Roland Eriksson
Born (1954-03-01) March 1, 1954
Stora Tuna, Sweden
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Left
Played for Minnesota North Stars
Vancouver Canucks
Winnipeg Jets (WHA)
National team  Sweden
NHL Draft 131st overall, 1974
Minnesota North Stars
Playing career 1976–1979

Roland Bengt Eriksson (born March 1, 1954, in Stora Tuna, Sweden) is a retired Swedish ice hockey forward who played in the National Hockey League during the late 1970s.

Playing career

Following a stellar performance at the 1974 World Junior Championships, Eriksson was selected 131st overall by the Minnesota North Stars, the first Swede ever drafted by the franchise. In the following two seasons, he would continue to excel in Sweden with Leksands IF. In 1975–76, he was named to the Swedish All-Star Team, and turned in a standout performance at the World Championships, recording 15 points in 10 games. That summer, he was signed by the North Stars and set high expectations for himself with a strong performance against NHL players at the 1976 Canada Cup tournament.

A tall, classy, playmaking center, Eriksson broke into the NHL in 1976–77 with four assists in his first game to tie an NHL record. He continued on to finish the season with 25 goals and 44 assists to set a North Stars rookie record (since broken) with 69 points. He led all NHL rookies in assists and points, but finished only third in Calder Memorial Trophy voting for the league's top freshman.

In 1977–78, Eriksson continued to be one of the lone bright lights on a North Stars team which finished the season with just 18 wins. He led the team with 39 assists and 60 points, and was selected to play in the 1978 NHL All-Star Game.

Following his second season in Minnesota, Eriksson became an unrestricted free agent, and signed with the Vancouver Canucks. He was one of four Swedes to join the club for 1978–79, although he was the only one with previous NHL experience. Coming off an All-Star season in Minnesota, expectations were high, but Eriksson struggled. He found himself behind Don Lever and Thomas Gradin on the depth chart at center for the Canucks, and scored just 2 goals and 14 points in 35 games. He was ultimately released by the Canucks mid-way through the season, and finished the year in the World Hockey Association with the Winnipeg Jets. His previous offensive touch continued to elude him in Winnipeg, however, as he recorded 5 goals and 15 points in 33 games.

After the disappointment of the previous season, Eriksson returned to Sweden and Leksands IF in 1979. Aside from two years in Germany from 1980 to 1982, he continued to be a productive player in the Swedish Elite League for most of the 1980s. He last played in the SEL in 1989, for Västerås IK, and played a few more years in lower-tier leagues before retiring in 1992.

In 193 NHL games, Eriksson recorded 48 goals and 95 assists for 143 points, along with just 26 penalty minutes. He was also one of the most decorated Swedes of his time in international play, representing his country in five world championships between 1976 and 1983 - winning two silver medals and a bronze.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1969–70 IF Tunabro SWE.2 22 11 15 26 — — — — — —
1970–71 IF Tunabro SWE.2 16 17 12 29 — — — — — —
1971–72 IF Tunabro SWE 14 5 3 8 4 — — — — —
1972–73 IF Tunabro SWE 14 10 2 12 0 — — — — —
1973–74 IF Tunabro SWE 14 7 5 12 2 — — — — —
1974–75 Leksands IF SWE 28 11 16 27 14 — — — — —
1975–76 Leksands IF SEL 36 21 14 35 16 4 9 3 12 0
1976–77 Minnesota North Stars NHL 80 25 44 69 10 2 1 0 1 0
1977–78 Minnesota North Stars NHL 78 21 39 60 12 — — — — —
1978–79 Vancouver Canucks NHL 35 2 12 14 4 — — — — —
1978–79 Winnipeg Jets WHA 33 5 10 15 2 10 1 4 5 0
1979–80 Leksands IF SEL 35 18 21 39 14 2 3 1 4 0
1980–81 Düsseldorfer EG 1.GBun 40 31 55 86 24 11 6 15 21 0
1981–82 Düsseldorfer EG 1.GBun 37 30 38 68 14 — — — — —
1982–83 Leksands IF SEL 36 20 27 47 16 — — — — —
1983–84 Leksands IF SEL 36 20 20 40 20 — — — — —
1984–85 HV71 SWE.2 32 31 42 73 4 — — — — —
1985–86 HV71 SEL 35 11 15 26 10 2 0 0 0 2
1986–87 Västerås IK Hockey SWE.2 31 23 26 49 8 12 4 9 13 4
1987–88 Västerås IK Hockey SWE.2 31 19 23 42 4 14 9 15 24 0
1988–89 Västerås IK Hockey SEL 21 8 7 15 8 — — — — —
1988–89 Västerås IK Hockey Allsv 18 5 8 13 0 — — — — —
1989–90 IK Westmannia SWE.3 32 24 37 61 4 — — — — —
1991–92 IFK Arboga IK SWE.3 28 15 25 40 10 — — — — —
SWE totals 70 33 26 59 20 — — — — —
SEL totals 199 98 104 202 84 8 12 4 16 2
NHL totals 193 48 96 143 26 2 1 0 1 0

International

Year Team Event   GP G A Pts PIM
1971 Sweden EJC 3 3 1 4 0
1972 Sweden EJC 5 4 2 6 0
1973 Sweden EJC 5 3 5 8 0
1974 Sweden WJC 5 5 4 9 0
1976 Sweden WC 10 8 7 15 0
1976 Sweden CC 5 2 2 4 2
1977 Sweden WC 10 7 5 12 0
1978 Sweden WC 10 1 2 3 2
1981 Sweden WC 8 2 1 3 2
1983 Sweden WC 10 2 2 4 2
Junior totals 18 15 12 27 0
Senior totals 53 22 19 41 8
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