Mattias Norlinder

Mattias Norlinder
Born (2000-04-12) 12 April 2000 (age 24)
Kramfors, Sweden
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Left
SHL team
Former teams		 Modo Hockey
Frölunda HC
Montreal Canadiens
NHL draft 64th overall, 2019
Montreal Canadiens
Playing career 2019–present

Mattias Norlinder (born 12 April 2000) is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenceman for Modo Hockey of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He was selected in the third round, 64th overall, by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2019 NHL entry draft.

Playing career

Europe

As a youth, Norlinder played junior hockey for Modo Hockey in the J20 SuperElit, winning the 2019 J20 SuperElit championship.[1][2]

He made his professional debut for Modo in the HockeyAllsvenskan during the 2018–19 season, playing 14 games with two goals and four assists. In March 2019, he signed a one-year professional contract with Modo.[3] In the 2019–20 season, he played 34 games for Modo with seven goals and eleven assists. Despite missing time with a concussion, he was named the best junior (Guldgallret) in the HockeyAllsvenskan that season.[4][5]

He was loaned to Frölunda HC in the 2020–21 SHL season, playing 37 games with five goals and five assists after missing time with a shoulder and a knee injury.[6][7]

North America

Norlinder was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the third round, 64th overall, of the 2019 NHL entry draft. The Canadiens signed Norlinder to a three-year, entry-level contract on 3 June 2021.[8] On 6 November 2021, Norlinder made his North American professional debut with the Canadiens' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Laval Rocket, in a 4–0 loss against the Syracuse Crunch.[9][10] Norlinder made his NHL debut with the Canadiens in a 6–0 loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins on 18 November 2021.[11][12] On 27 November 2021, he scored his first NHL point with an assist in a 6–3 win against the Penguins.[13][14] Having played six games with the Canadiens before returning to the Rocket, Norlinder was later reassigned on loan to continue his development and return to Swedish club, Frölunda HC, for the remainder of the season on 16 December 2021.[15]

Norlinder returned to North America for the 2022–23 season and played in 67 games with the Rocket scoring two goals and 19 points. He was assigned to Laval to begin the 2023–24 season.[16] Norlinder was recalled by Montreal on 21 November 2023 after Jordan Harris suffered a significant injury.[17] However, he saw no playing time with the Canadiens and, after David Savard came back from injury, he was returned to Laval on 10 December.[18]

Return to Europe

Prior to the beginning of the NHL free agency period, Norlinder was not tendered a qualifying offer by the Canadiens before the deadline of 30 June 2024, making him an unrestricted free agent.[19] On 2 September, after Norlinder trained with former club Modo Hockey in the preseason, the team began a crowdfunding campaign to raise 1,000,000 Swedish kronor ($97,500) in additional funds to sign him.[20] On 4 September, Norlinder officially signed a two-year contract with the team, turning down an offer from the Canadiens to do so.[21][22]

International play

Norlinder represented Sweden men's national junior ice hockey team at the 2020 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, winning a bronze medal.[8] He made his senior national team debut at the 2020 Karjala Tournament in the Euro Hockey Tour.[23]

Personal life

Norlinder's younger brother, Linus, is also an ice hockey player.[2]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2017–18 Modo Hockey J20 36 8 5 13 10 — — — — —
2018–19 Modo Hockey J20 30 5 16 21 43 5 2 4 6 6
2018–19 Modo Hockey Allsv 14 2 4 6 4 5 1 2 3 2
2019–20 Modo Hockey Allsv 34 7 11 18 2 2 1 0 1 0
2020–21 Frölunda HC SHL 37 5 5 10 12 7 3 2 5 6
2021–22 Montreal Canadiens NHL 6 0 1 1 2 — — — — —
2021–22 Laval Rocket AHL 6 1 1 2 2 5 0 1 1 2
2021–22 Frölunda HC SHL 21 0 2 2 2 9 0 6 6 8
2022–23 Laval Rocket AHL 67 2 17 19 20 2 0 0 0 0
2023–24 Laval Rocket AHL 50 2 7 9 26 — — — — —
SHL totals 58 5 7 12 14 16 3 8 11 14
NHL totals 6 0 1 1 2 — — — — —

