Johan Fransson
Encyclopedia
Johan Fransson is a Swedish
professional ice hockey
defenceman, playing with Luleå HF
of Elitserien
.
, Sweden
, where he in his youth played bandy
, winning the Swedish Championship for 13-year old's in 1998. Fransson attributes his good skating ability to having played bandy. In 2000–01 he represented Norrbotten
in TV-pucken
, and as a 15-year old played senior hockey for Kalix HF in Division 1 (Sweden's third tier).
For the 2001–02 season Fransson signed with Luleå HF
to play junior hockey. He made his Elitserien
debut for Luleå in 2002–03, but only played three games due to a groin injury which ruined most of the season for him. In 2003–04 Fransson became a regular on Luleå's roster, he had a successful season and was nominated as the Rookie of the Year
in Elitserien. In his first playoff game at senior level Fransson suffered a concussion after being checked
by Färjestads BK
's Peter Nordström
during the first game of the quarterfinal series. Fransson returned to play one more game in the series, as Luleå were eliminated in his comeback. After the season Fransson was predicted to have bright future ahead of him, and he continued playing well but not up to the highly set expectations during the 2004–05 season
, and the following season
Fransson's progress came to a halt as he struggled majorly during the course of the season. Luleå chose not to resigning him and Fransson decided to follow his Luleå teammate Karl Fabricius
and sign with Frölunda HC
, where he hoped to get his career back on track.
Fransson began the 2006–07 season
well despite that his team struggled, but after a coaching change from Stephan Lundh
to Per Bäckman
Fransson saw less and less ice time. Fransson was loaned from Frölunda to Ässät
in the Finnish
SM-liiga
, and eventually dealt from Frölunda to Linköpings HC
in exchange for Oscar Ackeström
. Fransson played eight regular season games and fifteen playoffs games without recording a point, as Linköping reached the Swedish Championship finals where they lost to Modo Hockey
. After a few tough seasons for Fransson he rebounded in 2007–08
as he scored a then career high five goals and fourteen points, and made his debut for Tre Kronor
. Fransson helped Linköping reach the Swedish Championship finals for the second year in a row, there they lost a 2–0 series lead to HV71
who won four consecutive games to win the Swedish Championships. In 2008–09
Fransson could not sustain his success from the preceding season and in January he was released by Linköping and signed with HC Lugano of the Swiss
National League A for the remainder of the season, recording two goals and a total of five points in seven regular season games, and two goals in four playoff games.
Fransson returned to Luleå for the 2009–10 season
, many wondered why they welcomed him back after several unsuccessful season, but by mid-December Fransson had already surpassed his previous record for most goals and points in a season, and by the end of the season he had scored eleven goals and thirty points—More than twice as much as his previous record. After the season Fransson signed a five-year contract to play for Luleå, but shortly after used a contract clause to sign for Dinamo Minsk
of the Kontinental Hockey League
(KHL), and a few weeks later Fransson signed his third contract of the off-season when he was contracted by the Los Angeles Kings
of the National Hockey League
(NHL).
He was loaned to SKA St. Petersburg by the Los Angeles Kings on October 13, 2010.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
defenceman, playing with Luleå HF
Luleå HF
Luleå Hockeyförening is an ice hockey club from Luleå, Sweden. Luleå is the most northern club in the league and has played in Elitserien constantly since the 1984-85 season. They have won the Swedish championships once, in 1996...
of Elitserien
Elitserien
Elitserien, is a professional ice hockey league composed of twelve teams in Sweden...
.
Playing career
Fransson was born in KalixKalix
Kalix is a locality and the seat of the Kalix Municipality in Norrbotten County, Sweden. The name Kalix is believed to have come from nomadic tribes, possibly of Sapmí origin, and is derived from the word "Kalasätno", meaning "The cold river"...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
, where he in his youth played bandy
Bandy
Bandy is a team winter sport played on ice, in which skaters use sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal.The rules of the game have many similarities to those of association football: the game is played on a rectangle of ice the same size as a football field. Each team has 11 players,...
, winning the Swedish Championship for 13-year old's in 1998. Fransson attributes his good skating ability to having played bandy. In 2000–01 he represented Norrbotten
Norrbotten
Norrbotten is a Swedish province in northernmost Sweden. It borders south to Västerbotten, west to Swedish Lapland, and east to Finland.- Administration :...
in TV-pucken
TV-pucken
TV-pucken is a Swedish national ice hockey tournament for district teams of boys under 15 years of age. It was created by hockey legend Sven "Tumba" Johansson....
