Mats Zuccarello Aasen
Encyclopedia
Mats André Zuccarello Aasen (born 1 September 1987) is a Norwegian
Norwegians
Norwegians constitute both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway. They share a common culture and speak the Norwegian language. Norwegian people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in United States, Canada and Brazil.-History:Towards the end of the 3rd...

 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...

 winger
Winger (ice hockey)
Winger, in the game of hockey, is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. They typically work by flanking the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink...

 who plays for the Connecticut Whale of the American Hockey League
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...

 (AHL). Before he signed with the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 team, he played for 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...

 in the Swedish
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....

 Elitserien
Elitserien
Elitserien, is a professional ice hockey league composed of twelve teams in Sweden...

 for two seasons. In 2010, he won the Guldhjälmen
Guldhjälmen
Guldhjälmen is a Swedish ice hockey award, which is awarded annually to Elitserien's most valuable player as decided by a vote of its players....

(Golden Helmet), which is awarded annually to the most valuable player
Most Valuable Player
In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests...

 in the Elitserien, as decided by a vote of its players. Zuccarello is the seventh Norwegian to play in the NHL.

Early life

Zuccarello grew up in the suburbs of Løren in Groruddalen, Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...

. He is of Italian and Norwegian ancestry.
At 5 years old, he started playing hockey in Hasle-Løren. After some years in Hasle-Løren, he started playing for Vålerenga
Vålerenga Ishockey
Vålerenga Ishockey is an Oslo-based ice hockey club, and a part of the Vålerenga IF multi-sports club. Their home arena is Jordal Amfi, located in eastern Oslo. Jordal Amfi was built for the 1952 Winter Olympics. The mother club was founded in 1913, but the did not take up ice hockey until the late...

 where he stayed until the end of lower secondary school. By that time he had been scouted by the Frisk Tigers
Frisk Tigers
The Frisk Tigers are the ice hockey division of IF Frisk Asker, a Norwegian sports club whose members also participate in football. Officially, the hockey section is registered as IF Frisk Asker - Ishockey, but the club usually refers to itself as the Frisk Tigers or simply Frisk. They are based in...

, who offered him a scholarship at the Norwegian College of Elite Sport, which he accepted.

Norway and Sweden

Zuccarello began playing full-time for the Tigers in the GET-ligaen
GET-ligaen
GET-ligaen is the premier Norwegian ice hockey league, organised by the Norwegian Ice Hockey Federation. The league was known as 1. divisjon until 1990, when it was reorganized and named Eliteserien . That name was held until 2004 when cable TV company UPC became main sponsor...

, Norway's premiere league, as an 18-year-old. He scored 8 points over 21 games as a rookie in 2005–06. The following season
2006–07 GET-ligaen season
-Final standings:GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTW = Overtime Wins; OTL = Overtime Losses; GF = Goals For; GA = Goals Against; PTS = Points; =ChampionsSource: -Scoring leaders:...

, he improved to 59 points over 43 games, third in league scoring behind Jonas Solberg Andersen
Jonas Solberg Andersen
Jonas Solberg Andersen is a Norwegian professional ice hockey player.-External links:*...

 and Mathis Olimb
Mathis Olimb
Mathis Olimb is a Norwegian professional ice hockey forward, currently playing for Frölunda HC in the Elitserien. He is the older brother of fellow Norwegian international Ken André Olimb.-Playing career:...

. In 2007–08, Zuccarrello helped the Tigers to the best regular season record in the league. Zucarello finished third in league scoring a second consecutive season with 64 points, as he and Tigers teammates Chris Abbott
Chris Abbott (ice hockey)
Chris Abbott is a Canadian professional ice hockey player, who is a member of Luleå HF of the Swedish Elitserien. His twin brother Cameron Abbott is also a professional hockey player, and the pair have played together on several teams....

, Cam Abbott, and Marcus Eriksson ranked as the top four GET-ligaen scorers. Zuccarello added 27 points in 15 playoff games, as the Tigers advanced to the Finals, where they were defated in six games by the Storhamar Dragons
Storhamar Dragons
The Storhamar Dragons is an ice hockey club based in Hamar, Norway and plays in the GET-ligaen. The club also includes the largest junior department in Norwegian ice hockey.The ice hockey department of the Storhamar IL was founded on 18 March 1957...

.

After three seasons in the GET-ligaen, Zuccarello signed with 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...

 of the Elitserien
Elitserien
Elitserien, is a professional ice hockey league composed of twelve teams in Sweden...

, Sweden's premiere league. In his first season with Modo, he ranked third in team scoring with 40 points in 35 games. The following season, he led the team with 23 goals. With a league-leading 64 points, he was awarded the Guldhjälmen
Guldhjälmen
Guldhjälmen is a Swedish ice hockey award, which is awarded annually to Elitserien's most valuable player as decided by a vote of its players....

 as the league's most valuable player, as voted by Elitserien players.

