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Mika ZibanejadSwedish hockey player currently playing for the NHL Ottawa Senators.
Date of Birth: 18.04.1993
Country:  Sweden |
Content:
Biography of Mika Zibanejad
Mika Zibanejad is a Swedish ice hockey player of Iranian descent. He currently plays for the NHL team, the New York Rangers, and was a part of the Swedish national team that won the 2018 World Championship.
Early Life and Background
Zibanejad's father is Iranian and played for the Iranian national volleyball team before later playing for Swedish football clubs. Zibanejad himself is a Christian and is fluent in Swedish, English, and Finnish (his mother is Finnish), but has limited understanding of Farsi.
Hockey Career
Zibanejad began his hockey career playing for Swedish clubs such as Hammarby, AIK, and Djurgarden. He made his debut in the Swedish Elite League on December 7, 2010, and scored his first goal in the league on January 15, 2011, against MODO. In April 2011, he won a silver medal in the Junior World Championship.
In the 2011 NHL Draft, Zibanejad was selected 6th overall by the Ottawa Senators. He signed a three-year contract with the team on July 13, 2011. Zibanejad scored the overtime-winning goal in the final match against Russia in the 2012 World Junior Championship, securing Sweden's second championship in 31 years.
Zibanejad played for the Binghamton Senators in the AHL during the 2012/13 season. In March 2014, he was recognized as one of the top three stars of the game in the NHL after scoring two goals in a match against the San Jose Sharks.
On February 28, 2016, Zibanejad set a record for the Ottawa Senators by scoring three goals in 2 minutes and 38 seconds in a regular-season game against the Calgary Flames. On March 5, 2020, he scored five goals against the Washington Capitals, becoming the fifth Swedish player in NHL history to achieve this feat. Zibanejad's five-goal game was the first for a Rangers player since 1983. He also became the second player in NHL history, after Sergei Fedorov, to score his fifth goal in overtime.
In the 2019/20 season, Zibanejad scored 75 points (41 goals, 34 assists) in 57 games. However, in the first 27 games of the 2020/21 season, he only scored three goals. On March 18, 2021, in the 28th game, he scored 6 points (3 goals, 3 assists) in the second period against the Philadelphia Flyers, achieving a natural hat trick. Zibanejad's 6 points in one period matched an NHL record set by Bryan Trottier in 1978. On March 26, he scored 6 points (3 goals, 3 assists) again against the Flyers, becoming the first player in NHL history to score six points in consecutive games against the same opponent.
In the 2021/22 season, Zibanejad achieved a career-high of 81 points (29 goals, 52 assists) in 81 games. He also surpassed 500 career points in the NHL during the season. On January 2, 2022, he recorded a hat trick in a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
In the 2022/23 season, Zibanejad scored 91 points (39 goals, 52 assists) in 82 games. On April 5, 2023, he reached the milestone of 600 career points in NHL regular seasons.