, and as a 15-year old played senior hockey for Kalix HF in Division 1 (Sweden's third tier).
For the 2001–02 season Fransson signed with Luleå HF
Luleå HF
Luleå Hockeyförening is an ice hockey club from Luleå, Sweden. Luleå is the most northern club in the league and has played in Elitserien constantly since the 1984-85 season. They have won the Swedish championships once, in 1996...
to play junior hockey. He made his Elitserien
Elitserien
Elitserien, is a professional ice hockey league composed of twelve teams in Sweden...
debut for Luleå in 2002–03, but only played three games due to a groin injury which ruined most of the season for him. In 2003–04 Fransson became a regular on Luleå's roster, he had a successful season and was nominated as the Rookie of the Year
Elitserien Rookie of the Year
Elitserien Rookie of the Year is an annual award presented by Svenska Spel since the 1989–90 season.-Winners:...
in Elitserien. In his first playoff game at senior level Fransson suffered a concussion after being checked
Checking (ice hockey)
Checking in ice hockey is any one of a number of defensive techniques. It is usually not a penalty.- Types :There are various types of checking:...
by Färjestads BK
Färjestads BK
Färjestads Bollklubb is a Swedish professional ice hockey team based in Karlstad. Färjestad has had 18 Swedish Championship final appearances, winning nine times since Elitserien was started in 1975. The team plays in the highest Swedish league, and have done so since 1965...
's Peter Nordström
Peter Nordström
Hans Peter Nordström is a Swedish former professional ice hockey player. He played his last seasons for Leksands IF....
during the first game of the quarterfinal series. Fransson returned to play one more game in the series, as Luleå were eliminated in his comeback. After the season Fransson was predicted to have bright future ahead of him, and he continued playing well but not up to the highly set expectations during the 2004–05 season
2004–05 Elitserien season
The 2004–05 Elitserien season was the 30th season of Elitserien. It started on September 20, 2004, with the regular season ending March 1, 2005. The playoffs of the 81st Swedish Championship ended on April 11, with Frölunda HC taking the championship....
, and the following season
2005–06 Elitserien season
The 2005–06 Elitserien season was the 31st season of Elitserien. It ran from September 26, 2005 until March 6, 2006, with the Elitserien playoffs, the 82nd Swedish Championship, to April 18, with Färjestads BK taking the championship.-Final standings:...
Fransson's progress came to a halt as he struggled majorly during the course of the season. Luleå chose not to resigning him and Fransson decided to follow his Luleå teammate Karl Fabricius
Karl Fabricius
Karl Johan Oskar Fabricius is a Swedish professional ice hockey winger, currently playing for Lev Poprad, a team located in Poprad, Slovakia and playing in the KHL.-Regular season and playoffs:-External links:...
and sign with Frölunda HC
Frölunda HC
Frölunda Hockey Club, also known as the Frölunda Indians, are a Swedish professional ice hockey club based in Gothenburg. They are currently playing in the highest Swedish league, Elitserien, where they have played the majority of the seasons during its existence. The last time they played in the...
, where he hoped to get his career back on track.
Fransson began the 2006–07 season
2006–07 Elitserien season
The 2006–07 Elitserien season was the 32nd season of Elitserien. It began on September 18, 2006, with the regular season ending March 2, 2007. The playoffs of the 84th Swedish Championship concluded on April 14, with Modo Hockey defeating Linköpings HC to win their second championship title.-Final...
well despite that his team struggled, but after a coaching change from Stephan Lundh
Stephan Lundh
Stephan "Lillis" Lundh is Swedish hockey coach.Stephan coaching career started 1989 in Nacka. He was an assistant coach in Djurgården between 1990-98. Tre Kronor and then Malmö IF 1999-2004 and Frölunda HC 2004- November 7, 2006....
to Per Bäckman
Per Bäckman
Per Ole Bäckman is a retired Swedish professional ice hockey player, now coach. He is currently the head coach of the Danish national team. He was the coach for Färjestads BK when they won the Swedish Championship in 1997...
Fransson saw less and less ice time. Fransson was loaned from Frölunda to Ässät
Ässät
Ässät is an ice hockey team in the Finnish elite league, SM-liiga. They play in Pori, Finland at the Porin jäähalli.-Team history:...
in the Finnish
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
SM-liiga
SM-liiga
The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice...
, and eventually dealt from Frölunda to Linköpings HC
Linköpings HC
Linköpings Hockey Club, often known by its acronym LHC or, colloquially among its fans, Cluben, is an ice hockey team from Linköping, Sweden....
in exchange for Oscar Ackeström
Oscar Ackeström
Oscar Fredrik Ackeström is a professional Swedish ice hockey player. He is currently a defenseman for the Hannover Scorpions in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.-References:...
