Loui Eriksson had some fans in Boston before he even stepped onto the ice.
In the blockbuster trade that sent Tyler Seguin and Rich Peverley to the Stars, the Bruins gained a handful of prospects and the highly touted, but mostly unknown, Eriksson.
His play wasn’t unknown to former Bruin and current team scout for Europe, P.J. Axelsson, however. When the deal was finalized, Axelsson texted a few of his former teammates to show his support and approval of his fellow Swede’s acquisition, according to ESPNBoston’s, Joe McDonald.
The former B’s forward also reached out to Eriksson to prep him for what it will be like to play at the TD Garden, and for Boston, in general.
“He said he loved to play here and it’s a great town to play for. He said a lot of good things about Boston,” Eriksson said.
After spending his entire 11-year NHL career with the Bruins, Axelsson has become Eriksson’s go-to guy for everything Boston.
“For sure it helps a lot because you can ask him different questions; where he lived and what kind of restaurants he went to. He had a lot of good answers for that, so it’s nice to have that,” Eriksson said.
Getting acquainted with the city came first, but with four days of training camp under his belt, Eriksson is now focused on getting comfortable with his teammates, and more specifically with his new linemates, Brad Marchand and Patrice Bergeron.
“I think everyone is good in both ends,” Eriksson said. “We’re quick in transition and everyone can shoot the puck, too. That’s something we need to do, shoot the puck a lot and things will happen if we do that.”
Throughout his seven-year career with Dallas, Eriksson has tallied 150 goals and 207 assists in 501 games.