CA’s All-Time Greatest Canucks Team: Mattias Ohlund

Vancouver has been lucky to have many consummate professionals on their team throughout the years, through Orland Kurtenbach to Pat Quinn and Trevor Linden to the Sedin Twins. One of the other pillars of professionalism and leadership during the history of the Canucks, is Mattias Ohlund. 

Ohlund was drafted in 1994 with the 13th overall pick in the draft. Four years passed, and he was unsigned and set to re-enter the 1997 NHL Draft. Instead, he signed a five-year, $10 million contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs, which the Canucks were given the opportunity to match within a week, and elected to do so. He debuted with the Canucks in the 1997-98 season, and even scored his first NHL goal against those same Maple Leafs. But as you’ll notice in this video from the new defunct 

, Mattias Ohlund didn’t truly have one career-defining moment as a Canuck. But he was a stable presence on the Canucks backend for 11 seasons, and won the Babe Pratt Trophy for best Canucks defenceman, four times (1998, 2000, 2004, 2006).

During his tenure with Vancouver, he represented Sweden seven times. In 1998, 2002 and 2006 he played for Sweden at the Winter Olympics, winning gold once (2006). Due to tough years in Vancouver at the beginning parts of Ohlund’s career, he had the opportunity to also play in three World Championships, coming home with medals every time, with a silver in 1997, a gold in 1998, and a bronze in 2002. He also participated in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, but failed to medal for Sweden. 

Despite leading the Canucks all-time in goals and points and playing 770 games in Vancouver, Mattias Ohlund flew under the radar during his time in Vancouver, due to the energetic Ed Jovanovski being his partner for a majority of his tenure. Widely regarded as a future Ring of Honour member in Rogers Arena, upon his eventual retirement from the Tampa Bay Lightning whom he signed a seven-year deal with in 2009 after leaving the Canucks, but hasn’t played a game for since 2011 due to a career-ending knee injury.