Mika Zibanejad

Lore & Background

Zibanejad began playing hockey at age six with Hammarby IF, where he played seven seasons before the club went bankrupt in 2008. He moved to AIK IF's youth organization, then joined Djurgårdens IF for the 2009–10 season. He made his Elitserien debut on 7 December 2010 and signed a two-year contract extension with Djurgården on 7 February 2011. After being drafted sixth overall by the Ottawa Senators in 2011, he signed a three-year entry-level contract on 13 July 2011.

He made the Senators lineup out of training camp but was reassigned to Djurgårdens IF after scoring one point in nine NHL games. During the 2012–13 season, he began with Binghamton of the AHL due to the NHL lockout, then was called up to Ottawa on 28 January 2013, scoring his first NHL goal on 30 January. On 18 July 2016, Zibanejad was traded to the New York Rangers along with a 2018 second-round pick in exchange for Derick Brassard and a 2018 seventh-round pick. In his first season with the Rangers, he broke his left fibula on 20 November 2016 and missed 25 games, returning on 17 January 2017.

He scored the overtime winning goal in game 5 of the first round of the 2017 playoffs against the Montreal Canadiens. After the Rangers traded Derek Stepan, Zibanejad signed a five-year, $26.75 million contract extension on 25 July 2017, becoming the team's first-line centre. In the 2019–20 season, he scored five goals in a game on 5 March 2020 against the Washington Capitals, becoming the third player in Rangers history to do so. During the 2020–21 season, he tied the NHL record for most points in one period with six on 17 March 2021.

Reader's Guide

Zibanejad's significance lies in his emergence as the Rangers' top-line centre following the departure of Derek Stepan, a role he assumed after signing a five-year contract extension in July 2017. His breakout season came in 2018–19, when he reached the 30-goal plateau for the first time and led the team in scoring. The addition of Artemi Panarin in the 2019–20 season elevated his production, as Zibanejad posted eight points through the first two games of the season, a feat not achieved by a Ranger since Rod Gilbert in 1976–77. His five-goal game on 5 March 2020 against the Washington Capitals placed him in franchise history alongside Don Murdoch and Mark Pavelich, and he became only the second player in NHL history to score five goals including the overtime winner, after Sergei Fedorov.

Despite questions about whether he was a true first-line centre early in his Rangers tenure, Zibanejad led the team in playoff scoring in 2017 with nine points in 12 games. His international career includes helping Sweden win the 2012 World Junior Championships and the 2018 World Championship. His legacy is tied to his role in the Rangers' rebuild, where he was retained as a young core player while veteran players were traded away.

Did You Know?

• Zibanejad played association football as a child before deciding to pursue hockey.
• He was drafted in the sixth round of the 2010 KHL Junior Draft by Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, 129th overall.