Mika Zibanejad ( fa, میکا زیبانژاد; born 18 April 1993) is a Swedish professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
centre
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...
and
alternate captain
In ice hockey, the captain is the player designated by a team as the only person authorized to speak with the game officials regarding rule interpretations when the captain is on the ice. At most levels of play each team must designate one captai ...
for the
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...
of the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
(NHL). Zibanejad was selected sixth overall in the
2011 NHL Entry Draft
The 2011 NHL Entry Draft was the 49th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 24–25, 2011, at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was the first time the Draft was held in the state of Minnesota since the Minnesota North Stars hoste ...
by the
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...
. He made the Senators lineup out of training camp to start the
2011–12 season, but was returned to
Djurgårdens IF
Djurgårdens Idrottsförening, commonly known simply as Djurgårdens IF, Djurgården (), and (especially locally) Djurgår'n (), Dif or DIF – is a Swedish sports association with several sections, located in Stockholm.
Name
The club is named ...
in Sweden after scoring one point in nine NHL games with Ottawa. On 18 July 2016, after five seasons within the Senators organization, Zibanejad was traded to the Rangers.
Internationally, Zibanejad has represented Sweden at both the
under-18 and
junior
Junior or Juniors may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* ''Junior'' (Junior Mance album), 1959
* ''Junior'' (Röyksopp album), 2009
* ''Junior'' (Kaki King album), 2010
* ''Junior'' (LaFontaines album), 2019
Films
* ''Junior'' (1994 ...
levels. On 5 January 2012, Zibanejad scored the gold medal-winning
golden goal
The golden goal or golden point is a rule used in association football, lacrosse, field hockey, and ice hockey to decide the winner of a match (typically a knock-out match) in which scores are equal at the end of normal time. It is a type of sud ...
for Sweden in the
2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
The 2012 IIHF U20 World Championship (commonly known as the 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships) was the 36th edition of the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship. It was hosted in Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It began on Decemb ...
against
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
in the tournament final; the game finished 1–0. On 20 May 2018, Zibanejad scored a goal in the final for
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
to help them win the
2018 IIHF World Championship
The 2018 IIHF World Championship was an international ice hockey tournament hosted by the Danish cities of Copenhagen and Herning, held from 4–20 May 2018. The IIHF announced the winning bid on 23 May 2014 in Minsk, Belarus. South Korea made i ...
.
Playing career
Zibanejad played
association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
as a child before deciding to pursue hockey. He began playing hockey at the age of six in
Hammarby IF
Hammarby Idrottsförening ("Hammarby Sports Club"), commonly known as Hammarby IF or simply Hammarby ( or, especially locally, ), is a Swedish sports club located in Stockholm, with a number of member organizations active in a variety of differe ...
, where he played a total of seven seasons before the club went bankrupt in 2008.
![Mika Zibanejad 2012-03-31 01](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/Mika_Zibanejad_2012-03-31_01.jpg)
Zibanejad then moved to
AIK IF
Allmänna Idrottsklubben Ishockeyförening (abbreviated ''AIK IF'', also known as ''AIK Hockey'', often abbreviated ''AIK'' in hockey subjects), is the ice hockey department of sports club Allmänna Idrottsklubben based in Stockholm, Sweden. Sin ...
's youth organization for the following season, where he began playing
junior hockey
Junior hockey is a level of competitive ice hockey generally for players between 16 and 21 years of age. Junior hockey leagues in the United States and Canada are considered amateur (with some exceptions) and operate within regions of each cou ...
. He was acquired by Djurgårdens IF for the 2009–10 season to play in the organization's J18-team and
J20-team. Zibanejad made his
Elitserien
Elitserien (literally, "the Elite League") is the name of several Swedish nationwide sport leagues. In many sports, Elitserien is the highest league, with the second highest named Allsvenskan.
Elitserien leagues at present:
* Elitserien (badmint ...
debut on 7 December 2010, against
Luleå HF
Luleå Hockeyförening is an ice hockey club from Luleå, Sweden. The club has been playing in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), the top tier of ice hockey in Sweden, since the 1984–85 season. They are the northernmost team in the league and h ...
