Mika Zibanejad

Mika Zibanejad
Zibanejad in 2013.
Born	(1993-04-18) 18 April 1993 (age 23) , Sweden
Height	6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight	215 lb (98 kg; 15 st 5 lb)
Position	Centre
Shoots	Right
NHL team Former teams	New York Rangers Djurgårdens IF Ottawa Senators
National team	Sweden
NHL Draft	6th overall, 2011 Ottawa Senators
Playing career	2010–present

Zibanejad skating with the Swedish team at the 2012 World Junior Hockey Championships.
Medal record
Representing  Sweden
Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
	2012 Calgary
IIHF World U18 Championships
	2011 Germany
World U-17 Hockey Challenge
	2010 Ontario

Mika Zibanejad (Persian: میکا زیبانژاد‎‎; born 18 April 1993) is an Swedish professional ice hockey centreman currently playing for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Zibanejad was selected sixth overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft by the Ottawa Senators and signed a professional contract with Ottawa in July 2011. He made the Senators lineup out of training camp to start the 2011–12 season, but was returned to Djurgårdens IF in Sweden after scoring one point in nine NHL games with Ottawa. On 18 July 2016, after 5 seasons within Senators organization, Zibanejad was traded to the New York Rangers in exchange for Derick Brassard.

Internationally, Zibanejad has represented Sweden at both the under-18 and junior levels. On 5 January 2012, Zibanejad scored the gold medal-winning golden goal for Sweden in the 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships against Russia in the tournament final; the game finished 1–0.

Zibanejad played soccer as a child before deciding to pursue hockey. He began playing hockey at the age of six in Hammarby IF, where he played a total of seven seasons before the club went bankrupt in 2008.

Zibanejad then moved to AIK IF's youth organization for the following season, where he began playing junior hockey. He was acquired by Djurgårdens IF for the 2009–10 season to play in Djurgården's J18-team and J20-team. Zibanejad made his Elitserien debut on 7 December 2010, against Luleå HF, and scored his first Elitserien goal on 15 January 2011, against Tuomas Tarkki of Modo Hockey. He was drafted in the sixth round of the 2010 KHL Junior Draft by Lokomotiv Yaroslavl, 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 put him third in points for players 18 or younger playing with the senior team, behind Fredrik Bremberg and Jacob Josefson. On 5 January 2012, Zibanejad scored the game-winning goal for Sweden at the 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships in overtime of the gold medal game against Russia.