Johan Fransson

Johan Fransson (born February 18, 1985) is a Swedish ice hockey player, currently playing for the Rapperswil-Jona Lakers in the National League A, the top tier league in Switzerland, where he is a defenceman. He has also played in leagues in Finland, Switzerland, and Russia. Although he was drafted and traded as a prospect in the NHL three times, he has never played a regular season NHL game.

Playing career

Fransson played bandy in Kalix; his team won the Swedish championship for 13-year-olds in 1998. He attributes his skating ability to his bandy background. In the 2000–01 season, he represented Norrbotten in the TV-pucken tournament, and played for Kalix HF in Division 1 (Sweden's third highest level). For the 2001–02 season, Fransson played for Luleå HF in the J20 SuperElit junior hockey league.

For the 2002–03 season, