Loui Eriksson

Loui William Eriksson (born 17 July 1985) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey forward.

Eriksson was selected by the Dallas Stars in the second round, 33rd overall, at the 2003 NHL entry draft, and has also played for the Boston Bruins, Vancouver Canucks, and Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Playing career Eriksson started playing for Lerums BK at a young age and excelled beyond others his age quickly. By age 11, he was already playing with the older under-16 team. His talent was recognized by coach Joshua Clemas, at various tournaments, and he finally landed on the junior team for Frölunda HC.

Eriksson's professional career began in the top-tier Elitserien, where he played for Frölunda, sometimes facing his future fellow Boston Bruins forward Carl Söderberg when playing against the Malmö Redhawks during his first two seasons with Frölunda. Eriksson won Rookie of the Year honours in 2004 at the age of 18 after posting eight goals and five assists in 46 games. A year later, Eriksson would post five goals and nine assists in 39 games, helping Frölunda win the Swedish ice hockey championship (SM-guld).

Dallas Stars (2006–2013)

In the 2003 NHL entry draft, the Dallas Stars drafted Eriksson in the second round with the 33rd overall pick. After playing in his second season with Frölunda, Eriksson moved to North America and appeared in two pre-season games for Dallas in 2005. His professional debut in North America came on 6 October 2005, with the Stars' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Iowa Stars, in a game where Eriksson posted his first assist and point of the season.

Eriksson's first NHL goal came in his debut, 4 October 2006, against the Colorado Avalanche.

Two years later, he had a break-out season in 2008–09, where he led the Stars with 36 goals, placing him fifth in the West and 12th overall in goal-scoring. He was one of only three Stars to play in all 82 games of the season.

Prior to the following season, on 2 October 2009, he was recognized as a significant offensive force of the Stars attack by re-signing to a six-year contract extension worth $25.5 million.

Eriksson participated in his first NHL All-Star Game in 2011. He had a goal and two assists as well as the eventual game-winning empty-net goal to lead all players with four points (matched only by Shea Weber with four assists). Eriksson finished the 2010–11 season with 73 points (27 goals and 46 assists) in 79 games and was named a finalist for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for most gentlemanly play for the first time in his career, which ultimately went to Tampa Bay Lightning forward Martin St. Louis.

Boston Bruins (2013–2016)

On 4 July 2013, Eriksson, along with prospects Joseph Morrow, Reilly Smith and Matt Fraser, was traded by the Stars to the Boston Bruins in exchange for Tyler Seguin, Rich Peverley and Ryan Button. In an injury-marred first season in Boston, after two concussions on separate hits from John Scott of the Buffalo Sabres and Brooks Orpik of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Eriksson would finish the 2013–14 season with 10 goals and 27 assists for 37 points in 61 games, finding chemistry with centre and fellow Swede Carl Söderberg.

On 13 February 2016, Eriksson scored his 200th NHL goal, as the third Bruins goal going towards a 4–2 road win against the Minnesota Wild. He finished the 2015–16 season with 30 goals and 33 assists for 63 points in all 82 games. He was named a finalist for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for the second time in his career, which ultimately went to Los Angeles Kings forward Anze Kopitar.

Vancouver Canucks (2016–2021) On 1 July 2016, Eriksson signed a six-year, $36 million deal with the Vancouver Canucks. Eriksson previously had success with Henrik and Daniel Sedin in international tournaments. He made his Canucks debut on 15 October 2016, against the Calgary Flames where he scored an own goal. With the Vancouver net empty due to a delayed penalty by the Flames and facing pressure from attacking players, Eriksson attempted to dump the puck into his own zone, however, a miscalculation in the heat of the moment lead to the puck entering the Canuck's net. Nevertheless, Vancouver would win 2–1 in the shootout, with Eriksson earning an assist on the game-tying goal by Daniel Sedin. On 5 March 2017 Eriksson suffered a season-ending knee injury after a collision with Anaheim Ducks forward Chris Wagner. Eriksson ended a disappointing first season with the Canucks with 11 goals and 13 assists in 65 games.

