New York Times — Forty years ago, Anders Carlsson was believed to be the first Swede to play college hockey in the United States when he suited up for Yale. Since then, there have been 111 Swedish hockey players in the N.C.A.A., and about 20 percent of them — 23 — are currently enrolled.
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“You can do it, but it’s a lot tougher,” said Rikard Gronborg ’96, coach of Sweden’s national junior team. “Most guys that we have on our team here go up to the pros, and the schedule is a lot more difficult to fit in time for an education, go to class and study. It’s possible to do both in Sweden, but it requires a lot more commitment, and most just choose to focus on hockey and worry about getting an education later.”
Gronborg went to the United States to pursue a degree and play hockey at St. Cloud State from 1989 to 1992. In his three years as a Husky, he earned a bachelor’s degree in public relations and a master’s in technology management.
