Loui William Eriksson (born 17 July 1985) is a Swedish professional ice hockey forward currently playing for Frölunda HC of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).
| Loui Eriksson | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Eriksson with the Boston Bruins in January 2016 | |||
| Born |
17 July 1985 Gothenburg, Sweden | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 179 lb (81 kg; 12 st 11 lb) | ||
| Position | Right wing | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| SHL team Former teams |
Frölunda HC Dallas Stars HC Davos Boston Bruins Vancouver Canucks Arizona Coyotes | ||
| National team |
 Sweden | ||
| NHL draft |
33rd overall, 2003 Dallas Stars | ||
| Playing career | 2003–present | ||
Eriksson was selected by the Dallas Stars in the second round, 33rd overall, at the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, and has also played for the Boston Bruins, Vancouver Canucks, and Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Playing career
editEriksson started playing for Lerums BK at a young age and excelled beyond others his age quickly. By age 11, he was already playing with the older under-16 team. His talent was recognized by coach Joshua Clemas, at various tournaments, and he finally landed on the junior team for Frölunda HC.[citation needed]
Eriksson's professional career began in the top-tier Elitserien, where he played for Frölunda, sometimes facing his future fellow Boston Bruins forward Carl Söderberg when playing against the Malmö Redhawks during his first two seasons with Frölunda. Eriksson won Rookie of the Year honours in 2004 at the age of 18 after posting eight goals and five assists in 46 games. A year later, Eriksson would post five goals and nine assists in 39 games, helping Frölunda win the Swedish ice hockey championship (SM-guld).[citation needed]
Dallas Stars (2006–2013)
edit
In the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, the Dallas Stars drafted Eriksson in the second round with the 33rd overall pick. After playing in his second season with Frölunda, Eriksson moved to North America and appeared in two pre-season games for Dallas in 2005. His professional debut in North America came on 6 October 2005, with the Stars' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Iowa Stars, in a game where Eriksson posted his first assist and point of the season.[citation needed]
Eriksson's first NHL goal came in his debut, 4 October 2006, against the Colorado Avalanche.
Two years later, he had a break-out season in 2008–09, where he led the Stars with 36 goals, placing him fifth in the West and 12th overall in goal-scoring. He was one of only three Stars to play in all 82 games of the season.
Prior to the following season, on 2 October 2009, he was recognized as a significant offensive force of the Stars attack by re-signing to a six-year contract extension worth $25.5 million.[1]
Eriksson participated in his first NHL All-Star Game in 2011.[2] He had a goal and two assists as well as the eventual game-winning empty-net goal to lead all players with four points (matched only by Shea Weber with four assists).
Boston Bruins (2013–2016)
edit
On 4 July 2013, Eriksson, along with prospects Joseph Morrow, Reilly Smith and Matt Fraser, was traded by the Stars to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Tyler Seguin, Rich Peverley and Ryan Button.[3] In an injury-marred first season in Boston, after two concussions on separate hits from John Scott of the Buffalo Sabres and Brooks Orpik of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Eriksson would finish the 2013–14 season with 10 goals and 27 assists for 37 points in 61 games, finding chemistry with centre and fellow Swede Carl Söderberg.
During the 2015–16 season, on 13 February 2016, Eriksson scored his 200th NHL goal, as the third Bruins goal going towards a 4–2 road win against the Minnesota Wild.[4]
Vancouver Canucks (2016–2021)
editOn 1 July 2016, Eriksson signed a six-year, $36 million deal with the Vancouver Canucks. Eriksson previously had success with Henrik and Daniel Sedin in international tournaments.[5] He made his Canucks debut on 15 October 2016, against the Calgary Flames where he scored an own goal. With the Vancouver net empty due to a delayed penalty by the Flames and facing pressure from attacking players, Eriksson attempted to dump the puck into his own zone, however, a miscalculation in the heat of the moment lead to the puck entering the Canuck's net. Nevertheless, Vancouver would win 2–1 in the shootout, with Eriksson earning an assist on the game-tying goal.[6] On 5 March 2017 Eriksson suffered a season-ending knee injury after a collision with Anaheim Ducks forward Chris Wagner.[7] Eriksson ended a disappointing first season with the Canucks with 11 goals and 13 assists in 65 games.
Eriksson would have another dismal and injury plagued season with the Canucks in 2017-18 finishing with 23 points in 50 games.
During the 2018-19 NHL season, Eriksson was able to stay healthy, but only scored 29 points in 81 games.
On 10 February 2021, Eriksson was placed on waivers.