New York Rangers

In the summer of 2010, he was signed as a free agent by the New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...

 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) to a two-year entry-level contract. He started the 2010–11 season
2010–11 NHL season
The 2010–11 NHL season was the 94th season of operation of the National Hockey League . It was the fourth consecutive season that opened in Europe with NHL Premiere . A record three events were scheduled, all in previous NHL Premiere cities: Helsinki, Finland; Stockholm, Sweden; and Prague, Czech...

 with the Hartford Wolf Pack
Hartford Wolf Pack
The Connecticut Whale is a professional ice hockey team based in Hartford, Connecticut. They play in the American Hockey League . They play their home games at the XL Center....

 (later re-named Connecticut Whale), the Rangers' American Hockey League
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...

 (AHL) affiliate to learn the North American rink dimensions. On 22 December 2010, he was called up to the Rangers following an injury to right winger
Winger (ice hockey)
Winger, in the game of hockey, is a forward position of a player whose primary zone of play on the ice is along the outer playing area. They typically work by flanking the centre forward. Originally the name was given to forward players who went up and down the sides of the rink...

, Marián Gáborík
Marian Gaborik
Marián Gáborík is a Slovak professional ice hockey right winger currently playing for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League . He began his career in the Slovak Extraliga with HC Dukla Trenčín for two seasons before being drafted third overall in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft by the...

. He made his NHL debut on 23 December against the Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They have one Stanley Cup championship in their history, in 2003–04. They are often referred to as the...

, becoming the seventh Norwegian player to play in the NHL, and the second undrafted one. Zuccarello logged 17 minutes and 52 seconds of ice time and registered two shots on goal in his NHL debut. As the game remained tied after overtime
Overtime (ice hockey)
Overtime is a method of determining the winner and loser of an ice hockey match when the scores are tied after regulation. The two main methods are the overtime period and the shootout.-Overtime periods:...

, Zuccarello scored in the shootout against Lightning goaltender
Goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender is the player who defends his team's goal net by stopping shots of the puck from entering his team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring...

 Dan Ellis
Dan Ellis
Daniel Ellis is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender who currently plays for the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League...

. The Rangers lost the game 4–3. Though he was re-assigned to the Whale immediately after the game, the Rangers recalled him once more for their next game on 27 December against the New York Islanders
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...

. He earned his first NHL assist during the contest, tying defenceman Anders Myrvold
Anders Myrvold
Anders Myrvold is a Norwegian ice hockey player, currently playing for Norwegian GET-ligaen club Frisk Tigers. He made his National Hockey League debut for the Colorado Avalanche on 6 October 1995, and has been part of the Norwegian national team...

 for the Norwegian player with the fewest number of games played before recording an NHL point. The Rangers won the game 7–2. Nine days later in his sixth game, Zuccarello scored his first NHL goal against goaltender Cam Ward
Cam Ward
Cameron Kenneth Ward is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League . Born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, he was raised in Sherwood Park, Alberta...

 three minutes into overtime, leading the Rangers to a 2-1 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League , and play their home games at the 18,680-seat RBC Center...

. On April 1, 2011 he was reassigned to Connecticut after playing 41 games for the Rangers.

On April 13, 2011, Zuccarello became only the second Norwegian to take part in NHL post season action when the New York Rangers lost 2-1 against the Washington Capitals.

International play

Zuccarello has represented Norway at the 2008 IIHF World Championship
2008 IIHF World Championship
The 2008 IIHF World Championship was played between May 2 and May 18, 2008 in the Canadian cities of Halifax and Quebec City . The two venues were the Halifax Metro Centre and the Colisée Pepsi...

 in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

, the 2009 IIHF World Championship
2009 IIHF World Championship
The 2009 IIHF World Championship took place in Switzerland from 24 April to 10 May. The games were played in the PostFinance Arena in Bern and Schluefweg in Kloten....

, the 2010 Winter Olympics
2010 Winter Olympics
The 2010 Winter Olympics, officially the XXI Olympic Winter Games or the 21st Winter Olympics, were a major international multi-sport event held from February 12–28, 2010, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, with some events held in the suburbs of Richmond, West Vancouver and the University...

 in Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

 and the 2010 IIHF World Championship
2010 IIHF World Championship
The 2010 IIHF World Championship was the 74th IIHF World Championship, an annual international ice hockey tournament. It took place between 7 and 23 May 2010 in Germany. The games were played in the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, SAP Arena in Mannheim, and one game at Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen...

 in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

. He had to withdraw from the 2011 IIHF World Championship in Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...

 due a hand fracture.

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
2004–05 Frisk Tigers
Frisk Tigers
The Frisk Tigers are the ice hockey division of IF Frisk Asker, a Norwegian sports club whose members also participate in football. Officially, the hockey section is registered as IF Frisk Asker - Ishockey, but the club usually refers to itself as the Frisk Tigers or simply Frisk. They are based in...

