With nearly one third of the SMJHL regular season in the books, the Yukon Malamutes sit four points behind Bastien Marchessault division leaders Great Falls.  They have a record of 11-17 and the Malamutes have a goal differential of -11 on the season.  The team has an abysmal road record of 1-9.  Local media in Yukon sat down for a recent interview with Malamutes rookie defenseman Sven Petterson:
 
Q: Thanks for joining us today, Sven.  How have you found the move from Sweden to Yukon to be?
 
Sven: I grew up in a very small town in Sweden, so coming to another sparsely populated area actually feels quite natural to me.   It has all the things I had at home – northern lights, amazing fishing, beautiful mountains.  The only difference is there are a few less blonde girls around here!
 
Q: I’m not too sure we can help you out with that one, Sven!  How have you been getting along with your new teammates?
 
Sven:  They are all awesome.  We have a blast together off the ice.  We’ve done plenty of hiking, fishing, and cooking together.
 
Q: Cooking huh? Have you introduced them to any Swedish dishes yet?
 
Sven: I made my mom’s secret meatball recipe – it was a hit.  Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find any herring here yet to pickle for them though.
 
Q:  I think I’ll pass on the herring, but sign me up for some of those meatballs.  It sounds like you have a great locker room atmosphere in Yukon!
 
Sven:  Absolutely!  Beyond my teammates just being great people, I’ve also been amazed at their work ethic on the ice.  There’s a constant drive to make each other better.  Based on my current +/-, I’ve still got a lot to work on.  Sven smirks slyly as he makes this comment.
 
Q:  Which aspect of your game do you feel you need to focus on developing the most currently?
 
Sven: I really need to adjust to the speed at this level of play.  That’s been the biggest surprise for me.  I’m starting to feel more comfortable, but I still often feel a split second behind.  This will improve as I continue to log ice time.  In training I’m very focusing on improving my physical strength, quickness and agility.
 
Q: Your team does come into the season a very young squad, with 6 rookies.  How has this impacted the Malamutes season so far?
 
Sven: Well, like you said – we are very green.  It’s great that so many of us came into the league together, we have an excellent camaraderie.  It’s such a fun locker room – really can’t say how fortunate I was to land in Yukon.  We are all just trying to absorb as much as we can and grow as players and as a team.  We know there aren’t any expectations of us this season, but we are fortunately still in the division race and plan to fight for it.  We have been a very strong team at home in Yukon this season, but going on the road has been a completely different story.  We’ve got to figure out how to grind out some road points.  We really need to adopt a “road warrior” mentality for the remainder of the season.  We’ve got to start to enjoy playing the bad guy a little bit more.
 
Q: Your team recently welcomed a new free agent signing in goalie Asher Gibbons.  How has that signing impacted the Malamutes?
 
Sven: Oh boy – we are thrilled to have the Ash Man on board!  The guy has incredible potential, and we can’t wait to see him develop.  Having him in the net for the next few seasons is going to make us a real threat, and going to piss off a lot of forwards in the league.  Our entire defensive corps is elated.  It’s also a great feeling to know that the front office is willing to make investments in the team.  We all want to win, and feel that within one or two seasons this team is going to be very, very dangerous.
 
Q: Well we wish you and the rest of the Malamutes the best of luck for the remainder of the season.  Thank you for sitting with us.
 
Sven: It’s my pleasure. Hopefully we can do another one of these interviews later this season after we win the division!