Johan Holmqvist
Johan Holmqvist ( born May 24, 1978 in Tolfta ) is a Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender who stands since 2011 Brynäs IF in the Elitserien under contract.
Career
Johan Holmqvist began his career in 1993 at Tierps hockey in the second division in Sweden and played there for three years. In 1996 he moved to Brynäs IF in the Elitserien. After his first season, in which he, however, only two games played, he was selected by the New York Rangers in the seventh round at position 175 in the NHL Entry Draft in 1997.
In the 1997/98 season he sat down already as a goalkeeper by and was named Rookie of the Year. 1998/99 he won with Brynäs the championship and remained for another year in Sweden before moving to North America in the summer of 2000. There he began the season with the New York Rangers and came straight to his first two appearances in the NHL. However, he could not convince them, because he had conceded ten goals in the two games. He was sent out to the Hartford Wolf Pack, the Rangers' farm team in the AHL, where he played the season as their first-choice goalkeeper.
2001/ 02 and 2002/ 03, he received two brief appearances in the NHL, otherwise he only played in the AHL. In March 2003 he was transferred from the Rangers to the Minnesota Wild. However, the sent him also first in the AHL to their farm team, the Houston Aeros. He played eight games in the regular season 2002/ 03 and went as a goalkeeper in the playoffs. In the playoffs, he blossomed right and the team led eventually to win the Calder Cup. He himself was awarded the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as most valuable player (MVP) of the playoffs.
He was in the summer of 2003 a new contract in Minnesota, but in the NHL team he got no chance and he continued to play for Houston. After winning the title, but it was not particularly good and the team missed the playoffs.
In the fall of 2004, many players in the NHL switched to European teams since the season 2004/ 05 should be canceled because of the lockout. Also Holmqvist moved to his home to Brynäs IF. Just three days later he was discharged from the Minnesota Wild. With Brynäs the season was not very good and they had to end up in the Kvalserien where they could avoid relegation from the Elitserien yet.
In summer 2005, many players left the Elitserien again because of the labor dispute in the NHL has been terminated. Holmqvist stayed with Brynäs, as he had no NHL contract more and had not received an offer. But in the season 2005/ 06 he could recommend for the NHL again. He played a very good season and received at the end of the Honkens Trofé as the best goalkeeper in the Elitserien. After the season, he participated with the Swedish national team at the World Cup. Due to his good performances in the league, Holmqvist was the number one in the "Three Crowns team," the world champion after a win in the final against the Czech Republic. Holmqvist was named the best goalkeeper in the World Cup.
On 1 June 2006 he received a new NHL contract with the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he was supposed to play the role of back-up goalie Marc Denis. However, good performances and a concurrent weakness of Denis himself Holmqvist came out as the first-choice goalkeeper. As the whole team played weak in the 2007/ 08 season and also Holmqvist could not convince the Tampa Bay Lightning picked up end of February 2008 with Jeff Halpern and Jussi Jokinen with Mike Smith a new goalkeeper and gave it Holmqvist along with Brad Richards to the Dallas Stars from.
After the season Johan Holmqvist moved to his native Sweden to the Frölunda Indians in the Elitserien, for whom he played from 2008 to 2011. For the 2011/12 season he moved within the league to his original club Brynäs IF.