Nils Åman Explained

Birth Date:7 February 2000
Birth Place:Avesta, Sweden
Height Ft:6
Height In:2
Weight Lb:185
Position:Centre
Shoots:Left
League:NHL
Team:Vancouver Canucks
Prospect League:AHL
Former Teams:Leksands IF
Ntl Team:SWE
Draft:167th overall
Draft Year:2020
Draft Team:Colorado Avalanche
Career Start:2018

Nils Åman (born 7 February 2000) is a Swedish professional ice hockey centre for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the Colorado Avalanche in the sixth round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft with the 167th overall pick.[1] [2]

Early life

Nils Åman is from the town of Skogsbo, near Avesta, Sweden.[3] [4] His youth club was Skogsbo SK until U14, after which he joined .[5]

Playing career

Åman joined Leksands IF's junior ranks on 29 March 2016.[6] During his third season with Leksand, Åman was promoted from the J20 SuperElit and made his professional debut in the HockeyAllsvenskan, appearing in three games of the 2018–19 season. He made four further appearances in qualification, helping Leksand gain promotion to the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).

Åman continued his development in the following 2019–20 season, accounting for 47 points in 30 matches in J20. For six games, he was loaned to Karlskrona HK of the HockeyAllsvenskan.[7] He returned to Leksand and played 8 games in the SHL, posting one goal and two assists for three points. He then signed a two-year men's team contract with Leksands IF on 19 March 2020.[8]

Showing an offensive touch with a strong two-way game, Åman was selected in the sixth round, 167th overall, of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft by the Colorado Avalanche.[9] In the following 2020–21 season, his first full year in the SHL, Åman made 51 appearances with Leksands IF as a depth forward, posting two goals and eight assists for 10 points. He recorded his first playoff goal in a first-round loss to Örebro HK.

On 23 December 2021, having increased his ice time and scoring totals, Åman was signed to a three-year contract extension to remain with Leksands IF until 2025.[10] He completed the 2021–22 season having notched six goals and 8 assists for 14 points in 51 appearances.

With the Colorado Avalanche opting not to sign Åman before his draft rights expired on 1 June 2022, he was signed as a free agent to a two-year, entry-level contract with the Vancouver Canucks on 8 June 2022.[11] After a successful training camp, Åman was announced to have made the Canucks 2022–23 season's opening night roster.[12] Åman played 68 games for the Canucks in his first season, with 4 goals and 12 assists. He also played 17 games for the Abbotsford Canucks, the Vancouver Canucks' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate. Åman stated that he thought the move to Abbotsford was beneficial for his development, as he was exposed to more offensive play and played more minutes.

International play

Åman joined the Swedish national team, following the completion of the 2021–22 season, and following five friendly games was later selected to the preliminary squad to compete at the 2022 World Championship on 11 May 2022.[13]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular seasonPlayoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGP PIMGP G A Pts PIM
2017–18Leksands IFJ2021 1 2 3 42 0 0 0 2
2018–19Leksands IFJ2045 14 27 41 142 1 0 1 0
2018–19Leksands IFAllsv3 0 0 0 24 0 0 0 0
2018–19Avesta BKDiv.21 0 0 0 0
2019–20Leksands IFJ2030 14 33 47 12
2019–20Karlskrona HKAllsv6 1 0 1 0
2019–20Leksands IFSHL8 1 2 3 0
2020–21Leksands IFSHL51 2 8 10 104 1 0 1 4
2021–22Leksands IFSHL51 6 8 14 83 0 0 0 2
2022–23Vancouver CanucksNHL68 4 12 16 18
2022–23Abbotsford CanucksAHL17 4 5 9 2
2023–24Abbotsford CanucksAHL15 8 7 15 8
2023–24Vancouver CanucksNHL43 3 4 7 85 0 0 0 0
SHL totals110 9 18 27 187 1 0 1 2
NHL totals111 7 16 23 265 0 0 0 0

International

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Nils Åman. 9 October 2020. Elite Prospects.
  2. Web site: 2020 NHL Draft: Complete results, list of picks for Rounds 1-7 . 7 October 2020 . NBC . 9 October 2020.
  3. Web site: "Många bra minnen från när vi spelade landhockey" . https://web.archive.org/web/20210928130356/https://hockeysverige.se/2021/09/28/nils-aman-alexander-lundqvist-intervju . 2021-09-28 . 2024-04-19 . Hockeysverige . sv.
  4. Web site: 2022-10-11 . Mamma Helena om sonens snabba karriär: ”För oss är han bara lilla Nils” . 2024-04-19 . Avesta Tidning . sv.
  5. Web site: 2023-05-29 . Nils Åman om första NHL-säsongen, miljonerna och kärleken till Avesta . 2024-04-19 . Dala-Demokraten . sv.
  6. Web site: Intag till Leksands Hockeygymnasium 2016 . lifnews.se . 20 January 2016 . 12 May 2022 . Swedish.
  7. Web site: KHK lånar juniorlandslagsman från Leksand . . 22 October 2019 . 12 May 2022 . Swedish.
  8. Web site: Åman och Lundqvist skriver a-lagskontrakt . . 19 March 2020 . 12 May 2022 . Swedish.
  9. Web site: Avalanche selectes Nils Aman 167th overall in 2020 NHL Entry Draft . . 8 October 2020 . 12 May 2022.
  10. Web site: Heineman, Lundqvist och Åman förlänger . . 23 December 2021 . 12 May 2022.
  11. Web site: Canucks agree to terms on entry-level contract with Nils Aman . . 8 June 2022 . 8 June 2022.
  12. Web site: Canucks confirm 2022–23 opening day roster . NHL.com . 28 February 2023 . 11 October 2022.
  13. Web site: Vallin . Elin . Här är svenska hockey-VM truppen . sites.jmk.su.se . 23 November 2023 . sv-SE . 11 May 2022.