Marcus Johansson (ice hockey, born 1990)
Marcus Lars Johansson is a Swedish professional ice hockey forward and alternate captain for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League. He was selected by the Washington Capitals in the first round, 24th overall, of the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.
In 2008–09, Johansson was part of the Färjestad BK team that became Swedish champions. Johansson is nicknamed "Mackan" and "MoJo" by fans and comes from a hockey family.
Playing career
Early career
In the 2005–06 season, Johansson recorded seven assists in 12 games for the IF Malmö in the under-18 HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden's second-highest level of professional hockey. He also tallied four assists in six playoff games.Professional career
Färjestad BK
In 2006–07, Johansson played for Färjestad BK's under-18 team and scored five goals with nine assists, with eight penalties-in-minutes, in 12 games. In eight playoff games, he scored seven goals with three assists. In Sweden's under-17 TV-pucken tournament, he played eight games for Skåne and had five goals with five assists, including 41 PIM.In 2007–08, Johansson split his second season with the Färjestad between their U18 team and on loan to Skåre in Sweden's third division before making his Elitserien debut in the playoffs. Johansson went scoreless three games, however, in the SEL playoffs. In 19 games with Skåre's senior team, he scored two goals and ten assists. He also scored 12 goals with 26 assists for Färjestad's U18 team. In the U18 playoffs, he scored four goals with eight assists in eight games.
In the 2008-09 season, Johansson saw limited ice time in his first full season in the SEL, as Färjestad BK finished the regular season at the top of the league, and continued to win the playoff championships. He scored five goals with five assists and was +4 in 45 games while averaging just less than 10 minutes of ice time per game. In the playoffs, he played in six of the team's 13 games and was a –1, averaging 7:23 minutes of ice time. Johansson was also loaned again to Skåre in Sweden's third league, where he scored five goals with five assists in ten games with the club.
At the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, Johansson was selected 24th overall by the Washington Capitals. Remaining in Sweden for the 2009–10 season, Johansson moved from winger to center in his second year with Färjestads and saw increased playing time with the Karlstad-based club. His ten goals were tied for fourth on the team, and he added ten assists in 42 games while averaging just over 14 minutes of ice time per game. For the season, he finished with an even plus-minus and just 10 PIM. Färjestads slipped to fifth, however, in the 12-team league, and fell to Skellefteå AIK in a seven-game series in the first round of the playoffs. Johansson had five assists and was an even plus-minus in the playoffs. In May 2010, he signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Capitals.
Washington Capitals
On 17 May 2010, Johansson was signed to a three-year entry-level contract with the Capitals. He recorded his first NHL goal on 19 October 2010 against Tim Thomas of the Boston Bruins. In his rookie season, in 2010–11, Johansson was a regular in Washington's lineup, typically centering the second or third lines. He played an average of 14:43 in 69 games, netting 13 goals and 14 assists. Following the 2014–15 NHL season Johansson became a restricted free agent under the NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement. The Washington Capitals made him a qualifying offer to retain his NHL rights and, on 5 July 2015, Johansson filed for Salary Arbitration.New Jersey Devils
With the Capitals facing cap constraints, on 3 July 2017, Johansson was traded to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for second and third round picks in 2018. On 5 July 2017, the Devils announced that Johansson would become the second player in team's history to wear a number in the 90–99 range after he chose to wear number 90 on his uniform.Boston Bruins
During the 2018–19 season, while in his final year under contract and with the Devils out of playoff contention, Johansson was dealt at the trade deadline on 25 February 2019, to the Boston Bruins in exchange for a second round pick in 2019 and a fourth round pick in 2020.Johansson would find chemistry with Bruins forwards Charlie Coyle and Danton Heinen on the Bruins' third line during the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs. Johansson and the Bruins would make it all the way the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals, where they were defeated by the St. Louis Blues, the eventual Stanley Cup champions, in seven games.
Buffalo Sabres
On 6 July 2019, Johansson signed as a free agent to a two-year, $9 million contract with the Buffalo Sabres, worth an average annual value of $4.5 million.International play
Johansson first represented Sweden with the nation's under-18 team at the IIHF World U18 Championship, recording four assists and a plus-minus rating of +5 in six games. The Swedes defeated Canada 8–3 in the bronze medal game. Johansson was again selected for Sweden's under-18 team in the IIHF World U18 Championship. In six games, he scored three goals, provided two assists and was a +3 as Sweden advanced to the bronze medal game for the second-straight year, but was beaten out by the United States, 6–3.Johansson then played for the Swedish junior team at the 2009 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, scoring two goals and finishing +5 in six games as Sweden reached the tournament final before falling to Canada, 5–1. Johansson served as captain of the Sweden for the 2010 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, scoring one goal providing five assists and posting a +7 plus-minus rating. In the third period of a game against the United States, Johansson received a game misconduct for elbowing forward Jerry D'Amigo, resulting in an automatic suspension for Sweden's bronze medal game with Switzerland, which Sweden ultimately won.
In 2014, Johansson was selected for the senior Swedish team to participate at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, where the Tre Kronor finished with a silver medal after falling to Canada in the final, 3–0. He finished with one assist in the tournament off of an Alexander Edler goal against Latvia.