Maja Nylén Persson
Maja Nylén Persson (born 20 November 2000) is a Swedish ice hockey defenceman for the Swedish national team. Currently a free agent, she was drafted 10th overall in the second round of the 2024 PWHL draft by New York, who hold her PWHL rights.
| Maja Nylén Persson | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born |
20 November 2000 Avesta, Sweden | ||
| Height | 1.62 m (5 ft 4 in) | ||
| Weight | 63 kg (139 lb; 9 st 13 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| Played for |
Brynäs IF Leksands IF | ||
| National team | Sweden | ||
| Playing career | 2014–present | ||
Playing career
Nylén Persson grew up cheering for Leksands IF, and made her debut in what is now the Swedish Women's Hockey League (SDHL) for their women's team at the age of 13.[1] She played five seasons for the club, scoring over 60 points.[2] In March 2019, she won the EliteProspects Award for the SDHL's youth player of the year, the first time the trophy had been awarded.[3] She would win the award again the next season.[4]
After graduating from high school, she left Leksands to sign a three-year contract with Brynäs IF.[5] She scored 26 points in 36 games in her first season with Brynäs, serving as an assistant captain.[6]
The 2021–22 season saw Nylén Persson record 15 goals and 47 points in 35 games, good for fifth in league scoring and first among defenders. In the playoffs, her four goals and 13 points helped Brynäs to their second consecutive finals appearance. She won the SDHL awards for player of the year and defender of the year, and became the first woman to win the Salming Trophy as the best Swedish-born defender playing in Sweden. Following the season, she signed a two-year contract extension with Brynäs.[7]
In the 2023–24 season as the captain of Brynäs, Nylén Persson led all defenders with 38 points in 36 games. She won the SDHL top defender award for the third consecutive season.[8]
On 10 June 2024, Nylén Persson was drafted tenth overall by PWHL New York in the 2024 PWHL draft.[9]
International play
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Women's ice hockey | ||
| Representing Sweden | ||
| World U18 Championship | ||
| 2018 Russia | ||
| 2016 Canada | ||
Nylén Persson was part of the Swedish squad that won gold at the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics.[10] She made her senior national team debut at the 2017 World Championship.[11]
Nylén Persson represented Sweden at the 2017 World U18 Championship, where they faced Russia in the bronze-medal match. Scoreless after two periods, the Russians scored twice in the third period to deprive Sweden of a medal. Nylén Persson was named the best player of the match for the Swedes.[12]
Returning for the 2018 World U18 Championship, Nylén Persson was named to the media all-star team as she and Sweden claimed a silver medal. A month later, she made her Olympic debut as the youngest on her team at the 2018 Winter Olympics, recording four points in six games despite the Swedes' worst-ever seventh-place finish.[13]
In the 2022 Olympic qualifying tournament, Sweden won all three matches to qualify for the games, with Nylén Persson recording an assist in the final match, a 3–2 victory over France.[13] As an alternate captain at the Olympic tourmanent, she was an integral part of the Swedish delegation, who would be eliminated in the quarterfinals.[14]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2014–15 | Leksands IF | Riksserien | 22 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15 | Leksands IF 2 | Div. 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Sandvikens IK | Div. 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Leksands IF | Riksserien | 27 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | Leksands IF | SDHL | 34 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2017–18 | Leksands IF | SDHL | 33 | 4 | 10 | 14 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2018–19 | Leksands IF | SDHL | 35 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2019–20 | Brynäs IF | SDHL | 36 | 9 | 17 | 26 | 4 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2020–21 | Brynäs IF | SDHL | 36 | 9 | 19 | 28 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 2021–22 | Brynäs IF | SDHL | 35 | 15 | 32 | 47 | 6 | 10 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 2 | ||
| 2022–23 | Brynäs IF | SDHL | 32 | 16 | 32 | 48 | 8 | 8 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Brynäs IF | SDHL | 36 | 11 | 27 | 38 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | ||
| Riksserien/SDHL totals | 326 | 81 | 173 | 254 | 50 | 53 | 12 | 21 | 33 | 4 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Sweden | U18 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2017 | Sweden | U18 | 4th | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2017 | Sweden | WC | 6th | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2018 | Sweden | U18 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 2018 | Sweden | OG | 7th | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2019 | Sweden | WC | 9th | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2022 | Sweden | OG | 8th | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| 2022 | Sweden | WC | 7th | 6 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 4 | |
| 2023 | Sweden | WC | 6th | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 2 | |
| 2024 | Sweden | WC | 7th | 5 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 17 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 4 | ||||
| Senior totals | 39 | 5 | 16 | 21 | 10 | ||||
Awards and honours
| Award | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| SDHL | ||
| Elite Prospects Award | 2019, 2020 | [4] |
| Defender of the Year | 2022, 2023, 2024 | [8] |
| Player of the Year | 2022 | [7] |
| Salming Trophy | 2022 | |
| All-Star Team | 2023 | [15] |
| International | ||
| World U18 Championship – Media All-Star Team | 2017 | [16] |
References
- Rönnkvist, Ronnie (9 February 2019). "Släkt med Nicklas Lidström – nu gör hon OS-debut: "En inspirationskälla för mig"". Archived from the original on 12 September 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
- "CLOSE-UP SDHL: Leksand IF:s Maja Nyhlén Persson". Hockeysverige. 18 December 2018. Archived from the original on 3 June 2019. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
- Rönnkvist, Ronnie (29 March 2019). "En historisk första vinnare av EliteProspects Award: "Hon är komplett"". Hockeysverige. Archived from the original on 12 September 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
- Karlsson, Måns (27 May 2020). "Vinnare igen – hon får Elite Prospects Award". Hockeysverige. Archived from the original on 13 June 2020. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- Foster, Meredith (29 May 2019). "Maja Nylén Persson signs with Brynäs IF". The Ice Garden. Archived from the original on 22 October 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
- Dahlén, Johanna (12 September 2020). ""Hoppas att yngre tjejer ser mig som en förebild"". Archived from the original on 12 September 2020. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
- "Maja Nylén-Persson stannar i Brynäs IF". Brynäs IF (in Swedish). 4 May 2022. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- Kennedy, Ian (28 April 2024). "Nylen Persson Named SDHL Defender of the Year Ahead of PWHL Draft". The Hockey News. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- Kennedy, Ian (10 June 2024). "PWHL New York Selects Top Swedish Defender Maja Nylen Persson". The Hockey News. Retrieved 11 June 2024.
- Rönnkvist, Ronnie (17 January 2020). "SDHL-stjärnan minns tillbaka på guldet 2016". Archived from the original on 12 September 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2020.
- "2017 World Championship roster" (PDF). IIHF. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 February 2018. Retrieved 30 December 2017.
- "Sverige föll tungt i bronsmatchen i JVM". www.expressen.se (in Swedish). 14 January 2017. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- O'Brien, Derek (2 February 2022). "New blood leading Swedes". International Ice Hockey Federation. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- Fundaro, Gabriella (30 April 2022). "2022 Top 25 Under 25 | Honorable Mentions: Maja Nylén Persson and Emma Söderberg". The Ice Garden. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- Öberg, Niklas. "All Star Team Damer 2022/2023". Swedish Ice Hockey Association (in Swedish). Retrieved 12 June 2024.
- "Media All Stars" (PDF). IIHF.com. International Ice Hockey Federation. 13 January 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com
- Maja Nylén Persson at Olympedia