Claimed: MJ Bio

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Name: Mats Johnsson

Position: D | Shoots: L

Age: 26

Height: 5'11" | Weight: 195 lbs

Birthplace: Gothenburg, Sweden

B I R T H
 

This is the story of Mats Johnsson. The slick Swedish defenceman who grew up with hockey in his blood, with his father, Johan, being a professional hockey player in the midst of a career when Mats was born. Johan's wife, Emma, was his childhood sweetheart, the two growing up as next door neighbours in Gothenburg. As adults, the couple married when Emma turned 18 and Johan was playing for his local Frolunda HC Indians. Emma would go on to finish her schooling and become a school teacher in their home town, where the couple would stay for 8 more years. At the age of 25, the couple got pregnant with their first son, Mats. This came as a happy surprise, as they had been told by doctors that pregnancy was not an option due to complications from a previous miscarriage they had gone through 2 years prior.

 

Unfortunately, this bit of news came at an odd timing, as Johan had just signed his first contract in the NHL with the Calgary Flames for the following season, and he would be in the middle of his first season abroad when his first son was due to be born. During the pregnancy, Emma was ordered to remain in Sweden, so as to not risk any unnecessary complications, meaning that she would have to stay behind while Johan began his NHL career. For the most part, the pregnancy went smoothly, until, about a month before the wee baby Mats was due, he decided he was ready for the world! Emma went into labour at 6AM Swedish time on a Tuesday; in Calgary, it was 8PM on Monday, and Johan was in the middle of a game - team doctors were notified by Emmas parents, and Johan was pulled out of the game, hopping on the first flight home to meet his wife in the hospital. Miraculously for Johan, not so much for Emma, Mats Johnsson was born at 9PM that night, meeting both of his parents and weighing 5 pounds, 3 ounces.

C H I L D H O O D
 

The younger Johnsson lived the life of a hockey son, rarely seeing his father during the winters as a toddler, as he and his mother, Emma, remained in their home in Sweden, close to family. At the age of 4, Mats and his mother finally moved to Calgary during the hockey season, where Johan had carved out a nice career as a middle-6 forward. Unfortunately, the family's stay in Calgary was short-lived, as Johan was traded at the deadline to a Minnesota team looking to push for a playoff berth. After the trade, Emma returned to Sweden with Mats, while Johan finished his season in Minnesota. The following fall, mother and child returned to North America, as they joined Johan in Minnesota. It was there that a 5-year old Mats played his first season of organized hockey, pushing his parents to let him join the 6-year old league. Playing with kids a year older than him was intimidating at first, but Mats stuck out the season and by the time the year came to an end, he was flying around on the ice, not necessarily doing anything besides actually skating, but having a blast while doing it!

The family would spend two years splitting summers in Gothenburg and winters in Minnesota. Despite being small for his own age, Mats continued to play with the kids that were older than him in age, joining the Mite I league that was for 6 and 7 year olds. During his two seasons in the Minnesota Mite league, Johnsson made a bunch of new friends while also learning how to do more than literally skate circles around the other kids. He would become one of the better scorers on his team, a Minneapolis team that ranked #3 in the state. During those two seasons, the team would travel around the US for youth tournaments, usually dominating the other competition; and all the while, Emma would always be at every practice and game to encourage and cheer on her only son.

After Johan's second full season in Minnesota and only a single playoff appearance with the Wild, he decided a change would be good for he and his family. He signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning for one season. During that season, Mats played in the Florida youth system for the Tampa Bay Jr. Lightning. During that season, Mats dominated the Florida Squirt league, which was a clear level below that of the Minnesota leagues. In 43 games, Johnsson scored 57 goals and 62 assists, scoring nearly 3 points per game in a league with kids up to 2 years older than him. Halfway through the season, the coaches talked to Mats about a move that would hopefully give him a little more enjoyment, asking if he'd like to switch to defence. As he had grown up hoping to be like his father, Mats was hesitant about the move at first, but encouragement from Johan that it could be a great move was all that he needed to make the decision to make the switch. It turned out to be a great decision, as the added challenge of playing defence made the game more enjoyable for Mats, and he loved his new position.

