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13 hours ago
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All eyes are now shifting to the Milano Cortina Olympics. While many think it'll be a USA against Canada final again, Team Sweden may just make an exceptional run. With Coach Sam Sallam taking charge, expectations have been piling up as he leads talented stars in Victor Hedman, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Gabriel Landeskog among many others. However, a certain Detroit Red Wings star might just pop off in Milan — Lucas Raymond.
Red Wings young gun set to show out in Milano Cortina
Raymond will embark on his first Olympics run with Team Sweden at Milan. The 23-year-old already has some chemistry with Coach Sallam and the rest of the squad due to his impressive play at the NHL Four Nations Face-Off. But, the Olympics are a different beast and he will surely need more juice to help his hometown of Gothenburg proud.
Coach Sallam does not worry at all for the Red Wings winger. He even claimed that Raymond is likely going to pop off at Milano Cortina, via Nicholas J. Cotsonika of NHL.com.
“He’s very, very competitive. Now, if you get to the NHL level, you are competitive. But he’s that last percentage, ultra-competitive. So, I know losing games bothers him, and that the team has been playing for a playoff spot, it just pushes him to be even better, because he hates losing. Put that together with his maturity, he’s not out on the ice for himself. He plays the game to win as a team," the Team Sweden head coach said.
Throughout 53 games with the Red Wings, Raymond has shown superstar potential. He has scored 18 goals while also dishing out 40 assists for the season. During his last stint representing Team Sweden at the Four Nations Face-Off, the winger also delivered three assists in three games to keep his team afloat.
“He follows the playbook. He does the right things. He plays like an older, mature player than he actually is. You forget at times that he’s just a 23-year-old. He plays with so much ownership and responsibility. I think that was the main part. He came out on that stage against the best players in the world, and he was legit. You’re confident when you have ‘Ray’ on the ice, because he backchecks, he forechecks in the system, and then he has the skill to do his offensive things," Sallam added about Raymond.
With Hedman and Landeskog worrying about injuries heading into the Olympics, Team Sweden will surely need Raymond to pop off if they wish to have a chance at the gold medal. Now, he first has to worry about the Red Wings' last few games against the Colorado Avalanche and Utah Mammoth before the Olympics break.
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