Frederik Dichow has taken on the nickname “Gnome”. It is easy to understand why if you speak one of the Scandinavian languages, his middle name is Nissen, which is literally translated as “Gnome”. That Frederik is 6’5 ” makes it more fun, and it becomes British in a similar style as ‘Little John’ in Robin Hood, a total opposite.
He wants to turn it into his own moniker, with elves on the helmet, much in the same way as Henrik Lundqvist’s Statue of Liberty, or Frederik Andersen’s LEGO helmets. With the latest reports of NHL players not coming to the Olympics, Denmark’s goalkeeper may well have a pair of elves on a red and white helmet in a few weeks.

However, it is not the artwork that has captured fans, journalists and scouts this season. Dichow has become a goalkeeper of rank in the Hockey Allsvenskan, Sweden’s second division, with brilliant performances.

After alternating with Olaf Lindbom to start the year, was last weekend when Dichow divorced the pair, and you can hear coach Mikael Gath in the podcast talk about Dichow as the first goalkeeper as the season progresses.

One thing that has stood out this season compared to two seasons ago, and that is Dichow’s temperament. He has rolled it in and says he can use it to focus now rather than yelling at teammates or officials after a game or conversation that went against him. We also discuss this in the interview, and it seems to be something he worked on during the covid break last year; time that was definitely well spent.

The Canadiens are also interested in the goalkeeper perspective, taking time and planning his development. Dichow explains that there is a discussion going on about where he will benefit most from playing next season: the AHL or SHL.

Dichow will be an interesting perspective to follow this spring. Can he become more stable, even more professional and continue in this form? If so, there will be a lot of teams that will want him on their roster for the new season