Skellefteå AIK

Skellefteå AIK
Skellefteå AIK
City	Skellefteå, Sweden
League	Swedish Hockey League
Founded	1 July 1921
Home arena	Skellefteå Kraft Arena; (capacity: 5,801)
Colors
General manager	Erik Forssell
Head coach	Robert Ohlsson
Captain	Jonathan Pudas
Website	skellefteaaik.se
Championships
Regular season titles	5 (1981, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2023)
Le Mat Trophy	4 (1978, 2013, 2014, 2024)
	Current season

Skellefteå AIK is a Swedish professional ice hockey club from Skellefteå. They currently play In the Swedish Hockey League. They play their home games in Skellefteå Kraft Arena, which seats 6,001 spectators. The team has won the Swedish Championship four times – in 1978, 2013, 2014 and 2024. They reached the SHL championship finals for six consecutive years between 2011–2016, tying Färjestad BK's streak between 2001 and 2006, winning two times.

History

Early years

Skellefteå AIK was founded on 1 July 1921 a Café Norden in Skellefteå,^[1] although ice hockey was not played until 1943, with only training matches being played the first season. In the 1943–44 season, the club played in the local league Skellefteserien, which could not be finished due to unsuitable hockey weather as the games were played outdoors.

In 1955 Skellefteå qualified for the highest league in Sweden. Around this time the team was led by the so-called "Mosquito Line", which consisted of

Djurgårdens IF

. Skellefteå AIK then played in Division 1 North until 1967. The club had difficulties qualifying for continued play in the Division 1 series but in 1975 the series was won and Skellefteå later finished in fourth place in SM-serien.

Elitserien

When the Swedish Elite League under the name Elitserien was formed in 1975, Skellefteå AIK was one of the teams participating.

In the 1977–78 regular season Martin Karlsson led the league in goals and points while Hardy Nilsson was the league's most penalized player. Skellefteå went on to win the playoffs led by a strong performance by Göran Lindblom (five goals and four assists in five games), becoming Swedish champions in 1978, and in 1981 Skellefteå won the regular season series.

In 1985, the club's hockey organization split from the mother club, and competed as Skellefteå HC until 1991, when the club would retake the Skellefteå AIK name.^[2]

Relegation

In 1990 Skellefteå was relegated but after 16 seasons of play in the Swedish second league (Allsvenskan). Skellefteå again qualified for the highest series and has played in Elitserien since 2006–07.

Return to the top tier

In their first year after promoting from the Swedish second league to Elitserien (now named the SHL), Skellefteå AIK became the best newcomer in Elitserien at that time with 73 points in 55 games. At one point during the 2007–08 season, Skellefteå led the league for the first time in 30 years. They also qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 1981 as the 8th seed. In the quarterfinals, Skellefteå were beaten by the eventual champions

Linköpings HC in 7 games, and in the series Skellefteå came back from a 1–3 deficit to win 4–3 in games. In game seven, Skellefteå won an overtime game that had gone to the 6th period (and thus had become the third longest playoff game in Elitserien history) with a goal by Kimmo Koskenkorva. In the semifinals, Skellefteå fell in four games to Färjestad BK who went on to win the Swedish Championship

.

The following season, Skellefteå faced Färjestad in the playoffs once again, this time in the quarterfinals. Skellefteå won the series in seven games and went on to play HV71. HV won in five games on their way to become the 2010 champions.

Skellefteå had the three highest scoring players in the league in the 2010–11 season – Joakim Lindström, Mikko Lehtonen and David Rundblad. In the playoffs Skellefteå made it to the finals for the first time in 33 years, but were defeated in five games by Färjestad.

In the 2011–12 season, Skellefteå would return to the Swedish Championship Finals, where they lost to Brynäs IF in six games.

In the 2012–13 season, the team won the regular season. In the playoffs, Skellefteå once again reached the Finals, where they met their northernmost rival, Luleå HF. Skellefteå swept Luleå in four straight games 4–0 and clinched the Swedish Championship for the first time since 1978, and only the second time in club history. Skellefteå finished the playoffs with an impressive 12–1 record, and became the first team since 2003 to sweep their opponents in the Finals.