GET
GET-ligaen
GET-ligaen is the premier Norwegian ice hockey league, organised by the Norwegian Ice Hockey Federation. The league was known as 1. divisjon until 1990, when it was reorganized and named Eliteserien . That name was held until 2004 when cable TV company UPC became main sponsor...

1 0 0 0 0
2005–06 Frisk Tigers GET 21 5 3 8 12 4 0 0 0 2
2006–07
2006–07 GET-ligaen season
-Final standings:GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTW = Overtime Wins; OTL = Overtime Losses; GF = Goals For; GA = Goals Against; PTS = Points; =ChampionsSource: -Scoring leaders:...

Frisk Tigers GET 43 34 25 59 36 7 4 4 8 2
2007–08 Frisk Tigers GET 33 24 40 64 48 15 12 15 27 24
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...

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...

SEL
Elitserien
Elitserien, is a professional ice hockey league composed of twelve teams in Sweden...

35 12 28 40 38
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...

Modo Hockey SEL 55 23 41 64 62
2010–11
2010–11 AHL season
The 2010–11 AHL season is the 75th season of the American Hockey League. An all-time high of thirty teams will play 80 games each during the regular season schedule, which started on October 8, 2010 and ended on April 10, 2011...

Connecticut Whale AHL
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...

36 13 16 29 16 2 1 1 2 4
2010-11 New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...

NHL
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...

42 6 17 23 4 1 0 0 0 2
GET totals 98636813196 2616193528
SEL totals 903569104100
AHL totals 3613162916 21124
NHL totals 42617234 10002

International statistics

Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM
2004
2004 IIHF World U18 Championships
-Quarterfinals:-Semifinals:-Fifth place game:-Bronze medal game:-Gold medal game:-Final standings: and are relegated to Division I for the 2005 IIHF World U18 Championships.-Scoring leaders:-Goaltending leaders:...

Norway Jr.
Norway men's national junior ice hockey team
The Norwegian men's national junior ice hockey team is the national junior ice hockey team in Norway. The team represents Norway at the International Ice Hockey Federation's IIHF World U20 Championship....

WJC U18
IIHF World U18 Championships
The IIHF World U18 Championship is an annual event organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation for national under-18 ice hockey teams from around the world. The tournament is usually played in April and is organized according to a system similar to Ice Hockey World Championships and World...

6 0 2 2 8
2005
2005 IIHF World U18 Championships
-Final standings: and are relegated to Division I for the 2006 IIHF World U18 Championships.-Scoring leaders:-Goaltending leaders:- Group A in Maribor, Slovenia :-Group B in Sosnowiec, Poland :...

Norway Jr. WJC U18 (D1) 5 2 3 5 6
2006
2006 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
The 2006 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships were held in Vancouver, Kelowna, and Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada. The championships began on December 26, 2005, and finished on January 5, 2006. Games were played at GM Place and the Pacific Coliseum in Vancouver, the Interior Savings Centre in...

Norway Jr. WJC 6 0 2 2 4
2007
2007 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
The 2007 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships was the 2007 edition of the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships and was held in Mora and Leksand, Sweden between December 26, 2006 and January 5, 2007. The venues were FM Mattsson Arena in Mora, and Ejendals Arena in Leksand...

Norway Jr. WJC (D1) 5 2 5 7 2
2008
2008 IIHF World Championship
The 2008 IIHF World Championship was played between May 2 and May 18, 2008 in the Canadian cities of Halifax and Quebec City . The two venues were the Halifax Metro Centre and the Colisée Pepsi...

Norway WC
Ice Hockey World Championships
The Ice Hockey World Championships are an annual ice hockey tournament organized by the International Ice Hockey Federation . First officially held at the 1920 Summer Olympics, it is the sport's highest profile annual international tournament. The IIHF was created in 1908 while the European...

7 1 0 1 2
2009
2009 IIHF World Championship
The 2009 IIHF World Championship took place in Switzerland from 24 April to 10 May. The games were played in the PostFinance Arena in Bern and Schluefweg in Kloten....

Norway WC 6 3 0 3 8
2010 Norway OG
Ice hockey at the Olympic Games
Ice hockey tournaments have been staged at the Olympic Games since 1920. The men's tournament was introduced at the 1920 Summer Olympics and was transferred permanently to the Winter Olympic Games programme in 1924. The women's tournament was first held at the 1998 Winter Olympics...

4 1 2 3 2
2010
2010 IIHF World Championship
The 2010 IIHF World Championship was the 74th IIHF World Championship, an annual international ice hockey tournament. It took place between 7 and 23 May 2010 in Germany. The games were played in the Lanxess Arena in Cologne, SAP Arena in Mannheim, and one game at Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen...

Norway WC 6 3 1 4 2
Int' totals 23831114

External links

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