, and scored his first Elitserien goal on 15 January 2011, against
Tuomas Tarkki
Tuomas Tarkki (born February 28, 1980) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey goaltender, currently serving as director of goaltending coaching for the under-18 (U18) team of Vaasan Sport in the U18 SM-sarja and as an assistant coach to the ...
of
Modo Hockey
Modo Hockey (or MoDo with uppercase letters) is a professional ice hockey club in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. The team plays in Sweden's second-tier league HockeyAllsvenskan. The club was founded in 1987 and has won one SHL championships; in 2007. ...
. He was drafted in the sixth round of the
2010 KHL Junior Draft
The 2010 KHL Junior Draft was the second entry draft held by the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL), taking place on June 4, 2010. Ice hockey players from around the world aged between 17 and 21 years of age were selected. Players eligible to take pa ...
by
Lokomotiv Yaroslavl
Hockey Club Lokomotiv (russian: ХК Локомотив, en, Locomotive HC), also known as Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, is a Russian professional ice hockey team, based in the city of Yaroslavl, playing in the top level Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) ...
, 129th overall.
On 7 February 2011, Zibanejad signed a two-year contract extension with Djurgården.
Zibanejad became a regular player in the senior roster after his debut, playing in 26 of the remaining 29 games.
He scored five goals and nine points,
which made him the third most successful junior player 18 years or younger in the organization and playing with the senior team, behind
Fredrik Bremberg and
Jacob Josefson
Jacob Peter Josefson (born 2 March 1991) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey centre who last played for Djurgårdens IF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). After Josefson began playing hockey at the age of five, he was acquired by Djurg ...
.
On 5 January 2012, Zibanejad scored the game-winning goal for
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
at the
2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
The 2012 IIHF U20 World Championship (commonly known as the 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships) was the 36th edition of the Ice Hockey World Junior Championship. It was hosted in Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It began on Decemb ...
in overtime of the gold medal game against
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
.
Ottawa Senators
![Mika Zibanedjad 2011 NHL entry draft](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Mika_Zibanedjad_2011_NHL_entry_draft.jpg)
On 13 July 2011, Zibanejad signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators (french: Sénateurs d'Ottawa), officially the Ottawa Senators Hockey Club and colloquially known as the Sens, are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a membe ...
, the team that drafted him sixth overall in the
2011 NHL Entry Draft
The 2011 NHL Entry Draft was the 49th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 24–25, 2011, at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It was the first time the Draft was held in the state of Minnesota since the Minnesota North Stars hoste ...
. After an impressive training camp, Zibanejad joined the Senators for their first game of the
2011–12 season. He registered his first career NHL point in his first game, an assist on a goal by
Filip Kuba in a 5–3 loss to the
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...
. After just one point in nine games played, Zibanejad was reassigned to his most recent club, Djurgårdens IF, on 26 October.
In June 2012, Zibanejad was rumoured to be a key part of a package Ottawa was offering to the
Columbus Blue Jackets
The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...
in exchange for disgruntled superstar
Rick Nash
Richard McLaren Nash (born June 16, 1984) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who serves as the director of player development for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). After being selected first overal ...
. The offer was allegedly withdrawn when Columbus general manager
Scott Howson
Donald Scott Howson (born April 9, 1960) is a Canadian ice hockey executive and former player. He was formerly the general manager of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League (NHL). He played 18 games in the NHL with the New York I ...
informed the Senators Nash was unwilling to waive his no-trade clause to accept a move to Ottawa.
In August 2012, the Senators announced Zibanejad would spend the
2012–13 season in North America, either in the NHL with the Senators or with the club's
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...
(AHL) affiliate, the
Binghamton Senators
The Binghamton Senators were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) that played from 2002 to 2017. Nicknamed the B-Sens, they played in Binghamton, New York, at the Floyd L. Maines Veterans Memorial Arena. The B-Sens w ...
. Due to the
NHL lockout
The NHL lockout may refer to any of the four labour actions in the history of the National Hockey League:
* The 1992 NHL strike, which postponed 30 games of the 1991–92 season
* The 1994–95 NHL lockout, which cancelled many of the games of ...