Arizona Coyotes (2021–2022)
editOn 23 July 2021, Eriksson was traded, along with Jay Beagle, Antoine Roussel, a 2021 first-round pick, a 2022 second-round pick and a 2023 seventh-round pick, to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Conor Garland.[8]
On 6 December 2021, Eriksson played his 1000th NHL game in a 4-1 loss over his former team, the Dallas Stars.[9]
Return to Frölunda (2022–present)
editAfter going unsigned through the NHL offseason, Eriksson re-signed with Frölunda on 10 November 2022, marking his return to the SHL after 17 years in North America.[10]
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2000–01 | Västra Frölunda HC | J18 Allsv | 9 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Västra Frölunda HC | J20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2001–02 | Västra Frölunda HC | J18 Allsv | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2001–02 | Västra Frölunda HC | J20 | 35 | 7 | 15 | 22 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2002–03 | Västra Frölunda HC | J20 | 30 | 16 | 15 | 31 | 10 | 6 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 2 | ||
| 2002–03 | Västra Frölunda HC | J18 Allsv | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2003–04 | Västra Frölunda HC | SEL | 46 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 4 | 10 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 2004–05 | Frölunda HC | SEL | 39 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 4 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2005–06 | Iowa Stars | AHL | 78 | 31 | 29 | 60 | 27 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 2006–07 | Iowa Stars | AHL | 15 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 13 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 0 | ||
| 2006–07 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 59 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2007–08 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 69 | 14 | 17 | 31 | 28 | 18 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 8 | ||
| 2007–08 | Iowa Stars | AHL | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 82 | 36 | 27 | 63 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 82 | 29 | 42 | 71 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 79 | 27 | 46 | 73 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 82 | 26 | 45 | 71 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | HC Davos | NLA | 7 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 48 | 12 | 17 | 29 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 61 | 10 | 27 | 37 | 6 | 12 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 2014–15 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 81 | 22 | 25 | 47 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Boston Bruins | NHL | 82 | 30 | 33 | 63 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 65 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 50 | 10 | 13 | 23 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 81 | 11 | 18 | 29 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 49 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 2020–21 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 73 | 3 | 16 | 19 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Frölunda HC | SHL | 34 | 11 | 8 | 19 | 10 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 2 | ||
| SHL totals | 119 | 24 | 22 | 46 | 18 | 35 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 2 | ||||
| NHL totals | 1,050 | 253 | 360 | 613 | 200 | 44 | 6 | 8 | 14 | 18 | ||||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Sweden
| ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| Winter Olympics | ||
 |
2014 Sochi | |
| World Championships | ||
 |
2013 Sweden/Finland | |
| |
2011 Slovakia | |
 |
2009 Switzerland | |
International
edit| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Sweden | U18 | 5th | 6 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 12 | |
| 2004 | Sweden | WJC | 7th | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
| 2005 | Sweden | WJC | 6th | 6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2009 | Sweden | WC | 
|
9 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 0 | |
| 2010 | Sweden | OG | 5th | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2011 | Sweden | WC | 
|
9 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | |
| 2012 | Sweden | WC | 6th | 8 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 2 | |
| 2013 | Sweden | WC | 
|
10 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2014 | Sweden | OG |
|
6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2015 | Sweden | WC | 5th | 8 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 0 | |
| 2016 | Sweden | WCH |
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2019 | Sweden | WC | 5th | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 18 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 14 | ||||
| Senior totals | 66 | 27 | 29 | 56 | 4 | ||||
Achievements
edit- Won SHL Rookie of the Year in 2003–04
- Won SHL league championship in 2005
- RBK AHL Rookie of the Month for March 2006
- Voted the Iowa Stars' Rookie of the Year for the 2005–06 season
- 2011 NHL All-Star
- 2012-2013, 2015–2016, Lady Byng Trophy Finalist
References
edit- ^ "Stars sign Eriksson to 6-year extension". Dallas Stars. 2 October 2009. Retrieved 3 October 2009.
- ^ "Additional 36 All-Stars, 12 rookies announced to the 2011 NHL All-Star Weekend player roster". NHL.com. New York. 11 January 2011. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
- ^ "Seguin, Eriksson swapped in seven-player trade". National Hockey League. 4 July 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
- ^ "Loui Eriksson scores 200th NHL goal". National Hockey League. 13 February 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
- ^ Larsen, Karin (1 July 2016). "Loui Eriksson signs with the Vancouver Canucks". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
- ^ Woodley, Kevin (15 October 2016). "Canucks rally to win season opener". National Hockey League. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
- ^ "Canucks expect Eriksson (LBI) to miss time". The Sports Network. 5 March 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
- ^ "Report: Ekman-Larsson, No. 9 Pick Involved in Blockbuster Canucks, Coyotes Trade". TSN.ca. 23 July 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
- ^ Romero, José M. (6 December 2021). "Arizona Coyotes' Loui Eriksson reaches 1,000 career games". azcentral.com. Retrieved 6 December 2021.
- ^ Karlsson, Mattias (10 November 2022). "Officiellt: Loui Eriksson klar för Frölunda" (in Swedish). Aftonbladet. Retrieved 10 November 2022.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database