Magnus Pääjärvi

Magnus Pääjärvi
Pääjärvi with the St. Louis Blues in 2014
Born (1991-04-12) 12 April 1991 (age 33)
Norrköping, Sweden
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 208 lb (94 kg; 14 st 12 lb)
Position Left wing
Shoots Left
SHL team
Former teams		 Timrå IK
Edmonton Oilers
St. Louis Blues
Ottawa Senators
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
Dynamo Moscow
Malmö Redhawks
National team  Sweden
NHL draft 10th overall, 2009
Edmonton Oilers
Playing career 2007–present

Karl Magnus Svensson Pääjärvi (born 12 April 1991), surname also known as Pääjärvi-Svensson, is a Swedish professional ice hockey left winger, currently playing for Timrå IK of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). During his NHL career, Pääjärvi played for the Edmonton Oilers, St. Louis Blues and Ottawa Senators. He was drafted 10th overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers.

Early life

Pääjärvi is the son of former ice hockey player and coach Gunnar Svensson and Ingrid Maria Svensson-Pääjärvi, and the younger brother of Björn Svensson. Magnus Pääjärvi was born in Sweden while his father Gunnar was the coach and manager of IK Vita Hästen. Magnus uses the surname, formerly a hyphenated surname, in honour of his maternal grandfather, who was Finnish.[1]

Playing career

SHL

Pääjärvi began his professional career with Timrå in Sweden

Pääjärvi began playing ice hockey at the age of six. During the 2005–06 season, as a 14-year-old, he made his debut for Malmö Redhawks in the J20 SuperElit,[2] and scored eight goals in eight games during TV-pucken, leding Skåne to a silver medal. He also scored two goals when Malmö won the final of the Swedish Championship for 16-year-olds. In the following season, he played a steadier role for Malmö in the J20 SuperElit, and again led Skåne to a silver medal in TV-pucken.

In 2007, Pääjärvi signed with Timrå IK, where his older brother, Björn Svensson, played for the senior team. On 24 September, Pääjärvi made his Elitserien debut at the age of 16, five months and 12 days, becoming the fourth-youngest player in the Elitserien's history. In the game, he recorded an assist on Timrå's opening goal in the first period of play. His first career goal was a game winner in a 1–0 game against HV71 on 16 February 2008, assisted by linemate Anton Lander.

Pääjärvi with the Oilers in 2011

Pääjärvi was later drafted in the first round, tenth overall, by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.[3] He was also selected 19th overall by the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL)'s Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the 2009 KHL Entry Draft.

Pääjärvi was announced as a nominee for 2009–10 Elitserien Rookie of the Year on 20 January.[4]

NHL

Edmonton Oilers

On 2 June 2010, Pääjärvi signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Oilers ahead of the 2010–11 season.[5] On 2 September, Pääjärvi announced that he would be shortening his surname on his NHL jersey from "Pääjärvi-Svensson," as was hitherto written, to simply "Pääjärvi," and that he will wear the jersey number 91.[6][7]

On 23 September, in his first pre-season game with Edmonton, Pääjärvi scored a hat-trick and registered an assist for four points as the Oilers defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning, 5–2. On 7 October, Pääjärvi made his NHL regular season debut against the Calgary Flames. He then scored his first career NHL goal nine days later, on 16 October, against Flames goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff. Pääjärvi finished his rookie season with 34 points, finishing sixth on the team in scoring.

In the 2011–12 season, after recording three points in 25 games and having sat-out as a healthy scratch for six games, Pääjärvi was assigned to Edmonton's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Oklahoma City Barons.[8]

During the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Pääjärvi remained with Oklahoma in the AHL. When play resumed in January 2013 for the 48-game 2012–13 season, Pääjärvi played in 42 games, scoring nine goals and seven assists for 16 points, while also spending further time during the season with the Barons.[9]

St. Louis Blues

On 10 July 2013, Pääjärvi was traded, along with a second-round pick, to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for left winger David Perron.[10] Later in the off-season, on 2 August, Pääjärvi signed a two-year, $2.4 million contract with St. Louis.[11]

On 29 December 2014, the Blues placed Pääjärvi on waivers and, upon clearing, was assigned to St. Louis' AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, where he remained until the end of the 2014–15 season.[12] Prior to his demotion, he had played in ten games, registering just one assist.[13] Following the 2014–15 NHL season, Pääjärvi became a restricted free agent under the NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement. The St. Louis Blues made him a qualifying offer to retain his NHL rights and, on 5 July 2015, Pääjärvi filed for Salary Arbitration.[14]

Pääjärvi spent the majority of the 2015-16 season with the Blues, appearing in 48 games. Pääjärvi also skated in three playoff games. 2016-17 saw Pääjärvi have more of an even split, playing 32 games for the Blues and 26 for the Wolves. Again, Pääjärvi suited up for the Blues during the playoffs, scoring one goal and two assists.

