got ousted by Felix Sandström, the two years younger prospect, now with the Philadelphia Flyers organization. Instead of playing top tier-hockey in Sweden with Brynäs, he got loaned out to Almtuna for the better part of two full seasons, a team based in the second