Victor Olofsson (born 18 July 1995) is a Swedish professional ice hockey left winger for the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). Olofsson was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the 7th round, 181st overall, in the 2014 NHL entry draft. He is the younger brother of Jesper Olofsson, also a professional ice hockey player.

Victor Olofsson
Olofsson with the Vegas Golden Knights in 2024
Born (1995-07-18) 18 July 1995 (age 29)
Örnsköldsvik, Sweden
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 182 lb (83 kg; 13 st 0 lb)
Position Left wing
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams
Vegas Golden Knights
Modo Hockey
Frölunda HC
Buffalo Sabres
National team  Sweden
NHL draft 181st overall, 2014
Buffalo Sabres
Playing career 2013–present

Playing career

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Swedish Hockey League

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Olofsson made his Swedish Hockey League (SHL) debut playing with Modo Hockey during the 2013–14 season.[1] At the conclusion of the 2015–16 season, Olofsson was unable to prevent Modo from relegation to the HockeyAllsvenskan. On April 3, 2016, Olofsson signed a two-year contract to remain in the SHL with Frölunda HC.[2]

Buffalo Sabres

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Olofsson in action against the Seattle Kraken in 2022.

At the conclusion of his contract with Frölunda HC following the 2017–18 season, Olofsson was signed to a two-year, entry-level contract with the Buffalo Sabres on April 24, 2018.[3]

Olofsson made his NHL debut for the Sabres on March 28, 2019. He recorded an assist in a loss to the Detroit Red Wings.[4] He scored his first NHL goal on the power play in his second game two days later in a loss to the New York Islanders.[5] In the 2019–20 Buffalo Sabres home opener, on October 5, 2019, Olofsson scored two power play goals en route to a 7–2 victory over the New Jersey Devils. On October 14, 2019, Olofsson set an NHL record for scoring the first seven goals of his NHL career on the power play in a 4–0 shutout of the Dallas Stars.[6]

Olofsson's impressive shot and ability to score have earned him the nickname Victor Goalofsson by the Buffalo fan base and the national media.[7] He also began to put himself in the picture to be a candidate for the 2019–20 Calder Memorial Trophy, which is awarded to the NHL's rookie of the year.[8] However, he endured a lower-body injury in a game against the Edmonton Oilers and was set to be out for 5–6 weeks.[9]

Vegas Golden Knights

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On July 2, 2024, having left the Sabres as a free agent, Olofsson signed a one-year, $1,075,000 million contract with the Vegas Golden Knights.[10]

International play

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Medal record
Representing   Sweden
Ice hockey
World Championships
  2024 Czech Republic

Olofsson represented Sweden at the 2024 IIHF World Championship and won a bronze medal.

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2011–12 Modo Hockey J18 21 15 12 27 2
2011–12 Modo Hockey J18 Allsv 18 4 3 7 2 2 1 0 1 0
2012–13 Modo Hockey J18 19 19 17 36 6
2012–13 Modo Hockey J18 Allsv 18 12 7 19 0 4 1 2 3 0
2012–13 Modo Hockey J20 7 2 3 5 0 6 0 1 1 0
2013–14 Modo Hockey J20 44 32 21 53 16 5 4 5 9 2
2013–14 Modo Hockey SHL 11 0 0 0 0
2014–15 Modo Hockey J20 6 1 3 4 0 5 3 5 8 0
2014–15 Modo Hockey SHL 39 10 8 18 4
2014–15 Timrå IK Allsv 8 2 0 2 0
2015–16 Modo Hockey SHL 49 14 15 29 6
2016–17 Frölunda HC SHL 51 9 18 27 2 14 4 8 12 0
2017–18 Frölunda HC SHL 50 27 16 43 8 6 3 1 4 2
2018–19 Rochester Americans AHL 66 30 33 63 12 3 0 0 0 0
2018–19 Buffalo Sabres NHL 6 2 2 4 2
2019–20 Buffalo Sabres NHL 54 20 22 42 6
2020–21 Buffalo Sabres NHL 56 13 19 32 6
2021–22 Buffalo Sabres NHL 72 20 29 49 6
2022–23 Buffalo Sabres NHL 75 28 12 40 4
2023–24 Buffalo Sabres NHL 51 7 8 15 4
SHL totals 200 60 57 117 20 20 7 9 16 2
NHL totals 314 90 92 182 28

International

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Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2015 Sweden WJC 4th 7 0 1 1 0
2021 Sweden WC 9th 7 3 1 4 2
2024 Sweden WC   9 1 3 4 0
Junior totals 7 0 1 1 0
Senior totals 16 4 4 8 2

Awards and honors

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Award Year
CHL
Champion 2017 [11]
SHL
Håkan Loob Trophy 2017–18
NHL
All-Rookie Team 2019–20

References

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  1. ^ "Modo Hockey 2013–14 player statistics". Eliteprospects.com. March 2, 2014. Retrieved March 2, 2014.
  2. ^ "Olofsson to Frolunda" (in Swedish). Frölunda HC. April 3, 2016. Retrieved April 3, 2016.
  3. ^ "Sabres sign Victor Olofsson". Buffalo Sabres. April 24, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2018.
  4. ^ "Victor Olofsson, young Sabres 'bring a spark,' but comeback falls short in OT loss". The Buffalo News. March 28, 2019. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
  5. ^ "Olofsson scores first NHL goal as Sabres fall to Islanders 5-1". WKBW-TV. March 30, 2019. Retrieved March 31, 2019.
  6. ^ "Olofsson sets rookie record in Sabres' win over Stars". Sportsnet. October 14, 2019. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  7. ^ "Victor Olofsson's game should translate well to the NHL". March 26, 2019. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  8. ^ Larkin, Matt (October 2, 2019). "Top 10 Calder Trophy candidates for 2019-20". The Hockey News. Retrieved October 18, 2019.
  9. ^ Ryndak, Chris (January 3, 2020). "Olofsson to miss 5-6 weeks due to injury". nhl.com. Retrieved March 10, 2020.
  10. ^ "Vegas Golden Knights Sign Forward Victor Olofsson to One-Year Contract". Vegas Golden Knights. July 2, 2024. Retrieved July 2, 2024.
  11. ^ Gustav Orbring (February 7, 2017). "Frölunda win CHL for second year running" (in Swedish). SVTSport.se. Retrieved February 7, 2017.
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