"We are thrilled Mattias elected to sign with the Tampa Bay Lightning today," said Lawton upon making the announcement. "With so many options in front of him, having him elect to play in Tampa demonstrates the faith he has in our team's strategy and vision for success, which should be exciting for our fans. This signing accomplished two primary goals for us. First, we have added the top-two defenseman we coveted to lead our blue line and second, we have found a leader and a mentor for Victor Hedman as he prepares to play in the NHL this fall."
Ohlund, 6-foot-2, 227 pounds, has skated in 770 career NHL games, all with Vancouver. He has amassed 93 career goals and 325 points with 36 power play goals and 19 game-winning goals. Ohlund is the Canucks' all-time leader in goals by a defenseman and led the team in ice time during the 2006-07 (24:47) and 2007-08 (23:46) seasons. He was named to the NHL All-Star game in 1998-99 and the NHL All-Rookie Team in 1997-98. Ohlund was also recognized by his team, earning the Canucks' Most Outstanding Defenseman award in 2005-06 and 1999-00.
A native of Pitea, Sweden, Ohlund has played in 52 career playoff games, recording nine goals and 28 points. He is tied for 11th overall on the Vancouver all-time playoff points list.
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