, Zibanejad began the season with Binghamton, where he registered 11 points in 23 games while battling injuries. He was called up to Ottawa on 28 January 2013, and played in his first NHL game of the season on 29 January against the
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL) ...
, a game in which he was selected as the first star. The following night, on 30 January in a game against the
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
, Zibanejad scored his first career NHL goal. The goal came on the power play against goaltender
Peter Budaj
Peter Budaj ( ; born 18 September 1982) is a Slovak former professional ice hockey goaltender. He had previously played in the National Hockey League for the Colorado Avalanche, which drafted him, Montreal Canadiens, Los Angeles Kings, and Tam ...
and with assists from
Colin Greening
Colin Peter Greening (born March 9, 1986) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger. He played for the Ottawa Senators and the Toronto Maple Leafs in the National Hockey League (NHL). He was originally drafted by the Senators in the ...
and
André Benoit
André Benoit (born January 6, 1984) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenseman. He played for several professional teams including the Ottawa Senators, Colorado Avalanche, Buffalo Sabres and the St. Louis Blues of the National Hock ...
. In the 2015–16 season, Zibanejad scored a career high 21 goals with 30 assists.
New York Rangers
On 18 July 2016, Zibanejad was traded by the Senators to the
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...
(along with a second-round pick in the
2018 NHL Entry Draft
The 2018 NHL Entry Draft was the 56th NHL Entry Draft. The draft was held on June 22–23, 2018, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas.
The 2018 NHL Entry Draft was the second of two professional sports drafts to be held in the Dalla ...
) in exchange for
Derick Brassard
Derick Brassard (born September 22, 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre currently playing for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League. He previously played in the NHL for the Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers, Pit ...
and a seventh-round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. He had one year remaining on his contract before becoming eligible as a restricted free agent whereas Brassard had three left on his.
On 20 November 2016, during a game against the
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...
, Zibanejad suffered a gruesome injury in overtime when he went hard with his left leg into the boards while trying to get in front of
Reilly Smith
Reilly Smith (born April 1, 1991) is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger and alternate captain for the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL).
Growing up in Toronto, Smith played junior hockey with St. Michael's ...
. After the game, which the Rangers eventually lost 3–2 in a shootout, it was announced that he broke his left
fibula
The fibula or calf bone is a leg bone on the lateral side of the tibia, to which it is connected above and below. It is the smaller of the two bones and, in proportion to its length, the most slender of all the long bones. Its upper extremity is ...
and would miss six to eight weeks. He returned to the Rangers lineup against the
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division (NHL), Central Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and were founde ...
on 17 January 2017; he scored two goals in the 7–6 Rangers loss.
On 20 April 2017, Zibanejad scored the overtime winning goal in Game 5 of the 2017 NHL Eastern Conference quarterfinal. He met his former team, the Senators, in the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, in which Ottawa would triumph in six games. He scored one goal and recorded four assists against his former team for a total of two goals and seven assists during the
2017 Stanley Cup playoffs
The 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League (NHL) began on April 12, 2017, after the 2016–17 regular season and concluded on June 11, 2017, with the Pittsburgh Penguins defeating the Nashville Predators four games to two in the ...
.
On 26 July 2017, Zibanejad signed a five-year, $26.75 million contract extension with the Rangers.
Zibanejad scored a goal and three assists in the Rangers'
2019–20 season opener on 3 October 2019, and followed that game with his third career
hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick is the achievement of a generally positive feat three times in a match, or another achievement based on the number three.
Origin
The term first appeared in 1858 in cricket, to describe H. H. Stephenson taking three wic ...
against the Ottawa Senators on 5 October. He also posted an assist in the game,
becoming the sixth player in NHL history with four-point games in each of the first two games of the season, and the first player to do so since
John Cullen
Barry John Cullen (born August 2, 1964) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Hartford Whalers, Toronto Maple Leafs and Tampa Bay Lightning. He was a stan ...
of the
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...
in
1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...
. He was the second player in Rangers history to post eight points through the first two games of the season,
the fourth in franchise history to score six or more points in that span,
and the first in both cases since
Rod Gilbert
Rodrigue Gabriel Gilbert (July 1, 1941 — August 19, 2021) was a Canadian professional ice hockey forward who played his entire career for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Known as "Mr. Ranger", he played right wing on ...
in
1976
Events January
* January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force.
