Mikael Backlund
| Mikael Backlund | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Born |
March 17, 1989 Västerås, Sweden | ||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) | ||
| Weight | 196 lb (89 kg; 14 st 0 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre / Left Wing | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team | Calgary Flames | ||
| National team |
 Sweden | ||
| NHL draft |
24th overall, 2007 Calgary Flames | ||
| Playing career | 2008–present | ||
Mikael Backlund (born March 17, 1989) is a Swedish professional ice hockey centre currently playing for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League (NHL). Backlund was a first round selection, 24th overall, of the Flames in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, and made his NHL debut in 2008–09. He played junior hockey for VIK Västerås HK in the J20 SuperElit and the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League (WHL). He was a member of Kelowna's WHL championship team in 2009.
Internationally, Backlund has represented Sweden on several occasions—he was a member of two silver medal-winning teams at the World Junior Championship, and has won a bronze and silver medal with the Swedes at the World Championship.
Playing career
Västerås HK
Backlund began his junior hockey career with the VIK Västerås HK organization in the J20 SuperElit, Sweden's premier junior league. His impressive two-way play earned him the opportunity to play for Västerås' senior team in the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan as a 16-year-old. In his debut on November 2, 2005, during an away game against Växjö Lakers, Backlund scored a goal in the first period of a 4–0 win and was selected as the player of the game for his team.[citation needed] He tallied four points in his 12 games in HockeyAllsvenskan during the 2005–06 season. That same season, Backlund was dominant in the 2006 TV-pucken, a national under-17 tournament in Sweden played among districts. Leading the tournament in goal- and point-scoring, he was selected as the most valuable player and given the Sven Tumba Award as best forward in the tournament.[1]
Backlund played another two seasons for Västerås HK, splitting time in the J20 SuperElit and HockeyAllsvenskan. During this time, he was selected in the first round, 24th overall, by the Calgary Flames in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. Scouts had ranked him second amongst European skaters.[2] Following the 2007–08 season, Backlund signed an entry-level contract with the Flames.[3] He impressed during the rookie camp but was not as successful during the main training camp,[4][5] and started the 2008–09 season playing on loan for Västerås back in HockeyAllsvenskan.[5] After his success in the 2009 World Junior Championships, he returned to Calgary and made his NHL debut on January 8, 2009, in a 5–2 win against the New York Islanders. Soon thereafter, the Flames assigned him to the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League (WHL) for the remainder of the 2008–09 season. Competing for the Rockets in the 2009 WHL playoffs, Backlund tied teammate Jamie Benn for the League lead with 13 goals in 19 games as Kelowna defeated the Calgary Hitmen in the final to win the Ed Chynoweth Cup.[6]
Calgary Flames
Backlund began the 2009–10 season with the Flames' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Abbotsford Heat. On January 26, 2010, he was called up to play on the NHL squad,[7] and scored his first NHL goal on January 28 against the Phoenix Coyotes. He split the season between the AHL and NHL, scoring 32 points in 54 games in Abbotsford, and ten points in 23 games with Calgary.[8] Though he spent most of the 2010–11 season in Calgary, Backlund struggled offensively early, andm after scoring just eight points in his first 32 games, was sat out of six consecutive games as a healthy scratch before being sent to Abbotsford on a brief conditioning stint.[9] He appeared in 73 games for the Flames, scoring ten goals and 25 points.[10]
Injuries plagued Backlund throughout 2011–12. He was expected to centre the Flames' top line between Jarome Iginla and Alex Tanguay, but suffered a broken finger in training camp that twice required surgery to repair and caused him to miss the first six weeks of the season.[11] He then suffered a shoulder injury in a mid-February game while attempting to confront a Vancouver Canucks player he felt had injured a teammate.[12] The injury ended his season, and in 41 games, he scored only 11 points.[13]
Following the season, the Flames re-signed Backlund to a new contract for the 2012–13 season, a one-year deal worth US$725,000.[14] However, with the season's start delayed by a labour dispute, Backlund returned to Sweden for the balance of the lockout. He re-joined Västerås and appeared in 23 games for the team, scoring 12 goals and 30 points before returning to North America after a new deal between the NHL and its players was reached. His performance with Västerås provided a confidence boost for Backlund, who said that he wanted to return to Calgary and "show everybody I can play way better."
In July 2013, the Flames re-signed Backlund to a two-year, $3 million contract extension.[15]
On June 20, 2015, Backlund signed a three-year, $10.725 million contract extension with Calgary.[16]
International
Backlund played for Sweden at the 2006 World U18 Championships, scoring one goal in three games. In 2007, he led Sweden to a U18 bronze medal when he scored a natural hat-trick in an 8–3 win over Canada in the bronze medal game. He led the tournament in goal-scoring with six goals in six games.[17]
Backlund was a member of the Swedish junior team that won back-to-back silver medals in the 2008 and 2009 World Junior Championships, losing to Canada in both instances. He scored the game-winning goal in overtime in the 2008 semi-final against Russia. The next year, he recorded a two-goal game in the semi-final against Slovakia.
