Erixon was born in Port Chester, New York, while his father Jan was a player for the New York Rangers. His family moved back to Skellefteå, Sweden, following his father's retirement, where he began to play hockey himself at the age of five.[1] He is described by his father as a "two-way defenceman with offensive skills".[2] Though he plays a different position, Erixon's play has been compared to that of his father, who was known as a defensive forward.[3]
Playing career
Amateur
Erixon began his professional career with Skellefteå AIK of the Swedish Elitserien at the age of 17, playing alongside good friend, and fellow 2009 draftee David Rundblad.[3] He recorded seven points in 45 games with Skellefteå in 2008–09 before finishing the season on loan to the Malmö Redhawks in the Swedish second division, HockeyAllsvenskan.[4]
Professional
Erixon as a Ranger in October 2011
Erixon entered the 2009 NHL Entry Draft as the 5th ranked European skater according to the NHL Central Scouting Bureau.[5] He was selected in the first round—23rd overall—by the Calgary Flames. The Flames considered him a well-rounded player; not expected to be an offensive minded defenseman, but a player with a good vision on the ice.
Erixon, however, refused to sign with Calgary because he felt he would not make the roster.[6] Faced with the prospect of losing his rights before the 2011 NHL Entry Draft,[7][8] Flames' general manager Jay Feaster traded Erixon to the New York Rangers on 1 June 2011, in exchange for two 2011 second round draft picks (the Flames selected Markus Granlund and Tyler Wotherspoon) and prospect Roman Horák.[9] He made his NHL debut on 7 October 2011 against the Los Angeles Kings in a game played in Sweden.[10] He was sent to the AHLConnecticut Whale after playing nine games for the Rangers.[11] He was recalled to the Rangers on 14 December 2011 after scoring 1 goal and 11 assists in 13 games for the Whale, and since shuttled between New York and Connecticut several times.[11][12][13][14] He registered his first NHL point for the Rangers on 23 March 2012, assisting on a goal by Brian Boyle in a game against the Buffalo Sabres.[15]
In the 2014–15 season, Erixon made the Blue Jackets opening-night roster. On 26 October 2014, Erixon scored his first NHL goal against the Los Angeles Kings.[18] After 19 games with Columbus, Erixon was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks for forward Jeremy Morin on 14 December 2014.[19] Erixon featured in 8 games with the Blackhawks, before he was placed on waivers and claimed by the Toronto Maple Leafs on 1 March 2015.[20]
On 1 July 2015, Erixon was part of a blockbuster trade that also sent Phil Kessel and Tyler Biggs to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Kasperi Kapanen, Scott Harrington, Nick Spaling, Pittsburgh's 2016 3rd round draft pick, and a conditional exchange of draft picks between the clubs depending on Pittsburgh's 2016 NHL regular season performance.[21]
On 7 September 2017, the New Jersey Devils signed Erixon as a free agent to a professional try-out contract.[22] After participating in training camp and the pre-season, Erixon was released without a contract from the Devils on 26 September 2017. He was then invited to try-out with the Devils AHL affiliate in Binghamton. After a successful training camp, Erixon signed a professional try-out to begin the 2017–18 season with Binghamton on 5 October 2017.[23] Erixon contributed with 1 assist in 5 games with the Devils before he was released from his PTO to sign a one-year AHL contract with the Springfield Thunderbirds on 1 November 2017.[24]
In the following off-season, Erixon as a free agent returned to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton organization, agreeing to attend training camp on a professional try-out on September 26, 2018.[25] He made the opening night roster for the 2018–19 season, and played through 15 games before securing a one-year AHL contract with the Penguins on February 5, 2019.[26]
On June 15, 2019, Erixon returned to Sweden as a free agent following 8 seasons in North America, agreeing to a two-year contract with the Växjö Lakers of the SHL.[27]
↑ David, Dan (14 June 2011). "Arrival of Erixon a Rangers family affair". NHL.com. New York Rangers. Retrieved 6 December 2017. With his NHL rights about to expire, Erixon was on the verge of re-entering the draft.
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