Axel Holmström (ice hockey)

Axel Holmström
Born (1996-06-29) June 29, 1996 (age 28)
Arvidsjaur, Sweden
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 198 lb (90 kg; 14 st 2 lb)
Position Centre
Shoots Left
Liiga team
Former teams		 Vaasan Sport
Skellefteå AIK
Grand Rapids Griffins
HV71
SC Langnau Tigers
NHL draft 196th overall, 2014
Detroit Red Wings
Playing career 2013–present

Axel Holmström (born June 29, 1996) is a Swedish professional ice hockey forward, currently playing for Vaasan Sport of the Finnish Liiga. Holmström was drafted 196th overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

Junior

During the 2013–14 season, Holmström recorded 15 goals and 23 assists in 33 games with Skellefteå AIK's J20 SuperElit team, as well as skating in four games for Skellefteå AIK. Holmström was ranked 90th by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau on their final list of the top draft-eligible European skaters leading into the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.[1][2]

Professional

During the 2014–15 season, Holmström recorded ten goals and ten assists in 44 games during the regular season. He was tied for second overall in the SHL among junior-aged players in scoring. Holmström helped Skellefteå AIK reach the SHL Finals, and led the league in postseason scoring with seven goals and 11 assists in 15 games, breaking the league record for playoff points by a junior player, previously held by Daniel and Henrik Sedin.[3] On June 15, 2015, the Detroit Red Wings signed Holmström to a three-year entry-level contract.[4]

During the 2016–17 season, Holmström recorded one goal and one assist in 16 games, while being limited by injury during the regular season. He recorded three goals and four assists in seven playoff games to lead his team in playoff scoring. On April 3, 2017, Holmström was reassigned to the Grand Rapids Griffins.[5] During the 2018–19 season, Holmström recorded 12 goals and 13 assists in 65 games for the Griffins.[6]

On April 30, 2019, Holmström returned to Sweden and signed a two-year contract with HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).[7]

International play

Holmström represented Sweden at the 2013 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, where he recorded one assist in four games.[8] He later represented Sweden at the 2014 IIHF World U18 Championships, where he was second-leading scorer during the tournament, recording three goals and eight assists in seven games.[9] Holmström represented Sweden at the 2015 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, where he recorded one goal and six assists in seven games.[10] Holmström again represented Sweden at the 2016 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, where he recorded one goal and five assists in seven games.[11]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2012–13 Skellefteå AIK J20 10 2 1 3 0 4 0 1 1 0
2013–14 Skellefteå AIK J20 33 15 23 38 12 2 0 0 0 0
2013–14 Skellefteå AIK SHL 4 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2014–15 Skellefteå AIK J20 3 0 4 4 0 — — — — —
2014–15 Skellefteå AIK SHL 44 10 10 20 4 15 7 11 18 0
2015–16 Skellefteå AIK SHL 48 8 15 23 20 10 2 4 6 2
2016–17 Skellefteå AIK SHL 16 1 1 2 0 7 3 4 7 0
2016–17 Grand Rapids Griffins AHL 7 1 1 2 2 4 1 0 1 0
2017–18 Grand Rapids Griffins AHL 66 7 19 26 4 2 0 1 1 0
2018–19 Grand Rapids Griffins AHL 65 12 13 25 6 — — — — —
2019–20 HV71 SHL 46 8 12 20 6 — — — — —
2020–21 HV71 SHL 42 5 8 13 12 — — — — —
2021–22 Vaasan Sport Liiga 59 7 14 21 10 — — — — —
2022–23 Vaasan Sport Liiga 49 13 27 40 16 — — — — —
2022–23 SC Langnau Tigers NL 7 1 0 1 0 — — — — —
2023–24 Vaasan Sport Liiga 53 20 17 37 22 2 1 1 2 0
SHL totals 200 32 46 78 42 32 12 19 31 2
Liiga totals 161 40 58 98 48 2 1 1 2 0

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2013 Sweden IH18 7th 4 0 1 1 2
2014 Sweden U18 4th 7 3 8 11 4
2015 Sweden WJC 4th 7 1 6 7 0
2016 Sweden WJC 4th 7 1 5 6 2
Junior totals 25 5 20 25 8

Awards and honours

Award Year
AHL
Calder Cup (Grand Rapids Griffins) 2017 [12]

References

  1. ^ "Red Wings use final two picks in NHL draft on forwards Axel Holmstrom, Alexander Kadeykin". MLive.com. June 27, 2014. Retrieved June 29, 2014.
  2. ^ "Wings drafted for added depth up the middle". Detroit Red Wings. June 28, 2014. Retrieved June 28, 2014.
  3. ^ "Axel Holmström på jakt efter poängrekord i slutspelet" (in Swedish). hockeysverige.se. April 3, 2015. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
  4. ^ "Wings Reassign Holmstrom, Griffins Release Spink". Grand Rapids Griffins. April 3, 2017. Archived from the original on April 4, 2017. Retrieved April 3, 2017.
  5. ^ "Detroit signs forward Axel Holmstrom". Detroit Red Wings. June 15, 2015. Retrieved June 15, 2015.
  6. ^ "Griffins' Axel Holmstrom signs with Swedish club". MLive.com. April 30, 2019. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  7. ^ "HV71 värvar Axel Holmström" (in Swedish). hv71.se. April 30, 2019. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  8. ^ "Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament Statistics". Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. August 12, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2013.
  9. ^ "Ice Hockey U18 World Championship Scoring Leaders" (PDF). IIHF. January 22, 2014. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 2, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
  10. ^ "World Junior Championship Player Statistics By Team" (PDF). IIHF. January 23, 2015. Retrieved January 23, 2015.
  11. ^ "IIHF World Junior Championship Player Statistics By Team" (PDF). International Ice Hockey Federation. January 5, 2016. Retrieved January 5, 2016.
  12. ^ "Grand Rapids Griffins win 2017 Calder Cup". NBC Sports. June 13, 2017. Retrieved June 13, 2017.


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