Ottawa Senators

On 25 January 2018, the Blues placed Pääjärvi on waivers,[15] where he was claimed by the Ottawa Senators the following day.[16] Pääjärvi finished out the season with 12 points in 79 games.

On 30 May 2018, the Senators signed Pääjärvi to a one-year, $900,000 contract extension.[17] In his second and final season with Ottawa in 2018–19, Pääjärvi registered his highest points totals since his 2011 rookie season, contributing with 11 goals and 18 points in 80 games.

KHL

As a free agent leading into the 2019–20 season, Pääjärvi halted his NHL career to sign a two-year contract with Russian club, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl of the KHL, on 22 October 2019.[18]

In the midst of his final year under contract in the 2020–21 season, Pääjärvi added 3 goals and 11 points in 26 appearances before he was traded to HC Dynamo Moscow in exchange for Teemu Pulkkinen on 30 November 2020.[19] In 24 games with Dynamo, Pääjärvi posted a further four goals and eight points.

International play


Medal record
Representing  Sweden
Ice hockey
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2018 Denmark
Silver medal – second place 2011 Slovakia
Bronze medal – third place 2010 Germany
World Junior Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2010 Saskatoon
Silver medal – second place 2009 Ottawa
Silver medal – second place 2008 Pardubice

Pääjärvi made his international debut for Sweden at age 14 with the under-16 team during the 2005–06 season;[2] the following season, he became the scoring leader for the U16s.[20] During the 2008 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in Pardubice and Liberec, Czech Republic, at 16 years and eight months old, he became the youngest player ever to play for Sweden during a World Junior Hockey Championship.[21] During the tournament, he scored one goal,[22] and helped Sweden to the finals when assisting Mikael Backlund on Sweden's overtime game-winning goal against Russia in the semifinal.[23]

Pääjärvi played in the 2010 World Championships, where he led the senior Swedish team in scoring[24] and was selected to the tournament all-star team.[25] He contributed to Sweden's win at the 2018 World Championships by scoring three goals.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2005–06 Malmö Redhawks J18 Allsv 13 2 3 5 4 1 0 0 0 0
2005–06 Malmö Redhawks J20 2 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2006–07 Malmö Redhawks J18 3 3 3 6 0 — — — — —
2006–07 Malmö Redhawks J20 20 4 2 6 6 4 0 1 1 0
2007–08 Timrå IK J18 5 1 6 7 4 — — — — —
2007–08 Timrå IK J20 18 7 15 22 6 — — — — —
2007–08 Timrå IK SEL 35 1 2 3 2 11 0 0 0 2
2008–09 Timrå IK J20 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — —
2008–09 Timrå IK SEL 50 7 10 17 4 7 1 0 1 0
2009–10 Timrå IK SEL 49 12 17 29 6 5 0 1 1 2
2010–11 Edmonton Oilers NHL 80 15 19 34 16 — — — — —
2011–12 Edmonton Oilers NHL 41 2 6 8 4 — — — — —
2011–12 Oklahoma City Barons AHL 34 7 18 25 4 14 2 9 11 2
2012–13 Oklahoma City Barons AHL 38 4 16 20 10 — — — — —
2012–13 Edmonton Oilers NHL 42 9 7 16 14 — — — — —
2013–14 St. Louis Blues NHL 55 6 6 12 6 — — — — —
2014–15 St. Louis Blues NHL 10 0 1 1 6 — — — — —
2014–15 Chicago Wolves AHL 36 11 18 29 6 5 3 1 4 0
2015–16 Chicago Wolves AHL 7 4 3 7 2 — — — — —
2015–16 St. Louis Blues NHL 48 3 6 9 8 3 0 1 1 0
2016–17 St. Louis Blues NHL 32 8 5 13 6 8 1 2 3 2
2016–17 Chicago Wolves AHL 26 7 11 18 2 — — — — —
2017–18 St. Louis Blues NHL 44 2 2 4 8 — — — — —
2017–18 Ottawa Senators NHL 35 6 2 8 4 — — — — —
2018–19 Ottawa Senators NHL 80 11 8 19 6 — — — — —
2019–20 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl KHL 39 11 8 19 8 6 1 1 2 6
2020–21 Lokomotiv Yaroslavl KHL 26 3 8 11 5 — — — — —
2020–21 Dynamo Moscow KHL 24 4 4 8 4 10 1 0 1 2
2021–22 Malmö Redhawks SHL 17 2 1 3 2 — — — — —
SHL totals 151 22 30 52 14 23 1 1 2 4
NHL totals 467 62 62 124 78 11 1 3 4 2
KHL totals 89 18 20 38 17 16 2 1 3 8

