Born	January 10, 1985 (1985-01-10) (age 24), Calgary, AB, CAN
Height Weight	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 183 lb (83 kg; 13 st 1 lb)
Position	Centre
Shoots	Left
NHL team F. teams	Edmonton Oilers New York Islanders
Ntl. team	Sweden
NHL Draft	15th overall, 2003 New York Islanders
Pro career	2005 – present

Robert Åke Nilsson (born January 10, 1985, in Calgary, Alberta) is a Swedish professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL).

[edit] Playing career

Nilsson began his career in the Elitserien with Leksands IF in 2002–03. He recorded 21 points in his rookie season, breaking Markus Naslund's 13-year mark for most points by a 17-year-old in the league.^[1] Nilsson was then drafted by the New York Islanders with the 15th overall pick in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft.

He remained in Sweden an additional two seasons, which included a brief, seven-game stint with Fribourg-Gottéron of the Swiss Nationalliga A, before joining the Islanders in 2005–06. Nilsson scored his first NHL goal within a month of his debut on October 29, 2005, against the Buffalo Sabres. Nilsson, however, struggled to adjust to the NHL style of play and was sent down to the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, the Islanders' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate. After scoring 28 points (8 goals, 20 assists) in 29 games for the Sound Tigers, Nilsson was recalled to finish the year with the Islanders, recording 20 points in 53 total games during his NHL rookie season. At one point, Robert played on the top line with team captain Alexei Yashin and close friend Sean Bergenheim.

In 2006–07, Nilsson was sent back to the Sound Tigers to start the season. He remained with the club until February 27, 2007, when he was dealt to the Edmonton Oilers with Ryan O'Marra and the Islanders' 1st round pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft for Ryan Smyth. Nilsson transferred AHL teams accordingly and began playing in the Oilers farm system with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. During a call-up, he scored his first goal as an Oiler on March 15, 2007.

[edit] International play

Nilsson represented Sweden at the 2003, 2004 and 2005 World Junior Championships.

[edit] Personal life

Nilsson was born in Canada while his father Kent Nilsson played in the NHL, but spent most of his childhood in Sweden.

[edit] Career statistics

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Robert Nilsson at TSN.ca
• Robert Nilsson's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database