In the

Djurgårdens IF did so with their consecutive Swedish Championship titles in 2000 and 2001. Skellefteå AIK also became the first team since Brynäs IF in 1976–77

to win consecutive Swedish Championships by not losing a single game in both Finals series. Their 8–1 crush in game three marked the biggest goal margin (7 goals) in a single Finals game in SHL history.

10,000 citizens of Skellefteå, celebrating Skellefteå AIK's first Swedish Championship title in 35 years.

In the 2014–15 SHL season, Skellefteå won their third consecutive regular season trophy.^[3] Doing so after having lost 14 players of top European class however, experts were impressed by the consistency of their managing, training and playing style. Going into the playoffs after their impressive regular season win, Skellefteå once again were huge favorites to win the le mat trophy. Although experts generally agreed that they were going to face a tougher challenge this year.^[4]

In the round of quarter finals Skellefteå once again had to face their opponent from the finals of 2012, Brynäs IF. Even though Skellefteå did sweep Brynäs in four consecutive quarterfinal games, some people started wondering if the dynasty of Skellefteå was over. Those wonderings mostly appeared due to the tightness and even scorelines of the quarter final games.^[5]

In the 2015 semifinals, Skellefteå for the third consecutive year had to face Linköpings HC. Once again Skellefteå was going to prove the experts, who predicted a tight and tough series of games, wrong. With the round of semifinals ending 4–1 in favor to Skellefteå, they went into the finals as huge favorites.^[6]

The first game in the round of finals 2015 was played on 12 April between Skellefteå AIK and Växjö Lakers. The Lakers surprised most people when they "stole" Skellefteå's home game and won with two goals to one.^[7] The second game of the finals was by most media described as a "do or die game" for Skellefteå, arguing that a 2-0 lead for Växjö would be too difficult for Skellefteå to turn into a victory. Skellefteå AIK themselves however did not agree at all, but did emphasize the needs of improvement in the play around the nets.^[8] This was something they did manage to improve and it resulted in a clean sheet victory with three goals to nil. With the impressive 0–3 victory behind them, Skellefteå AIK was once again seen as the major favorites to win the le mat trophy.^[9]^[10]

Season-by-season record

Season	Level	Division	Record		Avg. home atnd.	Notes
Season	Level	Division	Position	W-T-L W-OT-L	Avg. home atnd.	Notes
This is a partial list featuring the past seasons. For prior seasons, see List of Skellefteå AIK seasons.
2017–18	Tier 1	SHL	5th	26–3–3–20	4,642
2017–18	Swedish Championship playoffs		—	8–8	5,534	Won in quarterfinals, 4–2 vs Djurgården Lost in finals, 0–4 vs Växjö
2018–19	Tier 1	SHL	5th	19–10–7–16	4,523
2018–19	Swedish Championship playoffs		—	2–4	5,456	Lost in quarterfinals, 2–4 vs Djurgården
2019–20	Tier 1	SHL	4th	27–4–1–20	4,697	SHL playoffs were cancelled
2020–21	Tier 1	SHL	4th	24–8–5–15	18
2020–21	Swedish Championship playoffs		—	6–5	0	Won in quarterfinals, 4–3 vs Luleå Lost in semifinals, 2–3 vs Rögle
2021–22	Tier 1	SHL	3rd	27–5–3–17	3,709
2021–22	Swedish Championship playoffs		—	2–4	0	Lost in quarterfinals, 2–4 vs Färjestad BK
2022-23	Tier 1	SHL	2nd	27-6-6-13	4936
2022-23	Swedish Championship playoffs		—	9-8	0	Won in quarterfinals, 4-2 vs Rögle Won in semifinals, 4-2 vs Örebro Lost in finals, 1–4 vs Växjö
2023-24	Tier 1	SHL	3rd	27-6-4-15	?
2023-24	Swedish Championship playoffs		—	12-4	0	Won in quarterfinals, 4-0 vs Linköping Won in semifinals, 4-3 vs Frölunda Winner in finals, 4–1 vs Rögle

