BIOGRAPHY
Mattias Ekholm was born May 24, 1990 in Borlänge, Sweden. He is a defenseman in the National Hockey League.
Ekholm was drafted 102nd overall, fourth round, in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft by the Predators. Following the draft, he participated in Predators 2009 Development Camp. After recording a blazing start with 7 goals and 5 assists in his first 14 games with Brynäs, Ekholm was announced to be the first of four Elitserien Rookie of the Year candidates for the 2010–11 season. He would go on to win the award. Following the 2010–11 season, Ekholm signed a three-year entry-level contract to play with the Predators for the 2011–12 season. Ekholm returned to the Predators for the 2012–13 season but was re-assigned to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals on 12 September 2012. By December, Ekholm was leading all Milwaukee defensemen in scoring with four goals and seven assists for 11 points. In the second full year of his contract, Ekholm joined the Predators for the start of their 2013–14 season. Ekholm scored his first NHL goal in a 3–2 win over the San Jose Sharks on 7 January 2014. He finished the season with nine points through 62 games and was one of six NHL defensemen to play at least 50 games and be assessed 10 or fewer penalty minutes. As such, Ekholm signed a two-year, $2.075 million contract with the Predators as a restricted free agent. In the first year of his new contract, Ekholm changed his jersey number to 14 to match his World Championship number. Ekholm set career-highs in goals, assists, and points during the season with seven goals and 11 assists for 18 points. Ekholm was named an alternate captain for the Predators on 19 September 2017.
On 13 October 2021, Ekholm signed a four-year, $25 million contract extension with the Predators with an annual average value of $6.25 million. During the 2022–NHL season, on 28 February 2023, Ekholm and a 2023 sixth-round pick were traded to the Edmonton Oilers.
