At 20-years-old, Christian Folin had a summer job that would impact his life forever.
"There comes a time when you realize that you won't be able to play hockey forever. For me, it was when I had to work one summer and I hated it. I worked in shipping and handling - just moving big boxes - and I realized that I didn't want to do that the rest of my life and that I needed to be prepared for life after hockey and get a good education," he explained.
A native of Gothenburg, Sweden and part of Frolunda's junior team, he had grown up knowing Viktor and Sebastian Stalberg, who both played college hockey at the University of Vermont and are now both playing professional hockey in North America. Folin had seen their success and decided he wanted to follow in their path and play college hockey in the United States where he could get his degree and play competitive hockey at the same time.
Fast forward three years and here he is a member of the University of Massachusetts - Lowell River Hawks competing at college hockey's highest level, the Frozen Four, with the opportunity to win a national championship.
"I never even thought that this would be a possibility for me. I mean, this is the four best teams in the country and I just never thought I would be on one of them," said Folin.
After exhausting his junior eligibility in Sweden, he signed with the Fargo Force of the USHL with the intention of earning a scholarship to a Division I school. He was only there for a couple of months before he was traded to the Austin Bruins of the NAHL.
"Funny story…I was actually picked up by my new team at a gas station near where I was living in Fargo. The team just happened to be driving through town on a road trip so I met them literally on the road. The bus pulled in, the team got out to go to the bathroom and buy snacks and I loaded up my equipment and got on with the rest of the team and played the next day. I'll never forget it!" he said.
Between the language barrier and the smaller ice surface, there wasn't anything easy about the transition to life in the United States or to the style of North American hockey.
"It was pretty hard at first - I'm not going to lie - I know in school you learn all the basic stuff like how to count and special words, but putting everything together is very difficult. It took me a couple months to get comfortable and I'm kind of shy to begin with, so it wasn't exactly an easy transition, but once I started playing better hockey, I was able to relax a bit and open up to my teammates a bit more. "
With his size - 6'3, 215 - it was easy for college coaches to notice him, but it was his work ethic and booming shot from the point that made the coaches at UMass-Lowell offer him a scholarship to play college hockey.
"I had visited other schools, but once I saw Lowell I knew that's where I belonged," Folin explained. "I remember last February, I went out to see the campus and I fell in love right away and decided that's where I wanted to be."
He once again called up Viktor and Sebastian Stalberg to ask about Hockey East, the conference both Vermont and UMass-Lowell plays in.
"They told me about the good combination of school and hockey and how great the hockey is, especially in Hockey East, and how competitive it is. It's a great place to play and grow up as a person too. I committed to play for Lowell almost instantly. I wanted to be a part of that," he said.
As a physical defenseman with an unwavering work ethic, Folin's style of play was a perfect match for Hockey East and for the River Hawks - known as one of the hardest working teams in college hockey.
"The way I play hockey, fits really well in Hockey East. It's physical and defensive and that's what makes Hockey East such a good league and how fast it is and how hard working all the teams are," Folin said. "I would say that getting used to the speed was one of the biggest adjustments for me."
According to his defensive partner, Joe Houk, it was almost like Folin was made to play on this team.
"For Christian and I, it fits perfectly to our strengths and makes it easy for us to buy into it. We like to use our bodies and create separation and get the puck up the ice. We trust the coaches and their game plan. We didn't at the beginning and we struggled, but now we trust them and look where it's gotten us. It couldn't be better," explained Houk. "Christian's got the full package - size, speed, great puck handling, great shot…probably the best shot on our team. He can really let it fly…defensive positioning, likes to use the body. He's just the whole package."
And if you ask his coaches, his impact on the team goes well beyond anything he can contribute on the ice and not just the education he's giving his teammates on techno/house music.
"On of the things that's most exciting about him is his humbleness. He always shows up ready to work. He's quiet and goes about his business. It's really helped even some of the other guys to grow and mature just to be able to watch him and see how he prepares and takes care of his body and see the success he's having because of it. He's had a quiet impact on our team, but it's been significant. He's definitely a leader on this team without being boisterous," said Jason Lammers, assistant coach of the River Hawks. "The best part about him is that he's an awesome person. As good of a hockey player as he is, he's a better person and those are the types of players you want on your team. He's going to be successful in whatever he does."
While Folin jokes that he's majoring in hockey at Lowell since he has not yet declared a course of study but has an interest in business, it's not far from the truth as he's working to improve every part of his game.
"I would say I'm a good all-around defenseman. I try to build my game from the defensive zone and try to advance the puck that way. I like to get the puck up ice quickly and I obviously like to shoot. I'm just trying to work hard every day. I just want to improve on every aspect of the game," said Folin.
It's no coincidence that that's how UMass-Lowell's head coach and National Coach of the Year, Norm Bazin, wants his team to not only play, but to practice as well.
"He makes us all accountable," explained Folin. "He wants us to work hard every night, but more than that he wants us to get better every day. That's the attitude he brings to the table and he's all about working hard and we're at the Frozen Four…it's proof that hard work pays off. As a team, I think we're a solid defensive team. Everything starts with the goalie and we build off the back end and go hard to the net. We're just a hard working tenacious team."
Despite the hurdles he's had to overcome regarding the language barrier and the smaller ice surface in North America, Folin said one of his biggest challenges in coming to the United States to play hockey and go to college was trying to convince his friends back in Sweden that life in America is not like what it is on TV.
"They think I live some sort of 'American Pie' life. When you watch TV in Sweden, that's what you think it's like over here. I think they think I have a lot of fun all the time, which I do, of course, but it's not like that. It's not like it is on TV," Folin explained. "I try to show them with a bunch of pictures and talk to them as much as possible on Skype or Facebook and they think it's cool that I get to do both - go to school and play hockey at a competitive level. I try to tell them how much pressure there is to improve on the ice, but that the coaches also put pressure on you to get good grades as well and make sure that you have enough time to do all of your work and perform well in all areas of your life. So while it's a lot of fun, it's also a lot of work."
All of that work could pay off later tonight as Folin and his teammates take on the Yale University Bulldogs in the national semifinal at 4:35 EST. His father Martin flew across the pond to see his son play, while his mother, Susanna, stayed home with his youngest brother, Ludwig - 13, to host a viewing party for his family and friends at their home while his other brother, Niklas - 18, who is playing for the Omaha Lancers of the USHL, will be able to watch his brother play on national television.
"This is even better that I thought it would be," said Folin. "I really can't say enough good things about this experience. I knew as soon as I got on campus that I would love it here and I do. The guys are great. I love them so much and we have a great coaching staff that loves to teach hockey, but not only that, they want us to do well in school too. It's just a great feeling to have made this decision to come play in the United States and to be enjoying it so much and having the success we are having this year. Hopefully we can top it off and win a National Championship."
Note: If UMass-Lowell wins today, they will face the winner of Quinnipiac and St Cloud State for the national championship on Saturday, 7pm EST.
Julie
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