Tthe Florida Panthers selected Swedish center Linus Eriksson in the second round (58th overall) of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft held at Sphere in Paradise, NV.
During his busy draft season, the well-rounded Eriksson split his time between Djurgårdens IF’s professional team in the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan and its squad in the J20 Nationell.
In 29 games with the men, Eriksson put up a respectable three goals and eight assists while acqutting himself well in a bottom-six role.
He was far more productive offensively in the junior league, amassing 21 points in 25 games played against his peers.
Erikkson turned in a eye-opening performance at the 2024 U18 World Championship, captaining Sweden to a bronze medal. He excelled on both sides of the ice and finished the tournament with a goal and six assists. He also suited up for his coutry at the 2024 Hlinka-Gretzky Cup and the World Junior A Challenge.
After appearing at his first development camp with the Panthers in the summer of 2024, Eriksson returned to Sweden where he played in 18 HockeyAllsvenskan games with Djurgårdens (1G/3A) before he was loaned to Timrå IK of the Swedish Hockey League.
While he struggled to produce offensively, totaling one goal and one assist in 18 SHL games, in limited ice time at the top level of the pyramid, he did continue to display a high degree of competentcy away from the puck and do all the little things, that usually go unnoticed, the right way.
Eriksson took part in the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship in Ottawa and scored two goals in seven games as Sweden finished in fourth place at the tournament.
In the summer of 2025, Eriksson put in a second appearance at the Florida’s annual development camp in Fort Lauderdale and represented his country at the World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth, MI.
Eriksson spent the majority of the 2025-26 campaign with Timrå IK, getting in an almost full season of development in the SHL. He scored twice, added five assists and collected 29 PIM in 43 games played.
In January, he was an important piece of the puzzle for Sweden at the 2026 World Junior Championship in Minneapolis–Saint Paul as Tre Kronor took gold for the first time since 2012. He had a goal and an assist in seven games played, logging 17:28 of ice time in the 4-2 victory over Czechia in the gold medal game.
Eriksson just put in a third showing at development camp where he selected and then captained Team White to a 4-1 win over Team Red in the 3-on-3 scrimmage that closed the event.
He will continue to ply his trade in Sweden with Timra, who will look to improve on last year’s disappointing 12th place finish.
Eriksson is a defense-first center that relies on positioning and his high hockey IQ. He has shown glimpses here and there, but we’re still waiting for the offense to show up consistently as he moves up the ladder. If he makes the jump to North America, he probably projects as a potential fouth-line center unless he can add that missing dimension to his game.