Player Profile: Mikael Backlund – Career High Season

Mikael Backlund
Centre
#11
6′-1″ 199lbs.
Shoots Left
Born March 17, 1989 in Vasteras, Sweden
Drafted 24th Overall in the 1st Round by the Flames in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft

(Stats from the Flames website)

In his last 5 games Backlund was on fire scoring 6 goals and 2 assists for a total of 8 points and averaged 2 shots on goal per game. He scored his first career hat-trick on April 7th against the Vancouver Canucks during that five game stretch.

This season Backlund played in all 82 games for the first time in his career and tallied 21 goals and 26 assists for 47 points placing him fourth in team scoring. Mikael also led the team in plus/minus with a +10 rating.

As reported by Wes Gilbertson in a Calgary Sun article, Backlund is most proud of his plus/minus rating than he is of his career high point total.

Backlund erased a -9 rating from a horrible start by him and the team and elevated his plus/minus to the +10 he finished with.

Backlund will suit up for Team Sweden in Moscow, Russia for the IIHF Ice Hockey World Championships in May. In an article on the Flames website, Backlund says his favourite part of playing the game is playing "with and against the best."

Backlund's international resume consists of a World Championship silver medal in 2011 along with bronze medals from 2010 and 2014. He also has back-to-back World Junior silver medals from 2008 and 2009.

by BizzleJ