Continuing our time talking about the current team’s greatest players, our next player is one that exemplifies the blend between leadership and talent: Mika Zibanejad. Mike Zibanejad is Swedish center for the Rangers, who also serves as one of the team’s alternate captains. He is known for scoring incredible goals, especially during the tough times when his team needs it. Let’s see how an international superstar ended up in the greatest city in the world…and on the best team in the world!
Mika Zibanejad was born in Huddinge, Sweden on April 18, 1993. Growing up, Mika first played football as a child. He then moved onto ice hockey at the age of 6 years old, playing seven seasons with the Hammarby IF program. That program suffered from bankruptcy, leaving Mika and his family searching for a new place that would help develop his athletic abilities. He joined the AIK IF youth organization and played junior hockey in association with the program. In 2010, Mika made his Swedish Hockey League (SHL) debut with the Elitserien and was later drafted into the KHL junior draft. He played in the Djurgarden IF for one year before being officially drafted into the NHL by the Ottawa Senators. He was drafted 6th overall in 2011 and signed a 3-year entry deal with the team. In fact, in his first ever NHL game, he scored his first game point. Zibanejad remained with the Ottawa Senators until 2016.
In 2016, Zibanejad was traded to the New York Rangers, which was originally a trade that was met with sufficient backlash from the fans and hockey community alike. He soon proved critics wrong, as he developed into a star center. Unfortunately, in his first season Zibanejad suffered from a broken leg. He fell awkwardly into the boards and missed 6-8 weeks of the season. However, after coming back from that injury, Zibanejad was truly given a chance to prove himself at the highest level. He was and still continues to be one of the Rangers’ best centermen. He is known to be an “all-around player” with a great shot, good hockey vision, and the capability to defend himself in the offensive zone. Currently, Zibanejad serves as an alternate captain of the team, furthering his athletic and leadership skills. Many fans have even called for him to be made captain, but alas that remains rumor and desire as the Rangers have not named a captain in quite some time. This season, he earned his 500th career point. He has played 67 games and notched 69 points, which is a great statistic.
In addition to his successful professional hockey career, Zibanejad is also a music producer and DJ (I’ve personally never listened to any of his songs, but you’re interested, it can be found on most music platforms!). He has released 5 songs and is commonly known as “DJ ZBAD.”As we come increasingly closer to the end of the regular hockey season, fans are confident that not only will the Rangers make it to the playoffs, but that Mika Zibanejad will assist the team in success.
I’m not the most knowledgeable about hockey, but you did a good job of explaining Mika’s story and talents in a way that was very accessible even to a non-fan! In particular, I thought it was cool to hear about how he’s been able to remain a very skilled player in spite of the challenges he’s had to face, such as his childhood hockey program going bankrupt and his broken leg. It’s also really interesting to hear about his non-hockey talents, such as his music. Oftentimes athletes are only viewed through the lens of their skill at sports, so seeing him from another light was nice. Overall, great post!
This was really interesting! I am a Pens fan and do not know much about other teams. I went to a Pens vs. Rangers once, and that is my extent of my knowledge of the Rangers. You did a great job explaining this and put it in terms that makes sense to people (like me) that do not understand hockey. Well done!
Great post about hockey! Although I would say that I do not know a lot about the sport and have very little experience with it, it is still refreshing to hear about a sport that is less often discussed. The stereotypical impression that I get from hockey is that the players fight often. Where I am from, the most popular team seems to be the Philadelphia Flyers; I wonder what they are up to nowadays. Either way, thanks for summarizing Mika Zibanejad’s life and career for us – looking forward to the next post.
Great job with this blog! I literally have no knowledge about hockey but you made it a super interesting read and I always love reading about how players came up before all of their fame. It sounds like he had to fight many battles to get to where he’s at from the critics saying that he wouldn’t play well for the Rangers to the injury. I’ve always wondered how international scouting works but it makes sense that he played for the SHL before the NHL. Great job!
As a Flyers fan, I really like what Zibanejad brings to the table. The Flyers unfortunately are not very good right now, so they can use a guy as talented as Zibanejad. You do a great job explaining his life story and showing how talented and tough of a player he is!