Israelsson then moved to North American and began playing in the United States Hockey League with the Waterloo Black Hawks for the 2013-14 season. After playing in 10 games and posting a 6–3–0 record, Israelsson was traded to the Fargo Force in exchange for Cam Johnson.[3] On June 11, 2015, Israelsson committed to play NCAA hockey for Northern Michigan University.[4]
Israelsson began his freshman year at Northern Michigan University during the 2015–16 season. He played in four games and recorded a 2–2–0 record with a .922 save percentage.[5] The following year, he played in six games and was named a WCHA Scholar-Athlete and to the All-Academic Team.[5] In his junior year, Israelsson played in a career-high 11 games, posting a 2-5-2 record and was again named a WCHA Scholar-Athlete and to the All-Academic Team.[5] Before his senior year began, Israelsson, tired of playing backup, transferred to Minnesota State.[6]
International play
Israelsson represented Sweden at the 2011 World Junior A Challenge. While playing in the preliminary round, he became the first goaltender to recorded a shutout against Canada West.[7] Israelsson played in two games during the tournament and recorded a .943 save percentage to help Sweden place fourth.
^"2018 World Junior A Challenge". hockeycanada.ca. Retrieved December 23, 2018. Askarov became just the second goaltender to post a WJAC shutout against Canada West, joining Swedish puck-stopper Mathias Israelsson, who stopped all 37 shots he faced in a preliminary-round game in 2011.
