‘Little Mule’ Coming to Little Caesar’s

IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Jan 6, 2015; Edmonton, Alberta, CAN; Detroit Red Wings forward Johan Franzen (93) and Edmonton Oilers defensemen Oscar Klefbom (84) battle for a loose puck during the third period at Rexall Place. Mandatory Credit: Perry Nelson-USA TODAY Sports

While he may not actually share a nickname with his father, Eddie-Bo Franzen, son of Johan ‘the Mule’ Franzen looks to be making a name for himself with an American audience a little faster than the former Red Wings power forward.

The younger Franzen is joining Detroit’s Little Caesar’s 15U AAA team for the upcoming season, making the jump across the pond much sooner in his career than Johan, and breaking ground as the team’s first Swedish player.

Skates to fill

Eddie-Bo Franzen comes to America after a strong season with Linkoping HC’s U16 team in their top junior division. In 15 games, the 15 year old, 6-foot and 180lb Franzen had 14 goals and 5 assists. While the games aren’t easy to watch (or find) in America, it’s pretty easy to see that Eddie-Bo has more than a little of Johan’s strong net front presence and physicality even at his young age.

He’ll be having to adjust to a whole new playing surface on the smaller American ice in an unfamiliar country in the upcoming season. Not to mention, forget being the first Swedish player on the team , he’ll be the only Swede playing in the league this year.

As the elder Franzen can attest, hockey in the US can be a much different sport, with a much different culture, than their home country of Sweden. Franzen’s playing career was marred not only by his hard hitting style, but clashes with then-head coach Mike Babcock.

Even still, Franzen was a key contributor for the Red Wings when healthy, including 23 points in 23 games during the Red Wings 2009 Stanley Cup Run. In the regular season, Johan Franzen only had less than 10 goals once in his playing career. (Not counting the 2015-16 season when he was only able to participate in two total games.)

Familiar faces, familiar places

Hopefully helping the young forward get more comfortable, this won’t be Eddie Bo’s first time living in America, with his father having played in Detroit for his entire 11 year NHL career. That, and the fact that Senior Adviser to his new team was once described by his father as ‘the funniest man he’d met in the NHL.’

Eddie-Bo will be playing in the same city, and living with his father’s former netminder, Chris Osgood, according to Swedish reporting.

The magic won’t quite extend to playing in the same arena here in America with the Joe demolished a few years back, however. Whether or not Eddie-Bo will ever suit up for the Red Wings is an uncertainty this far out.

Though, it does seem that having an inside track tips the scales a little more in his favor. The Red Wings did draft another Osgood-family billet this last year, with the young Victor Plante having spent his time while playing for the USNTDP in Michigan living with the former Detroit netminder.

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