* January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea.
* January 11 – The 1976 Phila ...
.
Zibanejad's game on 5 October made him the first Rangers player with an even strength goal, a power play goal, and a short-handed goal in an away game since
Petr Nedved in 2000, and the first Ranger to do so in any game since
Derek Stepan
Derek Kenneth Stepan ( ; born June 18, 1990) is an American professional ice hockey center. He is currently under contract with the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He has previously played in the NHL for the New York Rang ...
in 2014.
On 8 October, he was named NHL's First Star of the Week.
On 5 March 2020, Zibanejad became the third player in Rangers history to
score 5 goals in a game in a 6–5 win over the Capitals,
joining
Don Murdoch
Donald Walter Murdoch (born October 25, 1956) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played in the National Hockey League with the New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, and Detroit Red Wings between 1976 and 1982. He was featured i ...
, who set the mark on 12 October 1976 against the
Minnesota North Stars
The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the team's colors for ...
, and
Mark Pavelich
Mark Thomas Pavelich (February 28, 1958 – March 4, 2021) was an American professional ice hockey forward (ice hockey), forward who played 355 regular season games in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Rangers, Minnesota North St ...
on 23 February 1983 versus the
Hartford Whalers
The Hartford Whalers were a professional ice hockey team based for most of its existence in Hartford, Connecticut. The club played in the World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 until 1979, and in the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1979 to ...
. Among Zibanejad's tallies was the overtime winner, making him only the second player in NHL history to complete the quintet of goals in the extra period. (The other was
Sergei Fedorov
Sergei Viktorovich Fyodorov (; born December 13, 1969) is a Russian former professional ice hockey player and the current head coach of CSKA Moscow of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). During his playing career, for which he is best known fo ...
, who did the same on 26 December 1996, also against Washington.
)
After scoring only three goals in 27 games to start the
2020–21 NHL season
The dash is a punctuation mark consisting of a long horizontal line. It is similar in appearance to the hyphen but is longer and sometimes higher from the baseline. The most common versions are the endash , generally longer than the hyphen b ...
, Zibanejad scored a natural hat trick on 17 March 2021 in the second period of a game against the Philadelphia Flyers. That same game, he tied the NHL record for most points in one period set in 1978 by
Bryan Trottier
Bryan John Trottier (born July 17, 1956) is a Canadian-American former professional ice hockey centre who played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New York Islanders and Pittsburgh Penguins. He won four Stanley Cups with the ...
with 6. The Rangers eventually won the game 9–0. He scored another hat trick a week later on 25 March in a subsequent game against the Flyers, a match the Rangers won 8–3. Accomplishing these feats, he became the third NHL player to score a natural hat trick in consecutive games against the same opponent in a single season after
Thomas Vanek
Thomas Vanek (born 19 January 1984) is an Austrian former professional ice hockey left winger. He played fourteen years in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Buffalo Sabres, New York Islanders, Montreal Canadiens, Minnesota Wild, Detroit R ...
and
Peter Bondra
Peter Bondra (; born 7 February 1968) is a Ukrainian-born Slovak former professional ice hockey player. He was the general manager of the Slovakia national team from 2007 to 2011. A two-time 50-goal scorer, Bondra became the 37th player in Nati ...
.
On 25 April 2021, during a game against the
Buffalo Sabres
The Buffalo Sabres are a professional ice hockey team based in Buffalo, New York. The Sabres compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team was established in 1970, along w ...
, Zibanejad scored his seventh career
hat trick
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
(third of the season). He became the first Rangers player with three hat tricks in a season since
Marián Gáborík
Marián Gáborík (; born 14 February 1982) is a Slovak former professional ice hockey right winger. He began his playing career in the Slovak Extraliga with Dukla Trenčín for two seasons before being drafted third overall in the 2000 NHL En ...
achieved the feat in the 2010–11 season.
On 10 October 2021, Zibanejad signed an eight-year contract extension with the Rangers.
