Loui Eriksson

Loui William Eriksson (born 17 July 1985) is a Swedish professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Eriksson was selected by the Dallas Stars in the second round, 33rd overall, at the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.

Loui Eriksson
Eriksson with the Boston Bruins in 2016
Born (1985-07-17) 17 July 1985
Gothenburg, Sweden
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 179 lb (81 kg; 12 st 11 lb)
Position Winger
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams
Vancouver Canucks
Frölunda HC
Dallas Stars
HC Davos
Boston Bruins
National team  Sweden
NHL Draft 33rd overall, 2003
Dallas Stars
Playing career 2003present

Playing career

Eriksson 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 at various tournaments and he finally landed on the junior team for Frölunda HC.

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).

Dallas Stars

Eriksson with the Stars in 2011

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.

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

Eriksson in 2014

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

On 1 July 2016, Eriksson signed a six-year, $36 million deal with the Vancouver Canucks. Eriksson has 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 attack 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.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2000–01 Västra Frölunda HC SWE U18 95384
2000–01 Västra Frölunda HC J20 10000
2001–02 Västra Frölunda HC SWE U18 11010 32130
2001–02 Västra Frölunda HC J20 35715222 50222
2002–03 Västra Frölunda HC J20 3016153110 65382
2002–03 Västra Frölunda HC SWE U18 21122
2003–04 Västra Frölunda HC SEL 4685134 101560
2004–05 Frölunda HC SEL 3959144 120000
2005–06 Iowa Stars AHL 7831296027 72570
2006–07 Iowa Stars AHL 1553813 92570
2006–07 Dallas Stars NHL 596131918 40110
2007–08 Dallas Stars NHL 6914173128 184488
2007–08 Iowa Stars AHL 21232
2008–09 Dallas Stars NHL 8236276314
2009–10 Dallas Stars NHL 8229427126
2010–11 Dallas Stars NHL 792746738
2011–12 Dallas Stars NHL 8226457112
2012–13 HC Davos NLA 73360
2012–13 Dallas Stars NHL 481217298
2013–14 Boston Bruins NHL 611027376 122354
2014–15 Boston Bruins NHL 8122254714
2015–16 Boston Bruins NHL 8230336312
2016–17 Vancouver Canucks NHL 651113248
2017–18 Vancouver Canucks NHL 501013234
2018–19 Vancouver Canucks NHL 8111182922
2019–20 Vancouver Canucks NHL 49671312
SHL totals 851314278 221560
NHL totals 968250343593192 34681412
Medal record
Representing  Sweden
Ice hockey
Winter Olympics
2014 Sochi
World Championships
2013 Sweden/Finland
2011 Slovakia
2009 Switzerland

International

Year Team Event Result   GP G A Pts PIM
2003 Sweden WJC18 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

  • 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

  1. "Stars sign Eriksson to 6-year extension". Dallas Stars. 2 October 2009. Retrieved 3 October 2009.
  2. "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.
  3. "Seguin, Eriksson swapped in seven-player trade". National Hockey League. 4 July 2013. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  4. "Loui Eriksson scores 200th NHL goal". National Hockey League. 13 February 2016. Retrieved 14 April 2016.
  5. Larsen, Karin (1 July 2016). "Loui Eriksson signs with the Vancouver Canucks". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 1 July 2016.
  6. Woodley, Kevin (15 October 2016). "Canucks rally to win season opener". National Hockey League. Retrieved 16 October 2016.
  7. "Canucks expect Eriksson (LBI) to miss time". The Sports Network. 5 March 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
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