New Student Profile--Torkel Bjarneman

“Torkel Snorkel”: NSA’s Favorite Swedish Goaltender

By Gwen Schultz ‘11

Torkel Bjärneman, Courtesy of Art Summers

Torkel Bjärneman, a new goaltender for the National Sports Academy Mountaineers, left his home is Gothenburg, Sweden to start his hockey career in North America this year.

Torkel, a 17-year-old junior, says he wasn’t exceptionally nervous to come to school in America. “Yes, I was a little nervous about being new,” he said, “but I was prepared.”

This kind of mental toughness will do well for him when he plays in net this season and the next for the Mountaineers. Torkel plans on heading off to an American university after two strong years of prep hockey. 

Torkel tells us that a place like NSA, with its solid combination of education and hockey, is hard to find in Sweden. He chose NSA because he liked the coach and the school seemed like a good fit.

So far, he is really enjoying his time here and says that his favorite part about the school is that, “it’s like one big family.” He tells us that there is so much going on he does not miss his home country—at least not yet.

Torkel, who has been playing hockey since age 10, had always wanted to be a goaltender. “I was a player for one week and I was nagging my coach to let me play goalie, and then finally he let me,” he explains. Because he started hockey later than most in Sweden, Torkel has been a serious hockey player since day one.

As he transitions into North American hockey, Torkel tells us he had to get used to the slightly smaller ice surface. Practices are more intense, he says, because the game is faster and he sees more frequent shots.

These days, he is proudest of being a good teammate and having the opportunity to play for NSA. He says the team has good chemistry and thinks they will have a great team this year.

Off the ice, Torkel enjoys activities such as golf, guitar, and hanging out with friends. His favorite class this year is Sport in American Culture, but says that he generally likes all of his classes.

When asked what superpower he would like to have if he had the choice, Torkel simply responded, “to be able to fly.” Hopefully he’ll be flying all over the net for the Mountaineers this year.