Mikael Tellqvist is one of the outliers in this series, having played considerably more games for the Maple Leafs of Toronto and St. John’s, than for the Toronto Marlies.

The goaltender won back-to-back championships in Sweden at the turn of the century and in-between times was selected 70th overall by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft.

Tellqvist made his North American debut with the St. John’s Maple Leafs in 2001 but would have to wait until the 2002-03 season for his NHL debut. He won a game in relief against Montreal before posting 26 saves in his first start, a loss to Philadelphia.

Representing Sweden in the 2003 World Championships, Tellqvist won a silver medal, adding to the bronze earned two years previously.

In the following three campaigns, Tellqvist featured in just 37 games for the Maple Leafs, spending more time playing out east in the AHL.

Possibly the highlight of the Swedish goaltender’s career arrived in the 2006 Winter Olympics.
Despite losing two group games, Sweden swept aside Switzerland and Czech Republic in the knockout stages before defeating Finland in the final to claim gold in Turin.

The 2006-07 season marked his last outing for the Maple Leafs and his only three games with the Toronto Marlies.

On November 28, 2006, Tellqvist was traded to the Phoenix Coyotes in exchange for forward Tyson Nash and a fourth-round draft pick in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.

Later in that season, on February 16, 2007, the Coyotes signed him to a contract extension through to the 2007–08 season.
On March 12, 2007, in a game against the Philadelphia Flyers, he stopped all 24 shots to record a fourth career NHL shutout.

After playing a complete season with Arizona, Tellqvist was traded the following year to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for a fourth-round draft pick in 2010.

Buffalo would be his last port of call in the NHL.
The goaltender signed with Ak Bars Kazan of the Kontinental Hockey League for the 2009–10 season.

Tellqvist would play for Modo back in his homeland and Dinamo Riga of the KHL before returning to Sweden for good in 2014.

After three seasons suiting up for Djurgårdens IF, Tellqvist officially announced his retirement as a player on November 2, 2017.

North American Career Statistics

AHL 146 Games 2.99 GAA .914Sv% 2 SO 61-63-14
NHL 114 Games 3.01 GAA .898Sv% 6 SO 45-41-10

So what is Mikael Tellqvist now up to after hanging up his skates?

The 42-year-old holds a Player Development role on the hockey side of operations for WE SPORT, a sports agency based primarily in Stockholm.

If you have enjoyed this article and would like to support my work please consider donating https://ko-fi.com/markukleaf or PayPal.me/markukleaf

No donation is too small, even if it’s just the cost of a coffee. It would be much appreciated.

Alternatively, if you feel inclined to support me longer term please consider becoming a patron https://www.patreon.com/markukleaf

Thank you for considering the above, reading this article and for your continued support.