On 18 January 2022, Zibanejad was voted to his first All-Star game through the NHL "Last Men In" fan vote. However, he decided not to attend due to personal reasons in Sweden. This was his first career All-Star selection.
Personal life
Zibanejad was raised in
Huddinge
Huddinge Municipality ( sv, Huddinge kommun) is a municipalities of Sweden, municipality in Stockholm County, east central Sweden. Its seat is located in Huddinge (), which is a part of Stockholm urban area.
The municipality is, with its approxima ...
,
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
. His father, Mehrdad, is from
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
and his mother, Ritva, is from
Paltamo
Paltamo ( sv, Paltamo, also ) is a municipality of Finland. It is part of the Kainuu region. The municipality has a population of
() and covers an area of of
which
is water. The population density is
. There are two built-up areas in the municip ...
,
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
.
Mehrdad, a Christian, left Iran in 1983 due to religious persecution following two years of mandatory military service in the
Iran–Iraq War
The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between Iran and Iraq that lasted from September 1980 to August 1988. It began with the Iraqi invasion of Iran and lasted for almost eight years, until the acceptance of United Nations Security Council ...
.
Mika's maternal half-brother,
Monir Kalgoum, is also an ice hockey player who played professionally for teams in several lower-tier European leagues, most notably
Huddinge IK
Huddinge IK (or ''Huddinge Hockey''), is a Swedish ice hockey team from Huddinge, a southern suburb in Stockholm County. The team is currently playing in the third highest league in Sweden, Hockeyettan. In the middle of the 1990s, a women's flo ...
and
AIK IF
Allmänna Idrottsklubben Ishockeyförening (abbreviated ''AIK IF'', also known as ''AIK Hockey'', often abbreviated ''AIK'' in hockey subjects), is the ice hockey department of sports club Allmänna Idrottsklubben based in Stockholm, Sweden. Sin ...
in Sweden's
HockeyAllsvenskan
HockeyAllsvenskan (previously Allsvenskan and SuperAllsvenskan) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league, and the second-highest league in the Sweden, Swedish ice hockey system (after the Swedish Hockey League, SHL). Since the 2009–10 ...
and
Milton Keynes Lightning
The Milton Keynes Lightning are an ice hockey team founded in 2002 in Milton Keynes, Buckinghamshire. The Lightning currently play in Britain's second-tier professional league, the National Ice Hockey League (NIHL), since the 2019–20 season. ...
in the United Kingdom.
Zibanejad is fluent in
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
,
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
,
Finnish
Finnish may refer to:
* Something or someone from, or related to Finland
* Culture of Finland
* Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland
* Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people
* Finnish cuisine
See also ...
and
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
.
Zibanejad is currently married to
Irma Helin, a Swedish footballer and sportscaster. He is good friends with teammate
Chris Kreider.
Music career
Zibanejad is also a
DJ and music producer. He has released 5 songs: "Forever" in 2017, "Can't Go Back Home" the following year, in 2018, "Moves," featuring Hot Shade and
Mike Perry in 2019, followed by "Nobody," featuring Hot Shade, the same year, and "By My Side" in 2020, which features Hot Shade and Melina Borglowe.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
Awards and honors
See also
*
Swedish Iranians
Swedish Iranians or Swedish Persians consist of people of Iranian nationality who have settled in Sweden, as well as Swedish residents and citizens of Iranian heritage. As of 2019, there were 80,136 residents of Sweden born in Iran, as well as 4 ...
*
Sweden Finns
Sweden Finns ( fi, ruotsinsuomalaiset; sv, sverigefinnar) are a Finnish-speaking national minority in Sweden.
People with Finnish heritage comprise a relatively large share of the population of Sweden. In addition to a smaller part of Sweden F ...
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zibanejad, Mika
1993 births
Living people
Binghamton Senators players
Djurgårdens IF Hockey players
National Hockey League All-Stars
National Hockey League first-round draft picks
New York Rangers players
Ottawa Senators draft picks
Ottawa Senators players
People from Huddinge Municipality
Ice hockey people from Stockholm
Swedish ice hockey centres
Swedish people of Finnish descent
Swedish people of Iranian descent
Sportspeople of Iranian descent