TPL Profiles :: Jonathan Ericsson

52 Jonathan ERICSSON
Defenseman / Karlskrona, Sweden

AGE :: 25
SIZE :: 6-5 / 218
ACQUIRED :: 2002 Draft [9 / 291]
CONTRACT :: Entering the second year of a 3-year, $2.7M one-way contract
CAP HIT :: $900,000
EXPERIENCE :: 2009-10 will be his first full NHL season
LIKELY ROLE :: Full-time bottom pairing defenseman

DEFINING MOMENT :: Beating the ever-loving crap out of snively little Corey Perry.

THREE REASONS TO LOVE HIM ::
1. He’s huge
2. His shot has been clocked at 100+ mph
3. He’ll throw hands if you wanna throw hands!

ONE REASON TO HATE HIM :: Doesn’t use that shot enough…

RANDOM FACT :: Was the very last player selected in the 2002 draft, making him the lowest drafted player to ever play in the NHL.

STRENGTHS ::
1. Size
2. Agility
3. Great hands and stickhandling
4. Cannon from the blueline
5. Good breakout pass

WEAKNESSES ::
1. Did not start career as a defenseman, so he’s got some learning to do
2. Decision-making on the fly
3. He was a turnover machine in the playoffs

ONE-LINER :: “I can’t believe we don’t dress him” – Mike Babcock

HE’S A FAVORITE OF :: Mr. Irrelevant, the Green Giant, and my mother – who on more than one occasion has called him my “new daddy.”

BIO :: In what I’m sure is a shocking revelation, Ericsson was discovered by Red Wings uber-scout Hakan Andersson. The then-center was playing in the depths of the Swedish system, for a team coached by his father. It was by chance that Andersson saw Big Rig play D (the team was short a defenseman that night), and after a little convincing, Ericsson switched to the blue-line full-time.

In 2006, Detroit signed the final pick of the 2002 Draft, and brought him over the pond. He had a very good AHL career, including an All-Star selection, and was the top defenseman call-up for the Wings for two seasons.

A casualty of the defense surplus, Ericsson has yet to appear in the NHL as a full-timer. Wait no more…

FUTURE :: Much to the dismay of Coach Babcock, Jonathan Ericsson hadn’t had the chance to be a mainstay in the lineup. That all changed with this past post-season. Taking advantage of Andreas Lilja’s untimely injury, Ericsson found himself a regular at the most important part of the year.

Expect more of that. Even though he’ll be a quote-unquote rookie, he will begin the season in the top six, and that’s where he’ll stay. He’s the reason a defenseman is going to be traded after training camp. If everyone were to be healthy at the same time, both Brett Lebda and Derek Meech would be healthy scratches before Babcock’s favorite.

RELEVANT STATS ::