(Photo: Zafuto playing for Colgate) Janet Schultz Photo
By Janet Schultz, NYHOL
A few years back a proud Grandmother, who I had worked with and considered a friend, told me about her granddaughter who was a hockey player. Niagara Falls native Olivia Zafuto went through WNY grassroots hockey, playing for the Niagara Junior Purple Eagles and Nichols School.
Her collegiate career took her to Colgate, where she came into her own with 104 points in four years. She was drafted #18 overall by the NWHL Buffalo Beauts but never played for the Beauts as she, and several other Buffalo players, signed on with the PWHPA. She was planning on training with them in Minnesota until an international pandemic came on. Zafuto also had a brief stint behind the bench at her alma mater, Nichols, after Head Coach Shelley Looney resigned in 2020.
COVID 19 hits, hockey looks like it will be shut down, or at least postponed; so what can you do
Zafuto took to the skies and Sweden. She plays for the HV71 located in Jönköping, Sweden. The team is part of the SDHL, Swedish Women’s Hockey Team.
She knew a player from another Swedish team who reached out to her and helped her connect with some General Managers. Teams were looking to add players for the playoffs so she reached out to HV71 and Coach Joakim. It was perfect timing for Zafuto.
“With the uncertainty of hockey in the United States, mainly due to the COVID 19 Pandemic, I thought it would be a great opportunity to play in real games and train,” said Zafuto via email from her new home.
“I definitely missed have a team atmosphere and being able to compete at a high level,” she continued.
Before she made the change, Zafuto had a mild case of COVID and with having the antibodies she was more comfortable flying overseas.
“I am in Sweden until the end of March, when their season concludes,” she goes on. “That also made it easier because I knew I wasn’t going to be here for a long time if there were any problems.”
Zafuto signed with the HV71 team and has found that the Europeans play a super physical game, which is something she loves but didn’t expect it to be as physical as they are.
“The refs let a lot of the physicality go which is awesome because I could really get into the game,” she said. She had 99 penalty minutes at Colgate.
Zafuto is amazed at how professional the organization is.
“It reminds me of what we are fighting for with the PWHPA. Things aren’t perfect but the men’s and women’s teams work together in one organization,” she explained. “There is a whole front office in the rink for the teams including the General Manager, Media and Coaches.
“There are four rinks in the building with a main rink for games and we practice on the other rinks,” she continued. “Right now we use two locker rooms due to COVID.”
Has COVID been an issue.
Zafuto explained it is different than in the U.S. From the beginning Sweden never went into a major lockdown so people go about their daily lives a bit more normal. She did explain that there are signs everywhere to maintain social distance and people are respectful of that. There are no strict masking rules but people wear them if they can’t stay distanced.
Culturally Zafuto has found Google Translate (which she admits is semi-reliable) to help her but really doesn’t notice a lot of cultural differences. She has “awesome” teammates that are helping her out.
“Hardest part is grocery shopping and doing the laundry,” she said laughing.
“So far, I love it,” she said. “I get to explore and see different parts of the world and get to play professional hockey.
“I recommend it,” she advises.
If a player is interested in playing abroad, they should talk to a player who has gone abroad and research the different teams, leagues and places.
“It’s an amazing opportunity and you get to continue your career, which is awesome,” she concluded.
Zafuto, listed as a “new acquisition,” played her first game with the HV71 on January 31 and scored in the first period. They beat Leksand 6-1.
HV71 History
The HV71 is the top tier of women’s hockey in Sweden. However, it wasn’t always that way.
In 2002 they were an independent team known as the Jönköpings IF Queens. In 2008 they grew with a B-side and youth squads and merged with the men’s HV71 organization becoming the HV71 Queens. By 2012 they had earned a promotion to the Swedish Women’s Hockey League (Swedish: Svenska damhockeyligan (SDHL) and dropped the “Queens” becoming the HV71. However when they finished in last place in 2012-13 they were sent back to the DamEttan (second highest Swedish women’s league) league but in 2014-15 with an increased budget and new signings they moved back to the SDHL. Again they had a couple tough seasons, losing in the playoffs until last year. They finished in the top of the league, but COVID canceled their championship run.
There are ten teams in the League.