International

Year Team Event Result   GP G A Pts PIM
2007 Sweden U18 1st place, gold medalist(s) 4 2 4 6 0
2008 Sweden WJC 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 6 1 1 2 0
2008 Sweden WJC18 4th 6 2 3 5 6
2009 Sweden WJC 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 6 2 5 7 6
2009 Sweden WJC18 5th 6 6 6 12 0
2010 Sweden WJC 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 6 3 7 10 2
2010 Sweden WC 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 9 5 4 9 2
2011 Sweden WC 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 9 2 5 7 2
2018 Sweden WC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 10 3 0 3 4
Junior totals 34 16 26 42 14
Senior totals 28 10 9 19 8

References

  1. ^ Bill Meltzer (7 November 2008). "Swedish prodigy Paajarvi could be top-5 pick". NHL.com NHL Entry Draft. the National Hockey League. Retrieved 25 November 2008.
  2. ^ a b Liljerås, Viktor (26 December 2008). "Jag är säker - vi tar guld". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 3 January 2009.[permanent dead link‍]
  3. ^ "Magnus Paajarvi". Edmonton Oilers. Retrieved 15 August 2010.
  4. ^ Feltenmark, Anders (20 January 2010). "Magnus Pääjärvi-Svensson, årets rookiekandidat". Svenska Ishockeyförbundet (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 12 June 2011. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
  5. ^ "Oilers sign Pääjarvi-Svensson". Edmonton Oilers. 2 June 2010.
  6. ^ "Oilers' Paajarvi Decides to Enter NHL with Shortened Name". 2 September 2010. Archived from the original on 5 September 2010. Retrieved 12 September 2010.
  7. ^ The Canadian Press (2 September 2010). "OILERS PROSPECT MAGNUS PAAJARVI DECIDES TO ENTER NHL WITH SHORTENED NAME". thehockeynews.com. Toronto: The Hockey News. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  8. ^ Dittrick, Ryan (16 December 2011). "THE TEAM TODAY: Tough Assignment". NHL.com. Edmonton Oilers. Retrieved 16 December 2011.
  9. ^ The Canadian Press (31 January 2013). "Oilers send Magnus Paajarvi to AHL". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  10. ^ "David Perron Traded To Oilers For Magnus Paajarvi And A Draft Pick". BleedinBlue.com. 10 July 2013. Retrieved 10 July 2013.
  11. ^ NHL.com (2 August 2013). "Blues, Paajarvi agree to two-year contract". NHL.com. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  12. ^ McCurdy, Bruce (29 December 2014). "Magnus Paajarvi placed on waivers by St. Louis — Should Edmonton Oilers give him another look?". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  13. ^ St. Louis Blues (30 December 2014). "Blues Assign Paajarvi to Chicago Wolves". St. Louis Blues. Retrieved 23 May 2015.
  14. ^ http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=773987[permanent dead link‍]
  15. ^ Pinkert, Chris (25 January 2018). "Schwartz activated from injured reserve". NHL.com. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
  16. ^ Pinkert, Chris (26 January 2018). "Paajarvi claimed off waivers by Senators". NHL.com. Retrieved 28 January 2018.
  17. ^ Sadler, Emily. "Senators sign Magnus Paajarvi to one-year extension". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  18. ^ "Magnus Paajarvi in Yaroslavl" (in Russian). Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. 22 October 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  19. ^ "Paajarvi-Svensson in Dynamo Moscow" (in Russian). HC Dynamo Moscow. 30 November 2020. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
  20. ^ "21. MAGNUS SVENSSON PÄÄJÄRVI" (PDF). Swedish Ice Hockey Association. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 December 2008. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
  21. ^ Feltenmark, Anders (17 December 2007). "Magnus Svensson Pääjärvi blir Sveriges yngste JVM-spelare" (PDF) (in Swedish). Swedish Ice Hockey Association. Retrieved 23 February 2008. [dead link‍]
  22. ^ "PLAYER STATISTICS BY TEAM" (PDF). IIHF. 5 January 2008. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 January 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
  23. ^ "PLAY-OFF ROUND SEMIFINALS GAME 28" (PDF). IIHF. 4 January 2008. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 January 2018. Retrieved 3 January 2009.
  24. ^ "Scoring Leaders" (PDF). IIHF. 23 May 2010. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 January 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  25. ^ "Media All Stars" (PDF). IIHF. 23 May 2010. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 January 2018. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
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Awards and achievements
Preceded by Edmonton Oilers first round draft pick
2009 		Succeeded by