Introduction
Viktor Arvidsson (born 8 April 1993) is a Swedish professional ice hockey player who is currently playing for the Nashville Predators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Predators in the fourth round, 112th overall, at the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.
Playing career
Arvidsson previously played in his native Sweden, winning the Swedish Championship twice with Skellefteå AIK in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). On 15 July 2014, Arvidsson signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Predators.
On 20 March 2015, the Predators recalled Arvidsson from the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League (AHL) under emergency conditions, after Colin Wilson suffered a lower-body injury in practice on 19 March 2015. Arvidsson made his NHL debut on 21 March 2015, playing 12 minutes and 52 seconds and recording three shots on goal, one hit and one takeaway in a 3–0 win over the Buffalo Sabres.
On 8 October 2015, Arvidsson scored his first NHL goal, against Cam Ward of the Carolina Hurricanes, a goal that eventually proved to be the game-winner. Arvidsson scored his first career Stanley Cup playoff goal on 9 May 2016 in overtime of Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the San Jose Sharks to force the series to a deciding Game 7, which the Predators ultimately lost.
During his breakout 2016–17 season, Arvidsson scored his first career hat-trick, including a short-handed marker, in a 7–4 loss to the Florida Panthers on 11 February 2017. He finished the season with 31 goals and 30 assists for a total of 61 points, which tied him with Ryan Johansen as the Predators' leading scorers.
On 22 July 2017, the Predators re-signed Arvidsson to a seven-year, $29.75 million contract with an annual average of $4.25 million, avoiding arbitration. He also switched his jersey number from #38 to #33. On 16 January 2018, Arvidsson was placed on injured reserve to recover from a lower-body injury, but was activated from it after only missing two games. He ended the regular season tying his career high in points with 61 to help the Predators qualify for the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs.
Arvidsson recorded his second career hat trick in a 7–2 win over the Washington Capitals on 15 January 2019.
On 6 April 2019, Arvidsson set the single-season scoring record for the Nashville Predators when he scored his 34th goal of the season against the Chicago Blackhawks in a 5–2 victory in Nashville. He only played in 58 of 82 regular season games in 2018–19 due to injury.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2009–10 | Skellefteå AIK | J20 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11 | Skellefteå AIK | J20 | 40 | 15 | 19 | 34 | 51 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 | ||
| 2010–11 | Skellefteå AIK | SEL | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Skellefteå AIK | J20 | 43 | 25 | 17 | 42 | 18 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | Skellefteå AIK | SEL | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Skellefteå AIK | J20 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Skellefteå AIK | SEL | 49 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 12 | 13 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 2 | ||
| 2013–14 | Skellefteå AIK | SHL | 50 | 16 | 24 | 40 | 59 | 14 | 4 | 12 | 16 | 4 | ||
| 2014–15 | Milwaukee Admirals | AHL | 70 | 22 | 33 | 55 | 43 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 56 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 35 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 2015–16 | Milwaukee Admirals | AHL | 17 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 80 | 31 | 30 | 61 | 28 | 22 | 3 | 10 | 13 | 19 | ||
| 2017–18 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 78 | 29 | 32 | 61 | 36 | 13 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 6 | ||
| 2018–19 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 58 | 34 | 14 | 48 | 26 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| NHL totals | 278 | 102 | 84 | 186 | 125 | 55 | 9 | 15 | 24 | 35 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Sweden | U17 | 
|
6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | |
| 2010 | Sweden | IH18 |
|
5 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2011 | Sweden | WJC18 | 
|
5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | |
| 2013 | Sweden | WJC |
|
6 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 6 | |
| 2018 | Sweden | WC | 
|
5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | |
| Junior totals | 22 | 11 | 5 | 16 | 18 | ||||
| Senior totals | 5 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | ||||