Players and personnel

Current roster


No.	Player	Pos	S/G	Age	Acquired	Birthplace
4	Rasmus Bergqvist	D	L	19	2024	Skellefteå, Sweden
28	Michael Brandsegg-Nygård	RW	R	19	2024	Oslo, Norway
71	Jonathan Davidsson	RW	R	28	2024	Tyresö, Sweden
19	Mārtiņš Dzierkals	LW	L	28	2023	Riga, Latvia
20	Marcus Eriksson	C	L	39	2024	Norrköping, Sweden
6	Måns Forsfjäll	D	L	22	2020	Skellefteå, Sweden
33	Zeb Forsfjäll	C	L	20	2021	Skellefteå, Sweden
7	Frans Haara	D	R	21	2023	Haparanda, Sweden
96	Rickard Hugg (A)	C	L	26	2019	Hudiksvall, Sweden
25	Pontus Johansson	D	L	23	2024	Stockholm, Sweden
22	Jonathan Johnson	C	L	32	2020	Gävle, Sweden
14	Andreas Johnsson	LW	L	30	2023	Gävle, Sweden
24	Oscar Lindberg	C	L	33	2023	Skellefteå, Sweden
12	Valter Lindberg	C	L	18	2024	Skellefteå, Sweden
11	Max Lindholm	LW	L	27	2022	Österhaninge, Sweden
17	Pär Lindholm (A)	C	L	33	2022	Kusmark, Sweden
30	Gustaf Lindvall	G	L	34	2016	Skellefteå, Sweden
16	Linus Lindström	C	L	27	2014	Skellefteå, Sweden
52	Arvid Lundberg	D	L	31	2022	Skellefteå, Sweden
58	Oskar Nilsson	D	L	33	2020	Luleå, Sweden
64	Jonathan Pudas (C)	D	R	31	2021	Kiruna, Sweden
5	Axel Sandin Pellikka	D	R	20	2022	Gällivare, Sweden
35	David Rautio	G	L	39	2023	Luleå, Sweden
2	Leo Sundqvist	D	L	19	2024	Skellefteå, Sweden
32	Linus Söderström	G	L	28	2022	Stockholm, Sweden
27	Oskar Vuollet	C	L	19	2023	Skellefteå, Sweden

Updated 3 November 2024

Team captains

Göran Lindblom, 1982–85
Thomas Hedin, 1985–88
Martin Pettersson, 1988–91
Tony Barthelsson, 1991–92
Daniel Pettersson, 1993–98
Pär Mikaelsson, 1998–05
Magnus Wernblom, 2005–07
Mikael Renberg, 2007–08
Christoffer Norgren, 2008–10
Fredrik Warg, 2010–11
Jimmie Ericsson, 2011–14
Erik Forssell, 2014–15
Jimmie Ericsson, 2015–17
Pontus Petterström, 2017–18
Jimmie Ericsson, 2018–19
Oscar Möller, 2019–2022
Jonathan Pudas, 2023-present

Franchise records and leaders

Regular season

Most goals in a season: Magnus Wernblom, 37 (2005–06)
Most assists in a season: Bud Holloway, 51 (2012–13)
Most points in a season: Bud Holloway, 71 (2012–13)
Most penalty minutes in a season: Joakim Lindström, 134 (2010–11)
Most points in a season, defenseman: Johan Åkerman, 61 (2005–06)
Most shutouts in a season: Johan Backlund, 8 (2002–03)

Scoring leaders

These are the top-ten point-scorers of Skellefteå AIK in the SHL/Elitserien. Figures are updated after each completed season.^[11]

Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games Played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game; = current Skellefteå AIK player

