Mikael Wikstrand (surname also spelled Vikstrand; born 5 November 1993) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).
| Mikael Wikstrand | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Wikstrand with Färjestad BK in 2019 | |||
| Born |
5 November 1993 Karlstad, Sweden | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||
| Weight | 183 lb (83 kg; 13 st 1 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for |
Frölunda HC Färjestad BK Ak Bars Kazan | ||
| National team |
 Sweden | ||
| NHL draft |
196th overall, 2012 Ottawa Senators | ||
| Playing career | 2010–2022 | ||
Playing career
editIn 2010–11, Wikstrand made his debut in professional hockey, playing 28 games for Mora IK of the HockeyAllsvenskan, getting one assist. The following year, Wikstrand played 47 games for the club, getting 3 points.
Wikstrand was ranked 23rd amongst European skaters in the 2012 NHL Central Scouting Bureau’s final rankings, however he was selected in the seventh round of the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by the Senators, 196th overall.[1]
In 2012–13, Wikstrand played 45 games for Mora, getting 22 points. That year, he tied for fifth among Allsvenskan defensemen in scoring, and lead all the Mora defensemen in scoring. There were several trade rumours surrounding Wikstrand at the time, with Frölunda being particularly mentioned.[2]
In 2014, Wikstrand signed a three-year entry-level contract with Ottawa.[3] He attended the Ottawa Senators training camp, but played the season in Sweden with Frölunda HC on loan from Ottawa.
Wikstrand caused controversy when he abruptly left the Ottawa Senators' 2015 pre-season training camp without permission, not even notifying team officials of his departure from camp until he was at the airport about to board a flight back to his native Sweden. Senators general manager Bryan Murray announced shortly afterward that Wikstrand had been suspended by the team. Since Wikstrand is under contract with the Senators, the NHL's affiliation with the IIHF meant that he was prohibited from playing professional hockey for Färjestad BK or any other club in a league affiliated with the IIHF.[4]
On January 20, 2016, the Ottawa Senators announced that they had come to terms with Wikstrand that would allow him to play professional hockey in his native Sweden, while the Senators retained his North American rights. Wikstrand has been loaned to Färjestad of the SHL, which will allow him to play hockey while staying close to his family home in Karlstad, where Wikstrand's brother is reportedly battling leukemia.[5]
After Captaining Färjestad in the 2018–19 season, his fourth year with the club, Wikstrand left as a free agent in the off-season. He agreed to a two-year contract with Russian club, Ak Bars Kazan of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), on 13 June 2019.[6]
At the conclusion of his contract with Ak Bars, appearing as a regular on the blueline, Wikstrand opted to return to former club, Färjestad BK, as a free agent by agreeing to a three-year contract to resume his career in the SHL on 3 May 2021.[7]
After winning the Le Mat Trophy with Färjestad BK in the 2021–22 season, Wikstrand missed the following two seasons through injury before announcing his retirement from professional hockey on 24 April 2024.[8]
International play
edit| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing Sweden
| ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| World Championships | ||
 |
2018 Denmark | |
| World Junior Championships | ||
 |
2013 Russia | |
Wikstrand has represented Sweden at the 2018 Winter Olympics, the 2011 U18 World Junior Championship, as well as at the 2013 World Junior Championship, leading all Swedish defensemen with 4 points.[9]
Career statistics
editRegular season and playoffs
edit| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2008–09 | IFK Ore | J18 | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 31 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | IFK Ore | SWE.5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| 2009–10 | Mora IK | J18 | 17 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Mora IK | J18 Allsv | 6 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Mora IK | J20 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Mora IK | J18 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 2010–11 | Mora IK | J20 | 16 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Mora IK | Allsv | 28 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2011–12 | Mora IK | J20 | 11 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Mora IK | Allsv | 47 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Mora IK | J20 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Mora IK | Allsv | 45 | 11 | 14 | 25 | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Mora IK | Allsv | 27 | 4 | 16 | 20 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Frölunda HC | SHL | 19 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15 | Frölunda HC | SHL | 46 | 5 | 15 | 20 | 10 | 13 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 8 | ||
| 2015–16 | Färjestad BK | SHL | 17 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | Färjestad BK | SHL | 48 | 4 | 15 | 19 | 12 | 7 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 2017–18 | Färjestad BK | SHL | 45 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 14 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2018–19 | Färjestad BK | SHL | 47 | 4 | 16 | 20 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 2019–20 | Ak Bars Kazan | KHL | 52 | 4 | 28 | 32 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | Ak Bars Kazan | KHL | 39 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 10 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2021–22 | Färjestad BK | SHL | 48 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 20 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| SHL totals | 270 | 26 | 87 | 113 | 80 | 60 | 5 | 15 | 20 | 22 | ||||
| KHL totals | 91 | 6 | 39 | 45 | 18 | 13 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | ||||
International
edit| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Sweden | WJC18 | 
|
6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |
| 2013 | Sweden | WJC |
|
6 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | |
| 2018 | Sweden | OG | 5th | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2018 | Sweden | WC | 
|
10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Junior totals | 12 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 12 | ||||
| Senior totals | 14 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | ||||
Awards and honours
edit| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| SHL | ||
| Le Mat Trophy (Färjestad BK) | 2022 | [10][11] |
References
edit- ^ "Mikael Wikstrand the lone Senators prospect in ufa". thehockeywriters.com. 28 June 2012. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
- ^ "Wikstrand could join Frolunda in the next couple of days". icehockeyrumors.com. 3 December 2012. Retrieved 3 December 2012.
- ^ "Senators sign defenceman Mikael Wikstrand to entry-level contract" (Press release). Ottawa Senators. 2 May 2014. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
- ^ "Senators prospect Wikstrand suspended". National Hockey League. 21 September 2015. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
- ^ "Senators broker temporary fix with Wikstrand". The Sports Network. 20 January 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
- ^ "Mikael Wikstrand in Kazan". Ak Bars Kazan. 13 June 2019. Retrieved 13 June 2019.
- ^ "Mikael Wikstrand moves home" (in Swedish). Färjestad BK. 3 May 2021. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
- ^ "After 750 days of struggle - now Wikstrand retires: "Have to live with the pain for the rest of my life"" (in Swedish). vf.se. 24 April 2024. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
- ^ "Mikael Wikstrand prospect profile". hockeysfuture.com. 4 March 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
- ^ "Färjestad wins it on the road". eurohockeyclubs.com. 12 May 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
- ^ "Färjestad BK are Swedish Champions" (in Swedish). Swedish Hockey League. 12 May 2022. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
External links
edit- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or The Internet Hockey Database