Kenneth Mattias Öhlund was born in Piteå, Sweden on September 9, 1976. Öhlund was a highly regarded prospect coming out of Sweden. He was a big, physical, skilled left-shot defenseman who admired the playstyle of Borje Salming while growing up. Öhlund himself was listed at 6 ‘4 and 230-lbs. He started his professional career with his hometown team, Piteå HC. In his first season in 1992-93, Öhlund registered 6-assists in 22-games. The following year he was heavily scouted by most NHL-teams and was a top prospect for the NHL Draft. He played in 28-games and had 7-goals and 17-points before being selected 13th overall in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft by the Vancouver Canucks.
Öhlund and Vancouver did not see eye-to-eye after the draft. Vancouver wanted to sign Öhlund, but both sides could not come to an agreement on a contract. Öhlund chose to stay in Sweden and played for Luleå HF in the SHL for the 1994-95 season. Öhlund also was selected to represent Sweden in the World Junior Championship that year. It was the start of a highly decorated international career with Sweden. Öhlund helped the team capture a Silver medal in the tournament with 2-assists in 7-games. With Luleå, Öhlund put up 16-points in 34-games. The following year, Öhlund picked up a bronze medal with Sweden at the WJC and helped Luleå secure the Le Mat Trophy, awarded to the top team in the SHL. Öhlund stayed with Luleå in 1996 and played 47-games with 16-points. He also secured another Silver Medal at the WJC and was named the best defenseman of the tournament.
Now 4-years after being drafted, the Toronto Maple Leafs tendered an offer-sheet to Öhlund on August 1, 1997. It was a 5-year $10-Million contract including a $7.5-Million signing bonus. It was an interesting proposition for Öhlund since Vancouver was limited to an entry-level contract as per the collective bargaining agreement. Vancouver still held the right to match this offer with a one-week deadline and they chose to match the deal on August 7th.
Öhlund made his debut with the Canucks in the 1997-98 regular season. Since it was the first year the NHL allowed its players to participate in the Olympics, Öhlund’s first career NHL game was played in Tokyo against the Mighty Ducks. Öhlund made an immediate impact with the Canucks and registered 30-points in 77-games. He was awarded the Babe Pratt Trophy as the team’s top defenseman in his rookie season and he finished 2nd for the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie—finishing behind Sergei Samsonov. After the season, Öhlund played in his second World Championship for Sweden capturing his first Gold Medal after getting a Silver the previous year.
In his sophomore season, Öhlund’s ice-time climbed to nearly 25-minutes per-game. He scored 9-goals and 35-points across 74-games. He participated in the All-Star game on the World Team as an injury alternate where he scored one goal and one assist in an 8-6 loss to North America. The following year, Öhlund suffered a career-altering injury in the pre-season when a puck deflected and hit his right eye. Öhlund had to undergo surgery to repair the vision in his eye and he missed the first 38-games of the season. Nonetheless, Öhlund was still Vancouver’s best defenseman earning another Babe Pratt Trophy with 20-points in 42-games while averaging nearly 27-minutes per-game. Öhlund underwent further surgery the next season and missed 17-games to correct a pressure build-up in his right eye. Öhlund had 28-points in 65-games and helped Vancouver qualify for the playoffs for the first time in his career. Vancouver was swept by the Avalanche, but Öhlund registered 4-points. Öhlund then joined Team Sweden in Germany and helped secure a Bronze medal at the World Championship.
Öhlund had a great season in 2001-02. He played in 81-games and set a career-high with 10-goals and 36-points. Along with teammate Ed Jovanovski, who finished 6th in Norris Trophy voting, Öhlund finished 10th in league voting that season. A knee injury in 2002-03 forced Öhlund to miss multiple games. He finished the season with just 59-games played, but set a career-high in assists with 27. Öhlund played in 13 of Vancouver’s playoff-games that year, but the team was eliminated in Game 7 by the Minnesota Wild in a hard-fought series. In 2003-04, Öhlund stayed healthy and didn’t miss a game. He had 34-points in 82-games while averaging close to 26-minutes per-game. He won his 3rd Babe Pratt Trophy, but Vancouver was knocked out in the first round by the eventual Stanley Cup finalists, Calgary Flames.
The 2005 lockout took a year away from Öhlund’s Canucks tenure, but during that season Öhlund participated in a charity hockey game set-up by teammate Brad May, where the group raised close to $1-Million for charity. Öhlund tied a franchise record in the 2005-06 season securing his 4th Babe Pratt Trophy as the team’s top defenseman with 33-points in 78-games. That year, Öhlund was also a part of the Swedish Olympic team that secured Gold in Turin. Öhlund missed the gold-medal game after suffering broken ribs, but the IOC still awarded him a gold-medal after protest from teammates Daniel & Henrik Sedin as well as Niklas Kronwall.
Öhlund had a solid season in 2006-07. He played in 77-games with 31-points. Vancouver got past Dallas in the first round of the playoffs, but were knocked out by the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim Ducks in 5-games. Öhlund had 7-points in 12-playoff games.
One of my favourite players growing up. I was as devastated to see him leave as when Naslund did the previous season.