Eriksson would have another dismal and injury plagued season with the Canucks in 2017-18 finishing with 23 points in 50 games.

During the 2018-19 NHL season, Eriksson was able to stay healthy, but only scored 29 points in 81 games.

On 10 February 2021, Eriksson was placed on waivers.

Arizona Coyotes (2021–2022) On 23 July 2021, Eriksson was traded, along with Jay Beagle, Antoine Roussel, a 2021 first-round pick, a 2022 second-round pick and a 2023 seventh-round pick, to the Arizona Coyotes in exchange for Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Conor Garland.

On 6 December 2021, Eriksson played his 1000th NHL game in a 4-1 loss over his former team, the Dallas Stars.

Return to Frölunda and retirement Eriksson and the Pittsburgh Penguins attempted to reach a deal in late August 2023, however it eventually fell through. After going unsigned through by any other NHL team, Eriksson re-signed with Frölunda on 10 November 2022, marking his return to the SHL after 17 years in North America.

On February 10, 2025, Eriksson announced his retirement from professional hockey after 22 years, via a statement on Instagram.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2000–01 Västra Frölunda HC J18 Allsv 95384 ————— 2000–01 Västra Frölunda HC J20 10000 ————— 2001–02 Västra Frölunda HC J18 Allsv 11010 32130 2001–02 Västra Frölunda HC J20 35715222 50222 2002–03 Västra Frölunda HC J20 3016153110 65382 2002–03 Västra Frölunda HC J18 Allsv ————— 21122 2003–04 Västra Frölunda HC SEL 4685134 101560 2004–05 Frölunda HC SEL 3959144 120000 2005–06 Iowa Stars AHL 7831296027 72570 2006–07 Iowa Stars AHL 1553813 92570 2006–07 Dallas Stars NHL 596131918 40110 2007–08 Dallas Stars NHL 6914173128 184488 2007–08 Iowa Stars AHL 21232 ————— 2008–09 Dallas Stars NHL 8236276314 ————— 2009–10 Dallas Stars NHL 8229427126 ————— 2010–11 Dallas Stars NHL 792746738 ————— 2011–12 Dallas Stars NHL 8226457112 ————— 2012–13 HC Davos NLA 73360 ————— 2012–13 Dallas Stars NHL 481217298 ————— 2013–14 Boston Bruins NHL 611027376 122354 2014–15 Boston Bruins NHL 8122254714 ————— 2015–16 Boston Bruins NHL 8230336312 ————— 2016–17 Vancouver Canucks NHL 651113248 ————— 2017–18 Vancouver Canucks NHL 501013234 ————— 2018–19 Vancouver Canucks NHL 8111182922 ————— 2019–20 Vancouver Canucks NHL 49671312 100006 2020–21 Vancouver Canucks NHL 70112 ————— 2021–22 Arizona Coyotes NHL 73316196 ————— 2022–23 Frölunda HC SHL 341181910 134372 SHL totals 11924224618 3558132 NHL totals 1,050253360613200 44681418

International Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 2003 Sweden U18 5th 6 5 2 7 12 2004 Sweden WJC 7th 6 1 1 2 2 2005 Sweden WJC 6th 6 2 3 5 0 2009 Sweden WC 9 3 4 7 0 2010 Sweden OG 5th 4 3 1 4 0 2011 Sweden WC 9 3 1 4 2 2012 Sweden WC 6th 8 5 8 13 2 2013 Sweden WC 10 5 5 10 0 2014 Sweden OG 6 2 1 3 0 2015 Sweden WC 5th 8 4 6 10 0 2016 Sweden WCH 3rd 4 1 0 1 0 2019 Sweden WC 5th 8 1 3 4 0 Junior totals 18 8 6 14 14 Senior totals 66 27 29 56 4

Achievements Won SHL Rookie of the Year in 2003–04 Won SHL league championship in 2005 RBK AHL Rookie of the Month for March 2006 Voted the Iowa Stars' Rookie of the Year for the 2005–06 season 2011 NHL All-Star Game 2012-2013, 2015–2016, Lady Byng Trophy Finalist