P. J. Axelsson

Anders Per-Johan Axelsson (born 26 February 1975), commonly abbreviated to P. J. Axelsson, is a Swedish former professional ice hockey forward, who most recently played with Frölunda HC of the Swedish Elitserien. His nickname in Sweden is "Pebben", while his nickname in Boston is “Potatoes”. He was the longest-tenured member of the NHL's Boston Bruins at the time of his departure from North American play in 2009, having been with the Boston team from 19972009.

P. J. Axelsson
Born (1975-02-26) 26 February 1975
Kungälv, Sweden
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 183 lb (83 kg; 13 st 1 lb)
Position Left wing
Shot Left
Played for Västra Frölunda HC
Boston Bruins
National team  Sweden
NHL Draft 177th overall, 1995
Boston Bruins
Playing career 19932012
Medal record
Representing  Sweden
Winter Olympics
Gold medal – first place2006 Turin
World Championships
Silver medal – second place2003 Helsinki
Silver medal – second place2004 Prague
Bronze medal – third place2001 Cologne/Nuremberg
Bronze medal – third place2002 Gothenburg
World Junior Championships
Bronze medal – third place1995 Red Deer

Axelsson played as a left winger. Although he never gained the reputation of a premier goal scorer, Axelsson's gritty, unrelenting attitude as a solid, defensive-minded forward, and his ability to make smart plays on the ice made him a longtime fan favourite of the Boston Bruins, Frölunda HC, and the Swedish national team, Tre Kronor.

Playing career

Axelsson played four seasons for his hometown team, Frölunda HC, in the Swedish Elitserien before being drafted 177th overall in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft by the Boston Bruins.

Axelsson played all 82 games in his rookie season with the Bruins, helping them to reach the playoffs after the Bruins had missed out the previous season. He was one of the Bruins' key skill players during his career with them.

During the 2004–05 NHL lockout, Axelsson played for Frölunda HC in Sweden and helped the team become the champion of Elitserien. After the lockout, he returned to the United States to rejoin the Bruins. He became an Olympic champion with Sweden at the 2006 Winter Olympics.

On 23 March 2006, he signed a three-year extension to his contract with the Boston Bruins.[1]

On 21 February 2008, Axelsson played his 700th NHL game in Sunrise, Florida, a 5–4 shootout win over the Florida Panthers.

After helping the Bruins to the Eastern Conference semifinals during the 2008–09 NHL season, Axelsson signed a four-year contract with Frölunda HC on 27 July 2009. Upon his return, he was named as one of two alternate captains for the team.

On 10 April 2013, he announced his retirement from professional hockey.[2] Axelsson was subsequently hired by the Bruins as a European amateur scout.[3] He was partly responsible for the drafting by the Bruins of Swedish junior ice hockey defenseman Axel Andersson[4] in the second round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft as player #57 overall.[5] By the time of the 2021 NHL off-season, Axelsson had become the Bruins' European scouting co-ordinator, helping his former NHL team select Swedish junior forward Fabian Lysell as the Bruins' top pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.[6]

Personal life

Axelsson is married and has two children, a daughter named Wilma and a son named Wilson. During his spare time, he enjoys golf and football.[7] His younger brother Anton Axelsson is also a professional ice hockey player.

Career achievements

Records

  • Elitserien record for most assists in playoffs (10)

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1992–93 Västra Frölunda HC SWE U20 16 9 5 14 12
1992–93 Västra Frölunda HC Allsv 10000
1993–94 Västra Frölunda HC SEL 110004 40000
1994–95 Västra Frölunda HC J20 191692522
1994–95 Västra Frölunda HC SEL 82136
1994–95 Västra Frölunda HC Allsv 30000 50000
1995–96 Västra Frölunda HC SEL 361552010 1330310
1996–97 Västra Frölunda HC SEL 5019153434 30220
1997–98 Boston Bruins NHL 828192738 61010
1998–99 Boston Bruins NHL 777101718 121124
1999–2000 Boston Bruins NHL 8110162624
2000–01 Boston Bruins NHL 818152327
2001–02 Boston Bruins NHL 787172416 62136
2002–03 Boston Bruins NHL 6617193624 50006
2003–04 Boston Bruins NHL 787172416 62136
2004–05 Frölunda HC SEL 45991895 141101118
2005–06 Boston Bruins NHL 591018284
2006–07 Boston Bruins NHL 5511162752
2007–08 Boston Bruins NHL 7513162915 70002
2008–09 Boston Bruins NHL 756243016 110112
2009–10 Frölunda HC SEL 4710162651 51016
2010–11 Frölunda HC SEL 504101441
2011–12 Frölunda HC SEL 522121422 40002
2012–13 Frölunda HC SEL 496101610 20002
SEL totals 3486778145273 455121738
NHL totals 797103184287276 5443724

International

Year Team Event   GP G A Pts PIM
1995 Sweden WJC 7 2 3 5 2
2000 Sweden WC 6 1 3 4 2
2001 Sweden WC 9 3 6 9 12
2002 Sweden OG 4 0 0 0 2
2002 Sweden WC 5 3 3 6 4
2003 Sweden WC 9 4 3 7 16
2004 Sweden WC 7 2 3 5 8
2004 Sweden WCH 4 0 0 0 2
2005 Sweden WC 7 1 0 1 2
2006 Sweden OG 8 3 3 6 0
Senior totals 59 17 21 38 48

See also

References

  1. "Axelsson agrees to a three-year contract extension". Boston Bruins. March 23, 2006. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  2. ""Pebben" avslutar ishockeykarriären". Dagens Nyheter. 10 April 2013.
  3. "Bruins promote Gretzky, Hall of Famer's brother". ESPN. Associated Press. August 20, 2013. Retrieved January 27, 2014.
  4. Boston Bruins stats page on Axel Andersson
  5. Russo, Eric (June 23, 2018). "Draft Notebook: Sweeney Turns Focus to FA – Axel-sson". nhl.com/bruins. Boston Bruins. Retrieved June 24, 2018. One of the first calls second-round pick Axel Andersson received was from former Boston forward P.J. Axelsson, who is now a European scout for the clube. Both natives of Sweden, the two met prior to the draft during the interview process..."He called me four, five minutes ago and said congratulations," said the blue liner. "He just said that he was glad...and he just said that I was worth it, congratulations, and talked a little bit about development camp upcoming."
  6. Russo, Eric (July 27, 2021). "Axelsson Breaks Down Bruins European Draft Picks". nhl.com/bruins. National Hockey league. Retrieved July 28, 2021. The comparisons between P.J. Axelsson and Fabian Lysell end with the native country they share. The former Bruins forward made that quite clear...Axelsson, now the Bruins European Scouting Coordinator, was heavily involved in the club's pursuit of Lysell, who was selected with the 21st overall pick on Friday night in the 2021 NHL Draft.
  7. "Bruins Roster – P. J. Axelsson". Boston Bruins. Archived from the original on 11 November 2006. Retrieved 3 December 2006.
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