Robin Kovacs

Robin Kovacs (born 16 November 1996) is a Swedish professional ice hockey forward for Linköping HC of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He was drafted 62nd overall by the New York Rangers in the 2015 NHL entry draft.

Playing career He made his Elitserien debut playing with AIK during the 2012–13 Elitserien season. Kovacs, who is of Hungarian descent, was seen as one of the top twenty international skaters for the 2015 NHL entry draft according to the NHL Central Scouting Bureau.

Kovacs played in four games with Rögle BK in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) during the 2015–16 season. After being loaned for the majority of the campaign back with AIK, Kovacs signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the New York Rangers on 18 July 2016.

In his first North American season in 2016–17, Kovacs struggled to adapt offensively in playing with the Rangers American Hockey League affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack. He appeared in 72 of 76 games with the Wolf Pack, totalling just 2 goals and 12 points. Having endured a troubling off-season in Sweden (see Personal life), and underperforming at the Rangers' 2017 training camp, Kovacs failed to play in a pre-season game as he was amongst the first roster cuts reassigned to Hartford on 19 September 2017. On 1 October 2017, Kovacs was placed on unconditional waivers in order to terminate the remainder of his contract with the Rangers and return to Sweden. On 7 October 2017, he signed a two-year deal with Luleå HF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). In April 2022 he signed a tree-year contract with Lausanne HC in Switzerland.

Personal life Kovacs has a neuropsychiatric disability, with ADHD and dyslexia. He has credited the conditions for helping progress his professional career.

Kovacs was found guilty and later fined for reckless driving in a fatal traffic accident involving a friend in June 2017.

He and his wife, retired Swedish national team goaltender Minatsu Murase, have three children – born in October 2018, September 2020, and November 2022.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2010–11 Flemingsbergs IK J18 13 6 5 11 10 — — — — — 2011–12 AIK J18 17 7 7 14 20 — — — — — 2011–12 AIK J18 Allsv 18 5 9 14 41 — — — — — 2012–13 AIK J18 18 18 16 34 59 — — — — — 2012–13 AIK J18 Allsv 18 14 16 30 24 5 4 4 8 8 2012–13 AIK J20 6 2 2 4 4 1 0 0 0 0 2012–13 AIK SEL 1 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 2013–14 AIK J18 1 0 0 0 12 — — — — — 2013–14 AIK J18 Allsv 6 2 5 7 39 — — — — — 2013–14 AIK J20 40 15 13 28 62 2 1 1 2 6 2013–14 AIK SHL 3 0 0 0 0 — — — — — 2014–15 AIK J20 9 5 5 10 8 — — — — — 2014–15 AIK Allsv 52 17 11 28 63 — — — — — 2015–16 AIK Allsv 44 21 13 34 54 7 1 3 4 29 2015–16 Rögle BK SHL 4 0 1 1 0 — — — — — 2016–17 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 72 2 10 12 20 — — — — — 2017–18 Luleå HF SHL 44 13 14 27 20 3 2 0 2 0 2018–19 Luleå HF SHL 52 11 22 33 38 10 2 3 5 6 2019–20 Luleå HF SHL 32 8 11 19 14 — — — — — 2019–20 Örebro HK SHL 18 4 8 12 18 — — — — — 2020–21 Örebro HK SHL 51 17 21 38 42 9 1 5 6 4 2021–22 Örebro HK SHL 52 21 20 41 26 6 1 5 6 0 2022–23 Lausanne HC NL 44 13 16 29 24 — — — — — 2023–24 Lausanne HC NL 36 8 14 22 14 8 1 5 6 4 2024–25 Linköping HC SHL 51 17 21 38 55 — — — — — SHL totals 308 91 118 209 213 28 6 13 19 14

International Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 2013 Sweden U17 6 1 0 1 4 2013 Sweden IH18 7th 4 1 0 1 2 Junior totals 10 2 0 2 6