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Mattias Öhlund — 770GP | 93G | 232A | 325P | 1998-2009
Kenneth Mattias Öhlund was born in Piteå, Sweden on September 9, 1976. Öhlund was a highly regarded prospect coming out of Sweden. He was a big, physical, skilled left-shot defenseman who admired the playstyle of Borje Salming while growing up. Öhlund himself was listed at 6 ‘4 and 230-lbs. He started his professional career with his hometown team, Piteå HC. In his first season in 1992-93, Öhlund registered 6-assists in 22-games. The following year he was heavily scouted by most NHL-teams and was a top prospect for the NHL Draft. He played in 28-games and had 7-goals and 17-points before being selected 13th overall in the 1994 NHL Entry Draft by the Vancouver Canucks.
Öhlund and Vancouver did not see eye-to-eye after the draft. Vancouver wanted to sign Öhlund, but both sides could not come to an agreement on a contract. Öhlund chose to stay in Sweden and played for Luleå HF in the SHL for the 1994-95 season. Öhlund also was selected to represent Sweden in the World Junior Championship that year. It was the start of a highly decorated international career with Sweden. Öhlund helped the team capture a Silver medal in the tournament with 2-assists in 7-games. With Luleå, Öhlund put up 16-points in 34-games. The following year, Öhlund picked up a bronze medal with Sweden at the WJC and helped Luleå secure the Le Mat Trophy, awarded to the top team in the SHL. Öhlund stayed with Luleå in 1996 and played 47-games with 16-points. He also secured another Silver Medal at the WJC and was named the best defenseman of the tournament.
Now 4-years after being drafted, the Toronto Maple Leafs tendered an offer-sheet to Öhlund on August 1, 1997. It was a 5-year $10-Million contract including a $7.5-Million signing bonus. It was an interesting proposition for Öhlund since Vancouver was limited to an entry-level contract as per the collective bargaining agreement. Vancouver still held the right to match this offer with a one-week deadline and they chose to match the deal on August 7th.
Öhlund made his debut with the Canucks in the 1997-98 regular season. Since it was the first year the NHL allowed its players to participate in the Olympics, Öhlund’s first career NHL game was played in Tokyo against the Mighty Ducks. Öhlund made an immediate impact with the Canucks and registered 30-points in 77-games. He was awarded the Babe Pratt Trophy as the team’s top defenseman in his rookie season and he finished 2nd for the Calder Trophy as the league’s top rookie—finishing behind Sergei Samsonov. After the season, Öhlund played in his second World Championship for Sweden capturing his first Gold Medal after getting a Silver the previous year.
In his sophomore season, Öhlund’s ice-time climbed to nearly 25-minutes per-game. He scored 9-goals and 35-points across 74-games. He participated in the All-Star game on the World Team as an injury alternate where he scored one goal and one assist in an 8-6 loss to North America. The following year, Öhlund suffered a career-altering injury in the pre-season when a puck deflected and hit his right eye. Öhlund had to undergo surgery to repair the vision in his eye and he missed the first 38-games of the season. Nonetheless, Öhlund was still Vancouver’s best defenseman earning another Babe Pratt Trophy with 20-points in 42-games while averaging nearly 27-minutes per-game. Öhlund underwent further surgery the next season and missed 17-games to correct a pressure build-up in his right eye. Öhlund had 28-points in 65-games and helped Vancouver qualify for the playoffs for the first time in his career. Vancouver was swept by the Avalanche, but Öhlund registered 4-points. Öhlund then joined Team Sweden in Germany and helped secure a Bronze medal at the World Championship.
Öhlund had a great season in 2001-02. He played in 81-games and set a career-high with 10-goals and 36-points. Along with teammate Ed Jovanovski, who finished 6th in Norris Trophy voting, Öhlund finished 10th in league voting that season. A knee injury in 2002-03 forced Öhlund to miss multiple games. He finished the season with just 59-games played, but set a career-high in assists with 27. Öhlund played in 13 of Vancouver’s playoff-games that year, but the team was eliminated in Game 7 by the Minnesota Wild in a hard-fought series. In 2003-04, Öhlund stayed healthy and didn’t miss a game. He had 34-points in 82-games while averaging close to 26-minutes per-game. He won his 3rd Babe Pratt Trophy, but Vancouver was knocked out in the first round by the eventual Stanley Cup finalists, Calgary Flames.
The 2005 lockout took a year away from Öhlund’s Canucks tenure, but during that season Öhlund participated in a charity hockey game set-up by teammate Brad May, where the group raised close to $1-Million for charity. Öhlund tied a franchise record in the 2005-06 season securing his 4th Babe Pratt Trophy as the team’s top defenseman with 33-points in 78-games. That year, Öhlund was also a part of the Swedish Olympic team that secured Gold in Turin. Öhlund missed the gold-medal game after suffering broken ribs, but the IOC still awarded him a gold-medal after protest from teammates Daniel & Henrik Sedin as well as Niklas Kronwall.
Öhlund had a solid season in 2006-07. He played in 77-games with 31-points. Vancouver got past Dallas in the first round of the playoffs, but were knocked out by the eventual Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim Ducks in 5-games. Öhlund had 7-points in 12-playoff games.
One of my favourite players growing up. I was as devastated to see him leave as when Naslund did the previous season.