Bert Erik Johan Robertsson (born June 30, 1974) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey defenceman and current assistant coach of Malmö Redhawks of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). Robertsson played in the system of Södertälje SK in Sweden and was selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. Moving to North America in 1995, Robertsson played parts of four seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Canucks, Edmonton Oilers, and New York Rangers between 1997 and 2001, while mainly playing in the minor American Hockey League, before returning to Europe in 2002 and finishing his career there.

Bert Robertsson
Born (1974-06-30) June 30, 1974 (age 50)
Södertälje, Sweden
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 216 lb (98 kg; 15 st 6 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Left
Played for Södertälje SK
Vancouver Canucks
Edmonton Oilers
New York Rangers
Ilves
NHL draft 254th overall, 1993
Vancouver Canucks
Playing career 1993–2008

Playing career

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While his natural position was on the blueline, Robertsson spent much of his NHL career on the wing. While he was lacking in puck skills and offensive ability, his work ethic, in-your-face style of play, and solid defensive instincts made him a useful utility player at the NHL level.

Robertsson made his professional debut with the Canucks' AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, in the 1995–96 season. He made his NHL debut in the 1997–98 season with the Canucks, appearing in 30 games and recording 2 goals along with 4 assists. He spent most of the 1998–99 season on the Canucks' roster, appearing in 39 games and recording 2 goals and 4 points.

He moved to the Edmonton Oilers organization for the 1999–2000 season. With the Oilers, he appeared in a career-high 52 games - recording 4 assists - and also saw his first NHL playoff action, appearing in all five games of Edmonton's opening-round loss to the Dallas Stars. The Oilers left him unprotected in the 2000 NHL Expansion Draft, in which he was selected by the Columbus Blue Jackets.

After leaving Edmonton, Robertsson struggled to find a home in the NHL. In his final two seasons in North America, he moved through five NHL organizations (Columbus, the New York Rangers, the Nashville Predators, the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, and the Pittsburgh Penguins) and six minor-pro teams. During this time he appeared in only two NHL games: in 2000–01 with the Rangers.

Robertsson would return to Europe for the 2002–03 season, joining Ilves of Finland's SM-liiga. He then went home to Sweden, re-joining Södertälje SK of the Swedish Elite League in 2003. After two more seasons there, he retired in 2005.

He finished his NHL career with 4 goals and 10 assists in 123 career games, along with 75 penalty minutes.

Coaching career

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Robertsson immediately transitioned to a coaching capacity, securing an assistant coaching role with Almtuna IS in the HockeyAllsvenskan. He later moved to top-tier club, Skellefteå AIK, initially as an assistant before securing the head coach role and claiming the Le Mat trophy in the 2012–13 season.

After two championships in his eight-year tenure coaching within Skellefteå AIK, Robertsson left the club to assume the head coaching role with Linköpings HC for the 2019–20 season. He was signed to a three-year contract on 10 April 2019.[1]

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1992–93 Södertälje SK J20 SWE-Jr 12 1 5 6 20
1992–93 Södertälje SK SWE-2 23 2 1 3 24 2 0 0 0 0
1993–94 Södertälje SK SWE-2 28 0 1 1 12 1 0 0 0 0
1994–95 Södertälje SK J20 SWE-Jr 11 2 3 5 4
1994–95 Södertälje SK SWE-2 23 1 2 3 24 3 0 1 1 2
1995–96 Syracuse Crunch AHL 65 1 7 8 109 16 0 1 1 26
1996–97 Syracuse Crunch AHL 80 4 9 13 132 3 1 0 1 4
1997–98 Vancouver Canucks NHL 30 2 4 6 10
1997–98 Syracuse Crunch AHL 42 5 9 14 87 3 0 0 0 6
1998–99 Vancouver Canucks NHL 39 2 2 4 13
1998–99 Syracuse Crunch AHL 8 1 0 1 21
1999–00 Edmonton Oilers NHL 52 0 4 4 34 5 0 0 0 0
1999–00 Hamilton Bulldogs AHL 6 0 3 3 12
2000–01 New York Rangers NHL 2 0 0 0 4
2000–01 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL 27 7 5 12 27
2000–01 Houston Aeros IHL 14 0 0 0 26
2000–01 Milwaukee Admirals IHL 10 0 0 0 0 5 0 1 1 2
2001–02 Cincinnati Mighty Ducks AHL 16 0 2 2 39
2001–02 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins AHL 13 0 0 0 15
2001–02 Milwaukee Admirals AHL 14 0 1 1 18
2002–03 Ilves FIN 54 1 4 5 111
2003–04 Södertälje SK SWE 48 2 2 4 109
2004–05 Södertälje SK SWE 42 0 0 0 24
2006–07 Undici SWE-4 12 4 13 17 16
2007–08 Undici SWE-3 11 3 12 15 18
AHL totals 271 18 36 54 460 22 1 1 2 36
NHL totals 123 4 10 14 61 5 0 0 0 0

References

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  1. ^ "Bert Robertsson new head coach in Linkopings" (in Swedish). aftonbladet.se. 10 April 2019. Retrieved 10 April 2019.
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