Viktor Fasth
| Viktor Fasth | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Born |
August 8, 1982 Kalix, Norrbotten County, Sweden | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 198 lb (90 kg; 14 st 2 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Catches | Left | ||
| Elitserien team Former teams |
AIK Växjö Lakers Hockey | ||
| National team |
 Sweden | ||
| Playing career | 2010–present | ||
Viktor Fasth (born August 8, 1982) is a Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing in AIK of the Elitserien.
Career
Viktor Fasth was born in Kalix, but grew up in Vänersborg. As an 18-year-old goaltender, Fasth played with the Brooklyn Tigers in the Swedish Division 2. The following season he played with Vänersborgs HC in Division 1. The following season, in 2002–03, he turned to the Tvåstad Cobras HC to return to Division 2. Tvåstad became promoted to Division 1 that season, and Fasth continued to play for them in the 2003–04 season. However, the Tvåstad Cobras HC team was shut down after the 2003–04 season due to financial problems,[1] and Fasth therefore moved to play in Tingsryds AIF in Division 1 for three seasons. In his 2006–07 season with Tingsryd he was the third best goaltender in Division F, with a 92.47% save percentage in 33 games. His biggest success in the team came in that season, when he helped the team reach the Kvalserien qualification for HockeyAllsvenskan for the first time since their relegation to Division 1 in the 2002–03 season. However, the team finished fourth in the Kvalserien qualification and thus remained in Division 1.
Fasth then signed with Växjö Lakers Hockey in the 2007–08 season (at that time in HockeyAllsvenskan) and played there for three seasons. He played well in all of these seasons, placing, in the leading goaltenders league, second in the 2007–08 season and first in the 2009–10 season.
After a successful 2009–10 season, which ended in play in the Kvalserien qualification for Elitserien, he signed a one-year contract with Elitserien newcomers AIK to make his debut season in Elitserien, the top ice hockey league in Sweden. Playing in 42 games, he posted an impressive 92.45% save percentage and placed third in the leading goaltenders league. He significantly contributed to AIK's success that season, reaching the semifinals in the playoffs. Viktor Fasth received both the Honken Trophy award and the Guldpucken (Golden Puck) award. In February 2011, Fasth extended his contract with the team by 2 years, which means the contract will expire after the 2012–13 season.[2]
International career
After goaltender Stefan Liv refused to play for Sweden in the 2011 World Championship,[3] Fasth was given a chance to play for Sweden in the 2011 World Championship. Fasth made his debut in Sweden's national team on April 6, 2011, in an exhibition game against Germany.[4] In the World Championship tournament he helped Sweden reach the final and led the leading goaltenders league until the gold medal game against Finland. However, Sweden lost the final and Fasth allowed 6 goals out of 32 shots in that game, and Fasth therefore landed in second place in the leading goaltenders league, with a 94.57% save percentage in 7 games and three shutouts. Despite the loss, Fasth was named the tournament's MVP (most valuable player) and best goalkeeper. He was also selected to the tournament's All-Star Team.
References
- ^ "Tvåstad Cobras lägger ned sitt A-lag" (in Swedish). Kristianstadsbladet. 2004-05-18. Retrieved 2011-05-16.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Fasth stannar i AIK" (in Swedish). AIK Hockey. 2011-02-09. Retrieved 2011-05-16.
- ^ "Stefan Liv tackar nej till VM" (in Swedish). Jnytt. 2011-03-17. Retrieved 2011-05-16.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Viktor Fasth efter Tre Kronor-debuten: "En pojkdröm som gick i uppfyllelse"" (in Swedish). Hockeykanalen. 2011-04-07. Retrieved 2011-05-16.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help)