Johan Holmqvist

Johan Holmqvist
Date of birth	May 24, 1978
place of birth	Tolfta , Sweden
size	186 cm
Weight	88 kg
position	goalkeeper
Catch hand	Left
Draft
NHL Entry Draft	1997 , 7th lap, 175th position New York Rangers
Career stations
1993-1996	Tierps Hockey
1996-2000	Brynäs IF
2000-2003	Hartford Wolf Pack
2003-2004	Houston Eros
2004-2006	Brynäs IF
2006-2008	Tampa Bay Lightning
2008	Dallas Stars
2008-2011	Frölunda HC
2011-2015	Brynäs IF
2014-2015	Almtuna IS
2015-2018	Karlskrona HK

Johan Holmqvist (born May 24, 1978 in Tolfta ) is a Swedish ice hockey goalkeeper who was most recently under contract with Karlskrona HK in the Svenska Hockeyligan .

Career

Johan Holmqvist began his career in 1993 at Tierps Hockey in the second division in Sweden and played there for three years. In 1996 he moved to Brynäs IF in the Elitserien . After his first season, in which he only played two games, he was selected in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft by the New York Rangers in the seventh round at position 175.

In the 1997/98 season he was already a goalkeeper and was named Rookie of the Year. In 1998/99 he won the championship with Brynäs and stayed in Sweden for another year before moving to North America in the summer of 2000. There he began the season with the New York Rangers and came straight to his first two appearances in the NHL. However, he could not convince as he had conceded ten goals in the two games. He was then sent to the Hartford Wolf Pack , the farm team of the Rangers, in the AHL , where he played the season as their goalkeeper.

2001/02 and 2002/03 he received two short appearances in the NHL, otherwise he only played in the AHL. In March 2003 he was transferred from the Rangers to the Minnesota Wild . But they also first sent him to the AHL to their farm team, the Houston Eros . There he played eight more games in the 2002/03 regular season and went into the playoffs as a goalkeeper . He really blossomed in the playoffs and eventually led the team to win the Calder Cup . He himself was awarded the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as Most Valuable Player ( MVP ) of the Playoffs.

He got a new contract in Minnesota in the summer of 2003, but in the NHL team he got no chance and he continued to play for Houston. After winning the title, however, things didn't go particularly well and the team missed the playoffs.

In the fall of 2004, many NHL players switched to European teams because the 2004/05 season should be canceled due to the lockout . Holmqvist also moved to Brynäs IF in his home country. Just three days later, he was released from the Minnesota Wild. The season did not go very well with Brynäs and they had to end up in the Kvalserien , where they could still prevent relegation from the Elitserien .

In the summer of 2005, many players left the Elitserien again because the labor dispute in the NHL was ended. Holmqvist stayed with Brynäs because he no longer had an NHL contract and had not received an offer. In the 2005/06 season he was able to recommend himself again for the NHL. He played a very good season and in the end received the Honkens trofé as the best goalkeeper in the Elitserien. After the season he took part in the World Cup with the Swedish national team. Due to his good performance in the league, Holmqvist was number one in the "Three Crowns Team", which became world champion after beating the Czech Republic in the final . Holmqvist was named the best goalkeeper in the World Cup.

On June 1, 2006, he received a new NHL contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning , where he should actually take the role of the back-up -Goalie of Marc Denis . But through good performances and a phase of weakness from Denis, Holmqvist was able to prevail as the goalkeeper. When the entire team played poorly in the 2007/08 season and Holmqvist was no longer able to convince, the Tampa Bay Lightning brought a new goalkeeper in addition to Jeff Halpern and Jussi Jokinen with Mike Smith in late February 2008 and gave Holmqvist and Brad Richards for it Dallas Stars ex.

After the end of the season Johan Holmqvist moved to his home country Sweden to the Frölunda Indians in the Elitserien, for which he played from 2008 to 2011. For the 2011/12 season he moved within the league to his home club Brynäs IF.

Achievements and Awards

• 1999 Swedish champion with Brynäs IF
• 2003 Calder Cup win with the Houston Eros
• 2003 Jack A. Butterfield Trophy
• 2006 Honkens trofé
• 2006 gold medal at the world championship
• 2006 World Cup best goalkeeper
• 2009 Honkens trofé
• 2012 Swedish champion with Brynäs IF

Web links

• Johan Holmqvist at eurohockey.com
• Johan Holmqvist at eliteprospects.com (English)
• Johan Holmqvist at hockeygoalies.org