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9. Mattias Ekholm

9. Mattias Ekholm

Mattias Ekholm played the first twelve years of his NHL career with the Predators, drafted in 2009 (102nd Overall) and arriving in 2012.

Ekholm spent his first year in North America in the Minors, and he would become a jack-of-all-trades blueliner for Nashville.  Ekholm might not be a player who will dazzle your senses, but the Swedish native does use his size expertly to either attack or defend and is equally skilled on the power play and penalty kill.  While he has never been named an All-Star, Ekholm finished tenth in Norris Trophy voting in 2018-19, the same season he was second in Defensive Point Shares.  

His long run with the Predators ended when the struggling team traded him to the Edmonton Oilers at the 2023 trade deadline.  The Defenseman socred 268 Points over 719 Games for Nashville.

The Bullet Points

  • Position: Defence
  • Acquired: Selected in the 4th Round, 102nd Overall 6/27/09.
  • Departed: Traded to the Edmonton Oilers with a 2024 6th Round Pick for Tyson Barrie, Reid Schafer, a 2023 1st Round Pick and a 2024 4th Round Pick 2/26/23
  • Games Played: 719
  • Notable Statistics:

    62 Goals
    206 Assists 
    268 Points 
    347 PIM 
    .37 PPG 
    +104 Plus/Minus 
    56.0 Point Shares

    75 Playoff Games
    6 Goals
    29 Assists 
    35 Points 
    74 PIM 
    .47 PPG 
    +12 Plus/Minus 

  • Major Accolades and Awards: None.

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