. Fransson played eight regular season games and fifteen playoffs games without recording a point, as Linköping reached the Swedish Championship finals where they lost to Modo Hockey
MODO Hockey
Modo Hockey is a professional ice hockey club in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. The club plays in Sweden's premier ice hockey league, the Elitserien. They were founded in 1921 and have won two Elitserien championships; in 1979 and 2007. The team's home arena is the Fjällräven Center since 2006...
. After a few tough seasons for Fransson he rebounded in 2007–08
2007–08 Elitserien season
The 2007–08 Elitserien season was the 33rd season of Elitserien. It began on September 24, 2007, with the regular season ending March 8, 2008. The playoffs of the 84th Swedish Championship ended on April 18, with HV71 taking the championship.-Rule changes:...
as he scored a then career high five goals and fourteen points, and made his debut for Tre Kronor
Sweden men's national junior ice hockey team
The Swedish men's national under 20 ice hockey team is the national under-20 ice hockey team in Sweden. The team represents Sweden at the International Ice Hockey Federation's World Junior Hockey Championship, held annually every December and January.Sweden's roster for the 1981 World Junior...
. Fransson helped Linköping reach the Swedish Championship finals for the second year in a row, there they lost a 2–0 series lead to HV71
HV71
HV71, often referred to as just HV, is a Swedish professional ice hockey club based in Jönköping, playing in the Swedish elite league Elitserien...
who won four consecutive games to win the Swedish Championships. In 2008–09
2008–09 Elitserien season
The 2008–09 Elitserien season was the 34th season of Elitserien. It began on September 15, 2008, with the regular season ending February 28, 2009. The playoffs of the 85th Swedish Championship ended on April 8, with Färjestads BK taking the championship...
Fransson could not sustain his success from the preceding season and in January he was released by Linköping and signed with HC Lugano of the Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
National League A for the remainder of the season, recording two goals and a total of five points in seven regular season games, and two goals in four playoff games.
Fransson returned to Luleå for the 2009–10 season
2009–10 Elitserien season
The 2009–10 Elitserien season was the 35th season of Elitserien. It started on September 21, 2009 and ended on March 13, 2010. The playoffs started on March 18, 2010 and ended on April 24, 2010. HV71 won the playoffs, beating Timrå IK 4–1 in the quarter final series, Skellefteå AIK 4–1 in the semi...
, many wondered why they welcomed him back after several unsuccessful season, but by mid-December Fransson had already surpassed his previous record for most goals and points in a season, and by the end of the season he had scored eleven goals and thirty points—More than twice as much as his previous record. After the season Fransson signed a five-year contract to play for Luleå, but shortly after used a contract clause to sign for Dinamo Minsk
HC Dinamo Minsk
Dinamo Minsk is an ice hockey team based in Minsk, Belarus. They are members of the Tarasov Division of the Kontinental Hockey League.Dinamo has qualified for the KHL playoffs only once, during the 2010-11 KHL season....
of the Kontinental Hockey League
Kontinental Hockey League
The Kontinental Hockey League is an international professional ice hockey league in Eurasia founded in 2008. As of 2009, it is ranked as the strongest hockey league in Europe....
(KHL), and a few weeks later Fransson signed his third contract of the off-season when he was contracted by the Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
of the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
(NHL).
He was loaned to SKA St. Petersburg by the Los Angeles Kings on October 13, 2010.
