Swedish ice hockey player (born 2000)
Ice hockey player
Maja Nylen 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.
Playing career
[
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]
Nylen 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
Brynas IF
.
[5]
She scored 26 points in 36 games in her first season with Brynas, serving as an assistant captain.
[6]
The
2021?22 season
saw Nylen 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 Brynas 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 Brynas.
[7]
In the
2023?24 season
as the captain of Brynas, Nylen 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, Nylen Persson was drafted tenth overall by
PWHL New York
in the
2024 PWHL draft
.
[9]
International play
[
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]
Nylen 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]
Nylen 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. Nylen Persson was named the best player of the match for the Swedes.
[12]
Returning for the
2018 World U18 Championship
, Nylen 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 Nylen 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
[
edit
]
Regular season and playoffs
[
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]
|
|
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
|
Brynas IF
|
SDHL
|
36
|
9
|
17
|
26
|
4
|
5
|
1
|
2
|
3
|
0
|
2020?21
|
Brynas IF
|
SDHL
|
36
|
9
|
19
|
28
|
8
|
7
|
0
|
3
|
3
|
2
|
2021?22
|
Brynas IF
|
SDHL
|
35
|
15
|
32
|
47
|
6
|
10
|
4
|
9
|
13
|
2
|
2022?23
|
Brynas IF
|
SDHL
|
32
|
16
|
32
|
48
|
8
|
8
|
3
|
3
|
6
|
0
|
2023?24
|
Brynas 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
[
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]
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
[
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]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Ronnkvist, Ronnie (9 February 2019).
"Slakt med Nicklas Lidstrom ? nu gor hon OS-debut: "En inspirationskalla for mig"
"
.
Archived
from the original on 12 September 2021
. Retrieved
15 September
2020
.
- ^
"CLOSE-UP SDHL: Leksand IF:s Maja Nyhlen Persson"
.
Hockeysverige
. 18 December 2018.
Archived
from the original on 3 June 2019
. Retrieved
15 September
2020
.
- ^
Ronnkvist, Ronnie (29 March 2019).
"En historisk forsta vinnare av EliteProspects Award: "Hon ar komplett"
"
.
Hockeysverige
.
Archived
from the original on 12 September 2021
. Retrieved
15 September
2020
.
- ^
a
b
Karlsson, Mans (27 May 2020).
"Vinnare igen ? hon far Elite Prospects Award"
.
Hockeysverige
.
Archived
from the original on 13 June 2020
. Retrieved
12 June
2024
.
- ^
Foster, Meredith (29 May 2019).
"Maja Nylen Persson signs with Brynas IF"
.
The Ice Garden
.
Archived
from the original on 22 October 2021
. Retrieved
15 September
2020
.
- ^
Dahlen, Johanna (12 September 2020).
"
"Hoppas att yngre tjejer ser mig som en forebild"
"
.
Archived
from the original on 12 September 2020
. Retrieved
15 September
2020
.
- ^
a
b
"Maja Nylen-Persson stannar i Brynas IF"
.
Brynas IF
(in Swedish). 4 May 2022
. Retrieved
12 June
2024
.
- ^
a
b
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
.
- ^
Ronnkvist, Ronnie (17 January 2020).
"SDHL-stjarnan minns tillbaka pa 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 foll tungt i bronsmatchen i JVM"
.
www.expressen.se
(in Swedish). 14 January 2017
. Retrieved
12 June
2024
.
- ^
a
b
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 Nylen Persson and Emma Soderberg"
.
The Ice Garden
. Retrieved
12 June
2024
.
- ^
Oberg, 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
[
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]