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2020 Sweden WJC 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 7 0 0 0 0
2020 Sweden Karjala 4th 2 0 0 0 0
Junior totals 7 0 0 0 0
Senior totals 2 0 0 0 0

Awards and honors

Award Year Ref
HockeyAllsvenskan
Best junior (Guldgallret) 2020 [4]

References

  1. ^ Kournianos, Steve (27 June 2019). "NHL Draft results 2019: Final grades, analysis for all 31 teams". The Sporting News. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Mattias Norlinder". Eliteprospects.com. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  3. ^ Robin, Hedqvist (3 April 2019). "MODO Hockey förlänger med Mattias Norlinder" [MODO Hockey extends with Mattias Norlinder] (in Swedish). Modo Hockey. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  4. ^ a b Eriksson, Frank (4 March 2020). "Guldgallret till Mattias Norlinder" [Guldgallret for Mattias Norlinder] (in Swedish). Modo Hockey. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  5. ^ Hägglund, Per (4 March 2020). "Guldgallret till Mattias Norlinder: "Åh shit, väldigt inspirerande"" [Mattias Norlinder wins the Guldgallret: "Oh shit, very inspiring"]. Örnsköldsviks Allehanda (in Swedish). Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  6. ^ Cowan, Stu (17 November 2021). "Mattias Norlinder ready to make his NHL debut with Canadiens". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  7. ^ Kymmer, Peter Pettersson (2020). "Nummer 6 för sjuan" [Number 6 for the seventh] (in Swedish). Frölunda HC. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  8. ^ a b "Three-year, entry-level contract for Mattias Norlinder". Montreal Canadiens. 3 June 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021 – via NHL.com.
  9. ^ "Norlinder à Laval" [Norlinder in Laval]. TVA Sports (in French). 4 November 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  10. ^ "Laval Rocket @ Syracuse Crunch Saturday, November 6, 2021 Game Summary". American Hockey League. 6 November 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  11. ^ "Lines, defense pairings and updates - November 17". NHL.com. 17 November 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  12. ^ Rorabaugh, Seth (18 November 2021). "Penguins rout Canadiens as Sidney Crosby gets 1st goal of season". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  13. ^ Leijon, Erik (28 November 2021). "About Last Night: Habs win 6-3 with front office in flux". Montreal Gazette. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  14. ^ "Canadiens' Mattias Norlinder: Records first NHL point". CBS Sports. 28 November 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2021.
  15. ^ "Mattias Norlinder loaned to FHC for remainder of season". Montreal Canadiens. 16 December 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021 – via NHL.com.
  16. ^ "Canadiens' Mattias Norlinder: Heads to minors". CBS Sports. 9 October 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2023.
  17. ^ "Mattias Norlinder recalled from the Laval Rocket". Montreal Canadiens. 21 November 2023. Retrieved 5 December 2023 – via NHL.com.
  18. ^ "Canadiens' Mattias Norlinder: Dropped to minors". CBS Sports. 10 December 2023. Retrieved 15 December 2023.
  19. ^ "More than 60 players enter free agency after NHL's qualifying offer deadline". Sportsnet.ca. 30 June 2024. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  20. ^ "Supporterinsamling – hjälp oss att värva Norlinder!" [Supporter fundraising - help us recruit Norlinder!] (in Swedish). Modo Hockey. 3 September 2024. Retrieved 3 September 2024.
  21. ^ "MoDo dame le pion au CH grâce à une campagne de socifofinancement" [MoDo Beats CH thanks to crowdfunding campaign]. TVA Sports (in French). 4 September 2024. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  22. ^ O'Brien, Derek (4 September 2024). "Mattias Norlinder returns to Sweden; donations raised to pay contract". The Hockey News. Retrieved 4 September 2024.
  23. ^ Engels, Eric (16 September 2021). "Canadiens' Norlinder hoping to seize roster spot: 'I'm here to take a place'". Sportsnet. Retrieved 3 December 2021.