Max Friberg

Max Friberg (born 20 November 1992) is a Swedish professional ice hockey winger who is currently playing under contract to Frölunda HC of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He was selected in the fifth round, 143rd overall, by the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the 2011 NHL entry draft.

Playing career

Friberg grew up playing for his hometown team Skövde IK. During the 2007–08 season he played 24 games in the J18 Elit, scoring six goals and three assists. He also played 12 games in the J20 Elit, scoring one goal and two assists. The following season Skövde were relegated to the J18 Div.1, Sweden's third tier under 18 league, Friberg played ten games with the under 18 team, scoring 14 goals and 18 assist for a total of 32 points. He played 17 games with the under 20 team in the J20 Elit, scoring 13 goals and seven assists. During the season he made his senior debut with Skövde's men's team in Division 1, Sweden's third tier men's league, playing 24 games he scored one goal and three assists.

For the 2009–10 Friberg had had a breakout season with the men's team, in 36 games he scored 12 goals and 18 assists for a total of 30 points, which was the highest point total of any under 18 player in the league. Skövde's under 18 team were promoted back to the J18 Elit where Friberg played five games, scoring five goals and six assists. He only played one game with the under 20 team in the J20 Elit, recording three assists.

During the 2010–11 season Friberg played 34 games with the men's team in Division 1, scoring 13 goals and 27 assists for a total of 40 points, which was the highest point total for any 18 year old player in the league. He also played two games with the under 20 team in the J20 Elit, scoring one goal and three assists. His stellar point production in Division 1 had not gone unnoticed—despite it not being the usual path for prospects in Sweden to go, instead most opting to play with bigger clubs in the top tier J20 SuperElit at the time—Friberg was selected 143rd overall by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2011 NHL entry draft, as only the second player ever drafted from Skövde IK after Anton Strålman who was selected at the 2005 NHL entry draft.

After having graduated gymnasium and to continue his development and play at a higher level, Friberg signed a two-year contract with Timrå IK of the Elitserien, Sweden's top tier men's league, for the 2011–12 season. He scored his first goal in the league on November 19, 2011, against Fredrik Norrena of Linköpings HC as Timrå won 4–1. In total he played 48 games, scoring five goals and five assists, which ranked as the sixth highest point total for players under the age of 20 in the league. Timrå finished 12th, dead last in the league with only 52 points, and had to play in the 2012 Kvalserien—a promotion and relegation series to defend their spot in Elitserien. Friberg played an instrumental role for Timrå in Kvalserien, scoring the overtime game winning goal in game one against BIK Karlskoga which ended 5–4, and both goals in a 2–1 overtime win against Rögle BK in game seven which basically secured their Elitserien status for the next season. Timrå won the series, in the ten games Friberg scored three goals and four assists, which ranked fourth overall in points for Timrå. During the season he also played two games with Timrå's under 20 team in the J20 SuperElit, scoring two goals and two assists, as well as being loaned to IF Sundsvall Hockey in the second tier HockeyAllsvenskan for one game, without registring any points.

On June 15, 2012, Friberg agreed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Anaheim Ducks. He was loaned back to Timrå for the 2012–13 season, he played 55 games, scoring eight goals and eight assists as Timrå finished 11th in the league with 57 points, and had to play in the 2013 Kvalserien. Friberg scored four goals and two assist in ten games as Timrå finished third in Kvalserien and were thus relegated to HockeyAllsvenskan for the following season.

After finishing the season with Timrå Friberg was assigned by the Ducks to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate the Norfolk Admirals for the end of the 2012–13 AHL season. He scored his first goal in his third AHL game on April 14, the only goal for Norfolk in a 1–4 loss against the Providence Bruins. The following day after the game against Providence he and some of his teammates were sightseeing in Boston and had just gotten out off the train station as they heard the explosions of the Boston Marathon bombing. In total he played six games, scoring one goal, as Norfolk finished ninth in the eastern conference and missed the playoffs by two points.

For the 2013–14 season Friberg played 74 games, scoring 17 goals and 23 assists for a total of 40 points. Norfolk finished eight in the eastern conference and clinched the last playoff spot in the 2014 Calder Cup playoffs. Norfolk won the best of five conference quarterfinals against the Manchester Monarchs three games to one, but lost the conference semifinals two games to four against the St. John's IceCaps. In ten games of the playoffs Friberg scored three goals and two assists.

After having played two pre-season games with the Ducks, and being the last forward cut from the Ducks' NHL roster Friberg had a rough start with Norfolk to the 2014–15 season, injuring his elbow 45 seconds into the first game on October 19. He made his NHL debut on December 28, 2014, in a 2–1 overtime win against the Vancouver Canucks. Which was his only appearance with the Ducks for the season, spending the rest of it in Norfolk totaling 58 games, scoring 15 goals and 25 assist for a total of 40 points.

Friberg signed a two-year contract extension with Anaheim prior to the 2015–16 season, their AHL affiliate the Norfolk Admirals had moved to San Diego, California to become the newest version of the San Diego Gulls, as part of the AHL's efforts to create a Pacific Division. Friberg once again did not meet the cut for the Ducks' NHL roster to start the season and was placed on waivers to be assigned to San Diego, where Friberg was named alternate captain of the Gulls. During the autumn Friberg was called up to Anaheim for five games, but he spent the majority of time with San Diego in the AHL wher he scored five goals and twelve assists for a total of 17 points before being traded on January 7, 2016, by the Ducks to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for Dustin Tokarski. Friberg was assigned directly to conclude the remainder of the season with Montreal's AHL affiliate, the St. John's IceCaps. Where he played 42 games, scoring seven goals and twelve assist.

In the 2016–17 season, Friberg was assigned to continue with the IceCaps for the entirety of the campaign. As the IceCaps captain in their announced last season in the AHL, Friberg contributed 11 goals and 31 points in 71 games.

As an impending restricted free agent from the Canadiens, having never made his NHL debut with the club, Friberg opted to return home to Sweden in agreeing to a three-year contract with Frölunda HC of the SHL on May 4, 2017. Scoring four goals and 13 assists in 52 games regular season games, and two goals in six playoff games as Frölunda were eliminated two games to four against Malmö Redhawks in the quarterfinals. During the season Friberg also appeared for Frölunda in eight games of the 2017–18 Champions Hockey League, recording four assists, Frölunda failed to advanced past the round of 16 after having lost the best of three playoff round one game to two against HC Bílí Tygři Liberec.

He later signed a three-year extension with Frölunda on 25 June 2019.

International play

He represented Sweden at the 2024 IIHF World Championship and won a bronze medal.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honours

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Friberg, Max
1992 births
Living people
Anaheim Ducks draft picks
Anaheim Ducks players
Frölunda HC players
IF Sundsvall Hockey players
Norfolk Admirals players
Sportspeople from Skövde
St. John's IceCaps players
San Diego Gulls (AHL) players
Swedish ice hockey left wingers
21st-century Swedish sportsmen
Timrå IK players
Ice hockey players at the 2022 Winter Olympics
Olympic ice hockey players for Sweden
Ice hockey people from Västra Götaland County