Robert Nilsson
| Robert Nilsson | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | January 10, 1985 Calgary, AB, CAN |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) |
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) |
| Position | Centre |
| Shoots | Left |
| NLA team Former teams |
ZSC Lions New York Islanders Edmonton Oilers Salavat Yulaev Ufa Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod |
| National team |  Sweden |
| NHL Draft | 15th overall, 2003 New York Islanders |
| Playing career | 2002–present |
Robert Åke Nilsson (born January 10, 1985) is a Canadian-born Swedish professional ice hockey forward who is currently playing with ZSC Lions of National League A in Switzerland.
Playing career
Nilsson began his career in the Elitserien with Leksands IF in 2002–03. He recorded 21 points in his rookie season, breaking Markus Näslund's 13-year mark for most points by a 17-year-old in the league.[1] Nilsson was then drafted by the New York Islanders with the 15th overall pick in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.
He remained in Sweden an additional two seasons, which included a brief, seven-game stint with HC Fribourg-Gottéron of the Swiss Nationalliga A, before joining the Islanders in 2005–06. Nilsson scored his first NHL goal within a month of his debut on October 29, 2005, against the Buffalo Sabres. Nilsson, however, struggled to adjust to the NHL style of play and was sent down to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the Islanders' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate. After scoring 28 points (8 goals, 20 assists) in 29 games for the Sound Tigers, Nilsson was recalled to finish the year with the Islanders, recording 20 points in 53 total games during his NHL rookie season. At one point, Nilsson played on the top line with team captain Alexei Yashin and close friend Sean Bergenheim.
In 2006–07, Nilsson was sent back to the Sound Tigers to start the season. He remained with the club until February 27, 2007, when he was dealt to the Edmonton Oilers with Ryan O'Marra and the Islanders' 1st round pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft for Ryan Smyth. Nilsson transferred AHL teams accordingly and began playing in the Oilers' farm system with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. During a call-up, he scored his first goal as an Oiler on March 15, 2007. He would go on to record a combined 70 points during his next two seasons with the Oilers.
On June 30, 2010, the remainder of Nilsson's contract was bought out by the Oilers. He had one year remaining on his original three-year contract, and would have earned $2.5 million with a $2 million hit against the salary cap. With this buyout, Nilsson became an unrestricted free agent.[2]
On July 22, 2010, it became known that Nilsson had signed a 2-year contract with Salavat Yulaev Ufa of the Kontinental Hockey League.[3]
International play
Nilsson represented Sweden at the 2003, 2004 and 2005 World Junior Championships.
Personal life
Nilsson [4] was born in Canada while his father, Kent Nilsson, was a member of the NHL's Calgary Flames. The majority of his childhood, however, was spent in Sweden.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2002–03 | Leksands IF | SEL | 41 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2003–04 | Leksands IF | SEL | 34 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | HC Fribourg-Gottéron | NLA | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2004–05 | Djurgårdens IF | SEL | 23 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2005–06 | New York Islanders | NHL | 53 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Bridgeport Sound Tigers | AHL | 29 | 8 | 20 | 28 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2006–07 | Bridgeport Sound Tigers | AHL | 50 | 12 | 34 | 46 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 19 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 14 | 11 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 8 | ||
| 2006–07 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 71 | 10 | 31 | 41 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Springfield Falcons | AHL | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 64 | 9 | 20 | 29 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 60 | 11 | 16 | 27 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Salavat Yulaev Ufa | KHL | 41 | 5 | 22 | 27 | 28 | 21 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 2 | ||
| 2011–12 | Salavat Yulaev Ufa | KHL | 15 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Toros Neftekamsk | VHL | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod | KHL | 35 | 12 | 12 | 24 | 30 | 13 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 2 | ||
| NHL totals | 252 | 37 | 81 | 118 | 90 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Competitor for Sweden
| ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| World Championships | ||
| Silver | 2011 Bratislava | |
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Sweden | WJC18 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 2002 | Sweden | WJC18 | 8 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 |
| 2003 | Sweden | WJC | 6 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 4 |
| 2004 | Sweden | WJC | 6 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 6 |
| 2005 | Sweden | WJC | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 |
| 2008 | Sweden | WC | 9 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 |
| 2011 | Sweden | WC | 9 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 0 |
| Junior int'l totals | 32 | 11 | 13 | 24 | 26 | ||
| Senior int'l totals | 18 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 6 | ||
References
- ↑ "European prospects". USA Today. June 20, 2003. Retrieved August 16, 2009.
- ↑ "Oilers buyout Robert Nilsson's contract". The Sports Network. June 30, 2010. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
- ↑ "Father and son Nilsson leave town". Edmonton Journal. July 23, 2010. Retrieved July 24, 2010.
- ↑ http://espn.go.com/nhl/player/_/id/3181/robert-nilsson
External links
- Robert Nilsson's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
- Robert Nilsson's career statistics at EliteProspects.com
| Preceded by Sean Bergenheim |
New York Islanders first round pick 2003 |
Succeeded by Petteri Nokelainen |