C.R. RoughRiders’ Loa Milfors, more comfortable with his surroundings and with English, could be in line for a big season

CEDAR RAPIDS — It’s after practice, and winger Loa Milfors is doing a quick video session with Cedar Rapids RoughRiders assistant coach Hampus Sjodahl.

Milfors nods his head as Sjodahl points out a couple of specific things. Their conversation goes back and forth.

In Swedish.

“It’s comfortable to have someone to talk Swedish with whenever I want,” said Milfors. “I keep trying to get better with my English, but it’s nice to be able to talk Swedish sometimes, too.”

Milfors and Sjodahl both are from Stockholm and played for the same club team (Djurgardens IF), though a few years apart. Sjodahl, 28, is in his second season as a RoughRiders assistant, Milfors his second season as a player.

The latter spoke very little English when he came from Europe to the United States Hockey League late last January. He leaned heavily on C.R. teammate Joel Kjellberg, a longtime friend from back home who now plays college hockey at Arizona State.

As well as Sjodahl, whom he still relies on to make sure he completely understands every little part of the game that is being taught.

“Coming over, sometimes you don’t know how these guys are with English. There is so much that gets lost in translation sometimes,” Sjodahl said. “Loa’s got good English. He’s not the most outspoken kid, but his English is good. But there are absolutely some nuances that get lost.

“He gets all the concepts, but there might be some small details that sometimes go unnoticed. Just being able to do that, speak to him in Swedish and really make sure we’re on the same page, that he understands exactly what we’re looking at and what we’re talking about ... obviously helps a lot.”

Milfors appears poised for a big season with the RoughRiders (2-0), who have their home opener Saturday night at 7:05 at ImOn Ice Arena against the Tri-City Storm. He led the club in points in the preseason and scored a goal in each of C.R.’s games (both wins) last weekend at the USHL Fall Classic in suburban Pittsburgh.

He had eight goals and six assists in 28 games last season for Cedar Rapids.

“I really like the way he competes,” said RoughRiders head coach Mark Carlson. “He’s physical, has worked really hard on his body. He’s stronger, faster, and he’s always had the ability to score as well.”

“I don’t want to focus on points, but I think I’ve played pretty well in the preseason and these first two games,” Milfors said. “I mean, I want to be a good player for the team this year. If it’s in the D zone or the offensive zone, it doesn’t matter to me, I just want to be a big player for the team. I think I’m an offensive player, like to shoot, like to score, of course. A pretty good skater, too, I think. I like to play physical.”

Milfors said he decided to come over to North America because he wants to play college hockey. As noted, he struggled to communicate when he first arrived here, but his English now is fluent.

“I’m way better now,” he said with a smile. “I’m still trying my best to get better every day. I sucked when I first got here. I had my own translator in Joel. I would say something to him, and then he’d say it in English to the other guys.”

“Just watching how he handles himself on and off the ice from when he first came in last year compared to now, I’m very excited with the steps that he has taken,” Sjodahl said. “I’m excited with the growth that he has made as a player and as a person. You can tell a big difference from where he is now compared to where he was nine months ago.”

Sjodahl agrees that Milfors could be in for good things this season.

“It’s going to be up to him,” Sjodahl said. “He has the tools to be a good player in this league. But it’s a tough league, and every night he is going to have to prove it.”

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