Points
Player	Pos	GP	G	A	Pts	P/G
Joakim Lindström	W	479	167	297	464	.97
Oscar Möller	RW	397	159	142	301	.76
Jimmie Ericsson	W	518	105	173	278	.54
Roland Stoltz	F	374	133	132	265	.71
Göran Lindblom	D	403	71	186	257	.64
Bud Holloway	W	280	81	142	223	.80
Erik Forssell	C	443	94	127	221	.50
Anders Söderberg	LW	314	78	123	201	.64
Johnny Forsman	F	350	101	193	194	.55
Thomas Hedin	F	224	113	78	191	.85

Trophies and awards

Team

Le Mat Trophy

1977–78
2012–13
2013–14
2023–24

Individual

Guldpucken

Hans Svedberg: 1957–58
Anders Andersson: 1960–61, 1961–62
Jimmie Ericsson: 2012–13

Guldhjälmen

Bud Holloway: 2012–13
Joakim Lindström: 2013–14

Peter Forsberg Trophy

Jimmie Ericsson: 2012–13
Joakim Lindström: 2013–14

Håkan Loob Trophy

Martin Karlsson: 1977–78
Mikko Lehtonen: 2010–11

Salming Trophy

David Rundblad: 2010–11
Tim Heed: 2014–15^[12]
Niclas Burström: 2015–16
Axel Sandin Pellikka: 2023–24

Stefan Liv Memorial Trophy

Rinkens Riddare

Anders Söderberg: 2006–07
Oscar Möller: 2013–14

References

^ Ivar Söderlind (2008). "Friidrott" (PDF) (in Swedish). Västerbottens Friidrottsförbund. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
^ "Skellefteå AIK". Eliteprospects.com.
^ "SHL".
^ "Aftonbladet".
^ "Aftonbladet".
^ "expressen".
^ "SVT".
^ "Norran interview".
^ "Aftonbladet".
^ "Oddsportal".
^ "Skellefteå AIK - All Time SHL leaders". quanthockey.com. 2022-06-21. Retrieved 2022-06-21.
^ "SvD".

External links

Skellefteå AIK official website

[1] Ivar Söderlind (2008). "Friidrott" (PDF) (in Swedish). Västerbottens Friidrottsförbund. Retrieved 14 February 2021.

[eliteprospects-2] "Skellefteå AIK". Eliteprospects.com.

[3] "SHL".

[4] "Aftonbladet".

[5] "Aftonbladet".

[6] "expressen".

[7] "SVT".

[8] "Norran interview".

[9] "Aftonbladet".

[10] "Oddsportal".

[11] "Skellefteå AIK - All Time SHL leaders". quanthockey.com. 2022-06-21. Retrieved 2022-06-21.

[12] "SvD".

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v t e Swedish Hockey League
Teams	Brynäs IF Färjestad BK Frölunda HC HV71 Leksands IF Linköping HC Luleå HF Malmö Redhawks MoDo Hockey Rögle BK Skellefteå AIK Timrå IK Växjö Lakers Örebro HK
Former teams	AIK IF Björklöven Djurgårdens IF Hammarby IF Karlskrona HK Mora IK IK Oskarshamn Södertälje SK Väsby IK Västerås IK Örebro IK
Arenas	Behrn Arena Catena Arena Coop Norrbotten Arena Husqvarna Garden Hägglunds Arena Löfbergs Arena Malmö Arena Monitor ERP Arena NHC Arena Saab Arena Scandinavium Skellefteå Kraft Arena Tegera Arena Vida Arena
Seasons	1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Awards	Coach of the Year Le Mat Trophy Guldhjälmen Guldpipan Guldpucken Honken Trophy Håkan Loob Trophy Leader of the Year Rinkens riddare Rookie of the Year Salming Trophy Stefan Liv Memorial Trophy
Related topics	List of SHL seasons List of Swedish ice hockey champions Marathon SHL standings Swedish Ice Hockey Association HockeyAllsvenskan Kvalserien Marathon standings for the top Swedish ice hockey league Ice hockey in Sweden J20 SuperElit National men's team National women's team
See also: IIHF IIHF Continental Cup IIHF European Champions Cup