Erik Ersberg

Erik Ersberg
Erik Ersberg during a National Hockey League game for the Los Angeles Kings against the Calgary Flames in Calgary in April 2009.
Born (1982-03-08) March 8, 1982 (age 42)
Sala, Sweden
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
Position Goaltender
Caught Left
Played for HV71
Los Angeles Kings
Salavat Yulaev Ufa
HC Donbass
Iserlohn Roosters
National team  Sweden
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 2001–2016

Erik Ersberg (born March 8, 1982) is a Swedish retired professional ice hockey goaltender. During his playing career, he made a total of 54 appearances in the National Hockey League with the Los Angeles Kings.[1] He is currently serving as the goaltending coach to the Vienna Capitals of the Austrian Hockey League (EBEL).

Playing career

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Ersberg in action

Ersberg started his ice hockey career playing for VIK Västerås HK in HockeyAllsvenskan (tier two in the Swedish league structure). For season 2005–06 he joined the Jönköping based elite club HV71.[2] As a backup goalie behind Stefan Liv, Ersberg guarded the net for ten games in his rookie season, ending the regular season with a save percentage of .929. In the Elitserien playoffs 2006 he played in two games with a .857 save percentage.

The following season he got his breakthrough and became starting goaltender for HV71 and was also selected for the Sweden national team in the 2006 Karjala Tournament and Channel One Cup. He is somewhat of a late bloomer as he has never before played for the national team, including youth and junior tournaments.[3] In season 2006–07 he was nominated as the second candidate for the title Elitserien Rookie of the Year.[4] On March 22, 2007 he was awarded the Honken Trophy, which is awarded to the Swedish goaltender of the year.[5] On May 31, 2007, Los Angeles announced on their web site that they have signed Ersberg to a one-year entry-level deal.[6] He started the 2007–08 season playing for Manchester Monarchs in the American Hockey League.

On February 21, 2008, the Kings recalled Ersberg from Manchester,[7] becoming the first Swedish-born goaltender in Los Angeles Kings franchise history.

February 23, 2008, Ersberg made his NHL debut against the Chicago Blackhawks at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. He replaced Dan Cloutier, who was pulled in the second period with the score 5-1. The Kings scored four goals in the third period to tie the game 5-5 and send it into overtime, where the Blackhawks scored for the 6-5 victory. Ersberg allowed only one goal on 19 shots, but earned the overtime loss.[8]

On March 6, 2008, Ersberg recorded his first career NHL win and shutout. He made 40 saves to defeat the Ottawa Senators 2-0. Ersberg became the first NHL rookie to make at least 40 saves in a shutout since November 14, 1996.[citation needed] He also broke the Kings' franchise single game record for saves by a rookie, breaking Gary Edwards' previous mark of 38 saves during the 1971–72 season.[9]

For the 2010–11 season, Ersberg was assigned to the Manchester Monarchs.[10] He proceed to leave the team without permission and on October 22, 2010, Ersberg was placed on waivers.[11][12] After clearing waivers two days later he had his contract terminated by the Kings for violating his contract.[12] He has since been playing for the Russian club Salavat Yulaev in KHL, before moving on to fellow KHL side Donbass Donetsk. After spending the 2013–14 season in Germany, representing the Iserlohn Roosters, Ersberg returned to Sweden and spent two years with HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He announced his retirement in July 2016.[13]

International play

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Medal record
Representing  Sweden
Ice hockey
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2011 Slovakia

Ersberg made his international debut for Sweden in a single game at the 2007 World Championships. He later competed in two games at the 2011 World Championships, helping claim the silver medal.

