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SwedenNations in the NHL

Swedish NHL players 1986–87

21 Swedish players played in the NHL in 1986–87. Together they scored 731 points, the third most of any country, and Sweden finished third of 5 in the nations league. Mats Näslund scored the most, 80 points.

21
NHL players
731
Points
3rd
Nations league
0
Goalie wins
1986–87Active season80/82 games
1985–861987–88

SWEDISH LEADERS

In the nations league

3rd
of 5 ranked nations
14
league points
Rate2ndTop trio4thBlue line3rdGoalies4thPer million3rd

Sweden accounts for 3.1% of the NHL's players and 4.5% of its points.

The full nations league

Every Swedish player in the NHL, team by team

21 players across 14 teams.
BOSBoston Bruins3 players
Thomas GradinINACTIVE
C · 64 GP · 12G 31A43P
Michael ThelvénINACTIVE
D · 34 GP · 5G 15A20P
Mats ThelinINACTIVE
D · 59 GP · 1G 3A4P
MNSMinnesota North Stars2 players
Kent NilssonINACTIVE
C · 61 GP · 18G 45A63P
Mats HallinINACTIVE
C · 6 GP · 0G 0A0P
MTLMontréal Canadiens2 players
Mats NäslundINACTIVE
LW · 79 GP · 25G 55A80P
Kjell DahlinINACTIVE
C · 41 GP · 12G 8A20P
NYRNew York Rangers2 players
Tomas SandströmINACTIVE
RW · 64 GP · 40G 34A74P
Jan ErixonINACTIVE
LW · 68 GP · 8G 18A26P
PHIPhiladelphia Flyers2 players
Pelle EklundINACTIVE
C · 72 GP · 14G 41A55P
Kjell SamuelssonINACTIVE
D · 76 GP · 3G 12A15P
WINWinnipeg Jets2 players
Thomas SteenINACTIVE
C · 75 GP · 17G 33A50P
Fredrik OlaussonINACTIVE
D · 72 GP · 7G 29A36P
BUFBuffalo Sabres1 player
Mikael AnderssonINACTIVE
RW · 16 GP · 0G 3A3P
CGYCalgary Flames1 player
Håkan LoobINACTIVE
RW · 68 GP · 18G 26A44P
Show all 14 teams
HFDHartford Whalers1 player
Ulf SamuelssonINACTIVE
D · 78 GP · 2G 31A33P
NJDNew Jersey Devils1 player
Anders CarlssonINACTIVE
C · 48 GP · 2G 18A20P
NYINew York Islanders1 player
Tomas JonssonINACTIVE
D · 47 GP · 6G 25A31P
PITPittsburgh Penguins1 player
Willy LindströmINACTIVE
RW · 60 GP · 10G 13A23P
TORToronto Maple Leafs1 player
Börje SalmingINACTIVE
D · 56 GP · 4G 16A20P
VANVancouver Canucks1 player
Patrik SundströmINACTIVE
C · 72 GP · 29G 42A71P

Season by season

Sweden had 17 players in the NHL in 1990–91 and 103 in 2025–26. The peak was 2019–20, with 111. Under each bar is the nations league placing, in gold for the 6 seasons Sweden won.
2
2
2
428
194
4
4
2
346
399
3
2
5
546
405
6
3
3
163
210
2
2
2
285
115
1
4
3
296
320
1
1
3
3103
225

In the NHL Draft

25 Swedish players were picked in the 2026 NHL Draft, seven of them in the first round. Ivar Stenberg went first, at number 2 to the San Jose Sharks.

Every pick in 2026 →The draft through the years →

Swedish NHL players all time

Regular season, whole careers. The record seasons count completed seasons only.

Sweden against USA

The nations league's five categories plus raw points and player count. The higher value takes the round.
Sweden
Sweden
3rd in the league
3–4
USA
USA
4th in the league

USA wins 4–3 against Sweden.

0.59Points per game0.48
225Best trio245
0.38Defencemen's points per game0.37
–Goalies' save percentage.880
2.0NHL players per million inhabitants0.3
731Total points1 949
21Players in the NHL99
Sweden against USA season by season
Pick a rivalFinlandFinlandCanadaCanadaUSAUSACzechiaCzechia
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Continue reading

Top scorer
Mats Näslund
Sweden's top scorer in 1986–87.
The team
Montréal Canadiens
Where Mats Näslund plays.
Nations in the NHL
Every nation in the NHL
How many players each country has in the NHL, with a page for each.
Nations league
NHL battle of the nations 1986–87
The countries compared per player rather than in raw totals.
Home
The Swedes in the NHL today
The rest of the site follows the Swedes in the NHL.
The Swedes
Every Swede in the NHL
Team by team, with position and stats.