After being eliminated in the second round of the AHL playoffs, Backlund was invited to play for Sweden's men's team at the World Championships, accepting the offer.
Personal life
Backlund is charitably active in both Calgary and Sweden. In Calgary, he is a spokesman for both the Special Olympics and the Kid's Cancer Care Foundation. Since 2013, he has donated $150 to the latter charity for each NHL point he records. In Sweden, Backlund participated in the Ride for Hope bicycle race and raised $27,000 for charity. The Flames recognized his charitable efforts by naming him the 2014 recipient of the Ralph T. Scurfield Humanitarian Award.[18]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2005–06 | Västerås HK | J20 | 25 | 15 | 16 | 31 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Västerås HK | Allsv | 12 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Västerås HK | J20 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2006–07 | Västerås HK | Allsv | 18 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Västerås HK | J20 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Västerås HK | Allsv | 37 | 9 | 4 | 13 | 24 | 14 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 4 | ||
| 2008–09 | Västerås HK | J20 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Västerås HK | Allsv | 17 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 39 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Kelowna Rockets | WHL | 28 | 12 | 18 | 30 | 26 | 19 | 13 | 10 | 23 | 26 | ||
| 2009–10 | Abbotsford Heat | AHL | 54 | 15 | 17 | 32 | 26 | 13 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 14 | ||
| 2009–10 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 23 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 73 | 10 | 15 | 25 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Abbotsford Heat | AHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 41 | 4 | 7 | 11 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Västerås HK | Allsv | 23 | 12 | 18 | 30 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 32 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 76 | 18 | 21 | 39 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 52 | 10 | 17 | 27 | 14 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 2015–16 | Calgary Flames | NHL | 82 | 21 | 26 | 47 | 28 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 380 | 72 | 103 | 175 | 143 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Sweden | U18 | 6th | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2007 | Sweden | U18 | 
|
6 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 6 | |
| 2008 | Sweden | WJC | 
|
6 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 10 | |
| 2009 | Sweden | WJC |
|
6 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 6 | |
| 2010 | Sweden | WC |
|
6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2011 | Sweden | WC |
|
9 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2014 | Sweden | WC |
|
10 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 29 | |
| Junior totals | 21 | 15 | 7 | 22 | 22 | ||||
| Senior totals | 25 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 33 | ||||
Awards and honours
| TV-pucken Most Valuable Player Award | 2006 | [1] |
| TV-pucken Sven Tumba Award Best forward |
2006 | [1] |
| Ralph T. Scurfield Humanitarian Award CGY – Leadership and community service |
2013–14 | [18] |
References
- ^ a b c "Hederspriser i TV-pucken" (PDF) (in Swedish). Swedish Ice Hockey Association. Retrieved May 9, 2011.
- ^ "ISS Top 30 for 2007 -- Final Ranking". hockeysfuture.com. June 12, 2007. Retrieved May 18, 2009.
- ^ "Flames sign 2007 draft choice Mikael Backlund". calgaryflames.com. May 2, 2008. Retrieved January 9, 2009.
- ^ Compton, Brian (August 29, 2008). "Nemisz burns bright among Flames prospects". NHL.com. Retrieved January 9, 2009.
- ^ a b "Flames prospect Backlund to spend remainder of season in North America". Canadian Press. NHL.com. January 7, 2009. Retrieved January 9, 2009.
- ^ Watts, Jesse (ed.). 2013–14 Western Hockey League Official Guide. Western Hockey League. p. 215.
- ^ "Backlund Recalled". calgaryflames.com. January 26, 2010. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
- ^ "Mikael Backlund hoping to make impact with Flames this year". The Sports Network. September 23, 2010. Retrieved January 8, 2012.
- ^ MacFarlane, Steve (January 2, 2011). "Backlund cool to Heat demotion". Calgary Sun. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
- ^ "Mikael Backlund profile". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
- ^ Sportak, Randy (November 10, 2011). "Flames Backlund to play Friday". QMI Agency. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
- ^ Gilbertson, Wes (February 11, 2012). "Let's hope Backlund injury isn't long term". QMI Agency. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
- ^ Cruickshank, Scott (October 4, 2012). "Backlund signs two-month deal with Swedish Elite League club". Calgary Herald. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
- ^ "Flames re-sign Mikael Backlund: NHL free agency roundup". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. July 5, 2012. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
- ^ Sportak, Randy (January 8, 2013). "Rejuvenated Backlund eager to show what he can do". Calgary Sun. p. S6.
- ^ "Flames ink Backlund to three-year deal". TSN. June 20, 2015. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
- ^ "GOAL SCORING LEADERS" (PDF). International Ice Hockey Federation. April 22, 2007. Retrieved January 9, 2009.
- ^ a b Smith, Sheldon (March 27, 2014). "Backlund earns Scurfield trophy". Calgary Herald. p. B10.
