IBK Dalen Men lose their fourth national player — 30.07.2012

IBK Dalen men´s team has suffered another blow for the upcoming Champions Cup, as well as for the 2012-13 season, losing their fourth national player in what the Swedes refer to as ´silly season´ (the break from when one season finishes and the next begins). Mattias Wallgren is the latest player to leave, after confirmation of his transfer to Warberg IC.

Wallgren (pictured below), born in 1983, has already participated in two World Championships, and is seen by many as a definite to be part of the Swedish national team that is aiming to recapture the title from Finland when the WFC 2012 are held in Switzerland in December.

- It is a dream player for any coach and his leadership skills combined with his physique and defensive skills make him a complete defensive player , says Stefan Smedberg, coach of Warberg. Wallgren commented on his departure from Dalen by thanking all of those involved with the club:  - I´m very grateful that Dalen has given me this chance. I also want to thank everyone who works around Dalen´s matches, their supporters and all of those I got to know during my years in the club, and for the support that I´ve always been given.

Dalen´s Sports Director, Urban Karlsson, said in an interview with Innebandymagazinet that, despite everything, there is not a crisis in the club:
  - The media portrays it a little bigger than what it is. We have kept 19 players in the squad and also recruited a couple of good players, but perhaps not so well-known players. We still have many of the good players who played the national finals last spring, Ketil Kronberg (Norway), Filip Stenmark (Sweden U19), and brothers Boden. We may not have as good a team this year as last year, but have players who can develop during the season.

The other international players that Dalen have lost are:
Jonas Svahn to Falun (SLL)
Johan Samuelsson and Robin Nilsberth to Granlo (SLL)

IBK Dalen will compete in the Champions Cup from 3rd - 7th October 2012. It will be held in their home town of Umeå, so their supporters will be hoping that Karlsson´s words about the strength of the team match up to their performance on the court.