Seeing NHL players up close, Freij and his childhood teammates dreamed of returning.
“We wanted to be there (in the NHL) one day. That was one of my goals,” said Freij, who now stands 6-foot-1 and 187 pounds. “My buddy Herman Traff got drafted to [the] New Jersey [Devils] (third round, No. 91, 2024), he was on the same team as me. One of my teammates at home, Joel Svensson, was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks (fifth round, No. 138, 2024). It’s pretty fun to see those boys getting drafted as well.”
One can only imagine how surreal it would feel to be drafted to the same NHL city once visited as a kid.
“It was kind of blackout when Winnipeg called my name,” Freij said of draft day. “That was a dream come true. It was so cool. It’s so special to be part of the Winnipeg Jets.”
Freij flew straight from Vegas to Winnipeg the day after the draft.
“You hear about his skating, you hear about him playing over in Europe,” Winnipeg general manager Kevin Cheveldayoff said. “But when you get him here in the group, you get excited about those opportunities in front (of him).”
Freij played the majority of last season in the J20 Nationell in Sweden's junior league with 33 points (14 goals, 19 assists) in 40 games with Vaxjo and three points (two goals, one assist) in five playoff games. He also had six points (two goals, four assists) in seven games to help Sweden win a bronze medal at the 2024 IIHF Under-18 World Junior Championship.
“I’m a two way defender who is more offensively minded," he said, describing his game. "I like to have the puck to create scoring chances. I’ve also got a pretty good shot, I think.”
Freij is expected to play this season with Bjorkloven of HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden's second-tier professional league. He said he knows his game needs to develop even further.
“Especially my defense," he said. "Of course, my offense as well. But my physicality -- I’m going to play with men next year, so use my body a bit more. I’ve got pretty good size, so use my body a bit more and my physicality.”