 

Still once the season was finished, Mats was happy to hear that his father was leaving Tampa. The Johnssons were moving to California, where Johan had signed a 4 year contract with the Anaheim Ducks. More big news with the signing, Johan and Emma decided that, along with winters, they would spend their summers in California as well, making the move full-time to the Orange County. The full-time move meant that, in addition to playing his Squirt and PeeWee years in the stronger-than-Florida California leagues, Mats would spend his summers playing in-line hockey as well - with the added bonus that his father could actually attend his in-line hockey games!

 

For the next 4 years, from the ages of 9-12, Mats absolutely loved his time in California. He quickly joined the top travel team in the state, which traveled not only the entirety of the US, but also went on international tournaments in Canada and into Europe, including a trip that allowed his grandparents to watch him in the family's hometown of Gothenburg! During his time in California, Mats was named Captain of his team. In his final season there, the team was one of the top ranked PeeWee teams in the world, finishing 2nd in the famed Quebec International PeeWee tournament, losing in double overtime to a team from Brampton, Ontario, Canada in the finals. After the season was finished, Mats learned for certain something that his father had been quietly talking to his mother about all year, the Johnsson family would be returning to Sweden, where Johan, then 37, would finish his playing career with his hometown Frolunda Indians.

 

T E E N A G E | Y E A R S

 

The move, for Mats, was bittersweet. On the one hand, he would have to leave the team, and teammates, he had grown to love. He'd also have to leave the beautiful sunshine and beaches of California. On the other side, he would once again be close to the rest of his family, and would finally have a chance to play with his cousins, who were twins playing in the Swedish youth leagues. Moving back to Gothenburg, Mats joined the same team as his cousins, playing in the top youth league for their age group, on a team that finished 4th in their previous season. As the teams newest player, Mats was instantly their best defenceman, and helped the team improve to a 2nd place finish in his first season. He would go on to play 2.5 seasons on that team with his cousins, before joining the Frolunda HC U-16 program mid-way through his age-15 season.

 

From there, Mats would spend 2.5 years in the Frolunda Junior program, making stops with the U18 and U20 teams. Off the ice, Mats proved to be an excellent study, maintaining an 86% average throughout his high-school career. It was in high-school that Mats would meet his future wife, Olivia, who was also an excellent student, maintaining a 93% and a future in law. Both Mats and Olivia managed to graduate a semester early, which was no easy feat given Mats hockey schedule and their ability to maintain their relationship!

 

P R O | C A R E E R

 

After his age-17 season, which he played on the U20 Indians team, Mats was selected to join the program's Pro-Team in the SHL! Johnsson spent 8 seasons in the SHL, becoming one of the league's top offensive defencemen. On the ice, his career was largely a success. Though never considered a defensive stalwart, Mats was his team's transition game, and racked up points from the back end, leading his team to a pair of SHL Championships, as well as one more finals appearance wherein the team failed to convert on an opportunity to repeat as Champions in his final season with the club. You can read more about Mats' time in the Frolunda system (both Junior and Pro) here, in his Rookie Profile.

 

Off the ice, Mats managed to maintain his relationship with Olivia, even through his demanding pro schedule and her equally full college schedule. The two married after her graduation, when they were 22 years old, and just had their first baby, a boy they named Pierre, after Mats' grandfather. While the couple has just had Pierre, they have made a decision similar to Johan and Emma that, even with a young family, now is the time to move on from the SHL.

 

With his SHL season over, Mats has registered to join the VHL through their S57 Entry Draft. Currently, Mats is in Oslo, playing the role of Black Ace (coincidentally, the team is facing off against the Las Vegas Aces). From there, the plan is for him to join Team Europe in the upcoming World "Junior" Championships, a tournament run by the VHL for its less experienced (in their league) players. After that, Mats will join a team in the VHLM for one season before, hopefully, making the jump to the VHL. The couple is anxiously waiting to find out where, exactly, the next chapter of their life will take them, but are very happy with their decision, and excited for their future!