Nicklas Bäckström

Nicklas Bäckström
Bäckström playing with Washington in 2016
Born	(1987-11-23) 23 November 1987 (age 29) Valbo, Sweden
Height	6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight	216 lb (98 kg; 15 st 6 lb)
Position	Centre
Shoots	Left
NHL team Former teams	Washington Capitals Brynäs IF Dynamo Moscow
National team	Sweden
NHL Draft	4th overall, 2006 Washington Capitals
Playing career	2004–present
Website	nicklasbackstrom.com

Medal record
Representing  Sweden
Men's ice hockey
Winter Olympics
	2014 Sochi
World Championships
	2006 Riga
World U18 Championships
	2005 Plzeň

Lars Nicklas Bäckström (Swedish: [ˈnɪkːlas ²bɛkːstrœm]; born 23 November 1987) is a Swedish professional ice hockey centre and an alternate captain for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). Bäckström was selected fourth overall by the Capitals at the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, and has since gone on to become Washington's all-time franchise leader in assists.

After turning 15, Bäckström began his junior career in the 2002–03 season, playing for Brynäs IF of the J20 SuperElit league. After playing parts of three seasons there, in the final of which he had 34 points in 29 games (17 goals and 17 assists), he was called up to play for the club's team in the Elitserien, Sweden's top professional hockey league. In part due to the increased competition brought about by the influx of NHL players into the league (as a result of the 2004–05 NHL lockout), Bäckström was unable to record a point.

In his second season, 2005–06, Bäckström's numbers greatly improved, posting 26 points (10 goals and 16 assists) in 46 games, including a goal in four playoff games. Quickly becoming a first-line centre and a top player on the team, he was named both the Elitserien Rookie of the Year as well as the Swedish Junior Hockey Player of the Year for the first of two times (other notable players to win the latter include Peter Forsberg, Henrik Lundqvist, Daniel Sedin, Henrik Sedin and Niklas Kronwall).