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP W L T/OT MIN GA SO GAA SV% GP W L MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2001–02 Västerås IK Ungdom Div.1 37 .930 10 2.19 .919
2002–03 Västerås IK Ungdom Allsv 32 91 1 2.84 .901
2003–04 Västerås IK Ungdom Allsv 20 79 3 2.45 .914
2004–05 Västerås IK Ungdom Allsv 37 76 3 2.08 .909 5 1.56 .946
2005–06 HV71 SEL 10 7 2 1 601 18 2 1.79 .929 2 0 2 78 4 0 3.05 .857
2005–06 VIK Västerås HK Allsv 2 4 0 2.02 .913
2006–07 HV71 SEL 41 22 12 7 2455 98 4 2.39 .908 14 7 7 776 35 0 2.81 .888
2007–08 Manchester Monarchs AHL 30 10 13 2 1540 75 1 2.92 .897
2007–08 Los Angeles Kings NHL 14 6 5 3 798 33 2 2.48 .927
2008–09 Los Angeles Kings NHL 28 8 11 5 1477 65 0 2.64 .900
2009–10 Los Angeles Kings NHL 11 4 3 2 551 22 0 2.40 .906 1 0 0 13 2 0 9.23 .500
2010–11 Manchester Monarchs AHL 2 1 1 0 119 4 0 2.02 .926
2010–11 Salavat Yulaev Ufa KHL 18 11 5 1 991 35 4 2.12 .926 20 1118 36 3 1.93 .933
2011–12 Salavat Yulaev Ufa KHL 24 11 5 4 1363 56 3 2.47 .921 6 2 4 367 13 1 2.13 .920
2012–13 HC Donbass KHL 21 5 10 6 1247 55 1 2.64 .912
2013–14 Iserlohn Roosters DEL 24 10 12 2 1298 54 3 2.50 .921 4 1 3 235 11 0 2.81 .925
2014–15 HV71 SHL 17 9 8 0 926 36 1 2.33 .907
2015–16 HV71 SHL 13 5 6 0 653 36 0 3.31 .897
NHL totals 53 18 19 10 2827 120 2 2.55 .910 1 0 0 13 2 0 9.23 .500

International

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Year Team Event Result GP W L T MIN GA SO GAA SV%
2007 Sweden WC 4th 1 0 1 0 59 4 0 4.06 .871
2011 Sweden WC 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 2 0 2 0 125 8 0 3.84 .904
Senior totals 3 0 3 0 184 12 0 3.92 .897

Statistics complete.[2][14][15][16][17]

Awards and honors

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Award Year
SHL
Honken Trophy (Swedish Goaltender of the Year) 2007 [5]
Rookie of the Year nominee 2007 [4]
KHL
First All-Star Team 2011
Gagarin Cup (Salavat Yulaev Ufa) 2011

References

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  1. ^ "Erik Ersberg Stats and News". National Hockey League. July 30, 2016. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Erik Ersberg". Elite Prospects. Retrieved November 8, 2006.
  3. ^ "Erik Ersberg uttagen i Tre Kronor". sr.se. October 30, 2006. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved December 17, 2006.
  4. ^ a b "Ersberg blev rookie #2" (in Swedish). hockeyligan.se. December 6, 2006. Archived from the original on July 19, 2011. Retrieved December 18, 2006.
  5. ^ a b Hasse Andersson (March 22, 2007). "Erik Ersberg får Honken Trophy" (in Swedish). HV71.se. Retrieved March 22, 2007. [dead link]
  6. ^ "KINGS SIGN PAIR OF PROSPECTS". LAKings.com. May 31, 2007. Archived from the original on March 18, 2009. Retrieved 2007-06-01.
  7. ^ "KINGS ANNOUNCE MULTIPLE TRANSACTIONS". LAKings.com. February 21, 2008. Archived from the original on May 19, 2011. Retrieved February 23, 2008.
  8. ^ "GOALKEEPERS". IHWC.net. Archived from the original on May 16, 2007. Retrieved May 13, 2007.
  9. ^ Los Angeles Times, Page D5, March 8, 2008.
  10. ^ "Kings Sign One; Assign Two". Los Angeles Kings. October 5, 2010. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
  11. ^ Hammond, Rich (October 22, 2010). "Ersberg heading out". LA Kings Insider. Retrieved October 24, 2010.
  12. ^ a b TSN.CA Staff (October 23, 2010). "Report: Kings' Ersberg clears waivers; could sign in KHL". The Sports Network (TSN). Retrieved October 24, 2010.
  13. ^ "Erik Ersberg avslutar karriären – blir tränare". Retrieved July 30, 2016.
  14. ^ "Erik Ersberg – player profile and career stats". European Hockey.Net. Retrieved November 8, 2006.
  15. ^ "Elitserien – Leading Goaltenders SVS%". Swedish Ice Hockey Association. Archived from the original on February 12, 2007. Retrieved March 21, 2007.
  16. ^ "Los Angeles Kings – Team: Erik Ersberg Official Player Page". LAKings.com. Retrieved April 10, 2008.
  17. ^ "theahl.com : Stats – Erik Ersberg (G)". American Hockey League. Retrieved April 10, 2008.
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