Photo: Bildbyrån
Småland won this year’s TV puck. One of the team’s most skilled defenders is 15-year-old Yelverton.
Maybe someone recognizes him? He has two famous parents with a sports background.
There was no question as to who was the best in the TV puck final in 2024. Småland won convincingly 7-1 against Västerbotten and can now proudly call themselves the best in Sweden.
– They mix this directness with a finesse. They play tough, they play with weight. But they also have the opportunity to change gears and do something unexpected, commented SVT’s expert Jonas Andersson.
They are Yelverton’s parents
One of the players in the team was the 15-year-old defender Yelverton Lindberg Steen. The Växjö Lakers player accounted for three goals and three assists (two in the semi-final against Ångermanland) in eight games in the tournament.
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Anyone who has a good grasp of Swedish sports profiles and their children may recognize Yelverton? The name certainly stands out! Thanks to the surnames, it is also possible to trace his parents. It is the case that his mother is a former swimmer Anna Lindberg42. Together with his mother Ulrika Knape – Yelverton’s grandmother – she is Sweden’s best ever in her sport. Anna Lindberg won six EC golds and 73 SM golds during her senior career. In addition, she was close to picking up a medal in the Olympics (fifth in Sydney 2000) and in the WC (several fourth places).
But Yelverton chose not to follow in his mother’s footsteps. Instead, he bets on his father Calle Steens44, sports. His father won three SM silver with Färjestad between 2003 and 2005. He also played for Malmö Redhawks, Södertälje, Leksand and Finnish JYP. He was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings, but never played in the NHL.
Anna Lindberg’s tribute to her son
Yelverton tells Sportbladet that his parents give him good support and contribute valuable advice, because they were both elite athletes and understand how that world works.
– They push me at home and give me good advice. After all, they have been elite athletes and give me good advice so that it goes as well as possible. They help me a lot. They are calm and I also try to be calm, take it as it comes, he says and continues:
– Of course, my father and mother help me, but there is not much focus on sports at home. They say it’s a bonus as well.
READ MORE: Anna Lindberg picked up six European Championship golds and disappeared – that’s how the popular profile lives on today
His mother was very proud of his and the team’s performance in the TV puck and posted a picture on Instagram to pay tribute to the players.
“All the way to GOLD! Big, impressive and crazy fun,” she writes.
Exciting to see how it goes for Yelverton Lindberg Steen in the future. Maybe there will be SHL games with Växjö Lakers soon.
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