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... |
A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... |
Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... |
PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2002–03 2002–03 Elitserien season -Standings:-Playoffs:... |
Luleå HF Luleå HF Luleå Hockeyförening is an ice hockey club from Luleå, Sweden. Luleå is the most northern club in the league and has played in Elitserien constantly since the 1984-85 season. They have won the Swedish championships once, in 1996... |
SEL Elitserien Elitserien, is a professional ice hockey league composed of twelve teams in Sweden... |
3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 2003–04 Elitserien season The 2003–04 Elitserien season was the 29th season of Elitserien. It started in September 2003, with the regular season ending February 2004.-Final standings:- Scoring leaders :-Playoff bracket:... |
Lulea HF | SEL | 44 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 28 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 2004–05 2004–05 Elitserien season The 2004–05 Elitserien season was the 30th season of Elitserien. It started on September 20, 2004, with the regular season ending March 1, 2005. The playoffs of the 81st Swedish Championship ended on April 11, with Frölunda HC taking the championship.... |
Luleå HF | SEL | 43 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 30 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2005–06 2005–06 Elitserien season The 2005–06 Elitserien season was the 31st season of Elitserien. It ran from September 26, 2005 until March 6, 2006, with the Elitserien playoffs, the 82nd Swedish Championship, to April 18, with Färjestads BK taking the championship.-Final standings:... |
Luleå HF | SEL | 50 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 74 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 2006–07 2006–07 Elitserien season The 2006–07 Elitserien season was the 32nd season of Elitserien. It began on September 18, 2006, with the regular season ending March 2, 2007. The playoffs of the 84th Swedish Championship concluded on April 14, with Modo Hockey defeating Linköpings HC to win their second championship title.-Final... |
Frölunda HC Frölunda HC Frölunda Hockey Club, also known as the Frölunda Indians, are a Swedish professional ice hockey club based in Gothenburg. They are currently playing in the highest Swedish league, Elitserien, where they have played the majority of the seasons during its existence. The last time they played in the... |
SEL | 35 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 2006–07 SM-liiga season -Standings:-Preliminary round:* TPS - Pelicans 0:2 * Lukko - Ilves 1:2 -Quarterfinalss:* Kärpät - Pelicans 4:0 * Jokerit - Ilves 4:0... |
Ässät Ässät Ässät is an ice hockey team in the Finnish elite league, SM-liiga. They play in Pori, Finland at the Porin jäähalli.-Team history:... |
FNL SM-liiga The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice... |
6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Linköpings HC Linköpings HC Linköpings Hockey Club, often known by its acronym LHC or, colloquially among its fans, Cluben, is an ice hockey team from Linköping, Sweden.... |
SEL | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2007–08 2007–08 Elitserien season The 2007–08 Elitserien season was the 33rd season of Elitserien. It began on September 24, 2007, with the regular season ending March 8, 2008. The playoffs of the 84th Swedish Championship ended on April 18, with HV71 taking the championship.-Rule changes:... |
Linköpings HC | SEL | 48 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 24 | 16 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 16 | ||
| 2008–09 2008–09 Elitserien season The 2008–09 Elitserien season was the 34th season of Elitserien. It began on September 15, 2008, with the regular season ending February 28, 2009. The playoffs of the 85th Swedish Championship ended on April 8, with Färjestads BK taking the championship... |
Linköpings HC | SEL | 40 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 2008–09 Nationalliga A season This was the 2008-09 Nationalliga A season, the top level of ice hockey league of Switzerland.-Regular season:- Quarterfinals :* SC Bern - EV Zug 5:2 * EV Zug - SC Bern 3:2... |
HC Lugano | NLA | 7 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2009–10 2009–10 Elitserien season The 2009–10 Elitserien season was the 35th season of Elitserien. It started on September 21, 2009 and ended on March 13, 2010. The playoffs started on March 18, 2010 and ended on April 24, 2010. HV71 won the playoffs, beating Timrå IK 4–1 in the quarter final series, Skellefteå AIK 4–1 in the semi... |
Luleå HF | SEL | 54 | 11 | 19 | 30 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 2010–11 KHL season The 2010–11 KHL season is the third season of the Kontinental Hockey League. It was held from 8 September 2010 and ended on 16 April 2011.The season started with the Opening Cup game between the last season's finalists, Ak Bars Kazan and the new team that was created by merging last season's... |
SKA St. Petersburg SKA Saint Petersburg SKA Saint Petersburg is a Russian professional ice hockey club that plays in the Kontinental Hockey League. SKA is an abbreviation for "Sports Club of the Army"... |
KHL Kontinental Hockey League The Kontinental Hockey League is an international professional ice hockey league in Eurasia founded in 2008. As of 2009, it is ranked as the strongest hockey league in Europe.... |
38 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 22 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| SEL totals | 325 | 26 | 55 | 81 | 228 | 42 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 28 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 2004 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships The 2004 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships was held between December 26, 2003 and January 5, 2004 in Helsinki and Hämeenlinna, Finland... |
Sweden Jr. Sweden men's national junior ice hockey team The Swedish men's national under 20 ice hockey team is the national under-20 ice hockey team in Sweden. The team represents Sweden at the International Ice Hockey Federation's World Junior Hockey Championship, held annually every December and January.Sweden's roster for the 1981 World Junior... |
WJC | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| 2005 2005 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships The 2005 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships was held between December 25, 2004, and January 4, 2005, at the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and at the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, United States... |
Sweden Jr. | WJC | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| Junior int' totals | 40 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 57 | ||