AHL Belleville Senators

Davidsson Ready for North American Transition

Published on September 18, 2019 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Belleville Senators News Release


A trade in February didn't change anything immediately for Jonathan Davidsson.

Acquired from Columbus as part of the Matt Duchene trade, Davidsson was playing overseas in his native Sweden with Djurgardens IF.

But now he's come to North America permanently, the change is more noticeable. Going to training camp in Canada instead of the United States is just one change.

"It's definitely big for me to be here and the capital of Canada," Davidsson said. "I felt Columbus was a really great organization but I have the same feeling for Ottawa and it's going to be great here."

Davidsson made some noise last summer when he was the Blue Jackets' final cut ahead of the regular season before he headed back to Sweden.

This season it's going to be a case of whether he plays for Ottawa or Belleville.

Either way, his four-year experience of playing professional hockey in Sweden will be invaluable.

"I'm use to playing against older players and bigger players," Davidsson said. "I kind of know already how to play pro and also at the international level too.

"I feel like that you've got to be quick to get the puck to the net. If you want to create some offence you've got to be really fast to get into space between the defenders and the goal otherwise you wind up on the outside and you're not going to create chances."

Despite the awareness of his name, there's still a bit of a mystique around his game on this side of the pond as the recent Rookie Showcase was his first appearance within the Sens organization as he had to miss Rookie Camp in June through injury.

And despite the limited action, Davidsson impressed Belleville head coach Troy Mann.

"Two things that have really stuck out to me was his speed and his shot," said Mann. "He's still a little bit of an unknown but he should be a dynamic player."

In 145 SHL games with Djurgardens IF, the 22-year-old scored 23 goals and 61 points and played in the playoffs twice. He's also represented Sweden at every age-level since U17.

All of that experience has led him coming across the Atlantic to be here.

"I'm really excited. I've been feeling for two years now that it was soon time to come to North America and now I'm at that step.

"I'm a reliable player who's really quick on my feet. I like to challenge and to play hockey, to drive the puck to my teammates and to score too."

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