It’s just over three hours by ferry between the World Championship host city of Frederikshavn and the Swedish city of Gothenburg. Even closer together are the Danish and Swedish cities of Copenhagen and Malmo, which are separated by a 30 to 45 minute drive. The proximity of these two cities is one of the key reasons why many elite Danish players compete for Swedish teams, enabling them to compete at a high level while still living in their home country. 

“It’s mainly due to the location,” said Josephine Asperup, who has played for the Division 1 Malmo Redhawks since 2018-19, and won the SDHL Championship in 2010-11 with Segeltorps IF. “[Malmo] is just over the bridge and it’s super easy and accessible. It’s a perfect springboard for your development and opportunity in general, and thereby for a successful future within hockey.” 

Ten members of Denmark’s World Championship roster play in Sweden, seven with the Malmo Redhawks. A total of 35 Danish players competed in Division 1 last season, 12 of which for Malmo. Last season also saw six Danes compete full time in the SDHL, including Josefine Persson and Sofia Skriver, who won the 2021-22 league championship with Lulea.

“I chose to play in Sweden due to the fact that I wanted to develop myself as a hockey player. I felt the opportunities for my development in Denmark were limited. For me it was a choice to go all in or to stop,” said Persson. “I chose to play in Lulea because I felt it was a team that had the best conditions and opportunities for female hockey players.”

Persson spent her teenage years in the Danish women’s league, registering staggering statistics, including a career best 116 points through 18 games in 2013-14. She played her first season in the SDHL in 2015-16, and has since won four league championships with Lulea.

“What I’ve learned the most [in Sweden] is how I think hockey,” said Persson. "In Sweden there is a greater focus on the defensive play and the play without the puck. Winning the Swedish championship has given me a lot of comfort while playing, and I’m thereby not as nervous when it comes to important and meaningful matches.”

More and more Danish players are making the choice to play in Sweden. Having so far played her entire career in Denmark (with the exception of five games for Lulea in 2018-19), Silke Glud will be joining Malmo for the 2022-23 season.

“I chose to try a professional path and go for something new,” said Glud, who was also drawn in by the possibility of playing for Malmo while continuing to live in Denmark. “I’m looking forward to playing with my teammates from the national team and getting to know other players.”

Behind the bench for Denmark is Swede Bjorn Edlund, a long-time coach of the SDHL’s MODO Ornskoldsvik. He is not the first Swede to helm the Danish national team. Fredrik Glader led the team in 2019, when Denmark finished second in Division I Group A and earned promotion to the Top Division. He was followed by Peter Elander, who coached Denmark at the 2021 World Championships and 2022 Olympics.

“There are many players with a big desire to get better,” said Edlund. “When we talk, and they’re so eager to learn more, I think that’s the fun part. That’s what triggers me in my work, when someone is interested and they want to really develop, their response of, ‘I want to hear more about that, how do I become this’. Then it’s a process, and it’s an everyday grind. But I think [Danish players] have the same desire or the same feeling that they want to get better as in another country.”

Despite their many ties, Denmark’s opening game against Sweden will be only the second time the teams have met at the World Championships, with the first being in 1992, which Sweden won 4-1. When the teams met earlier this year at the Beijing Olympics, the score was slightly closer, a 3-1 preliminary round win for Sweden.

“I’m not actually thinking about who we’re really up against, I’m more focusing on what I have to, what my team has to do,” said Asperup. “But it’s obviously special because we know each other so well personally and so it’s going to be exciting.”

“A lot of surprises,” Edlund said of what Denmark will bring to the ice against Sweden. “We talked about it within in the group and when you look at how many players there are in Sweden compared to Denmark, I would put Sweden as the favourites, but we love the underdog position. We’re here to mess things up. One thing that I feel is special with this group is the mentality to do the small things: blocking shots, backchecking, stuff like that. We have those ingredients and we’re always going to be a tough team to play against.”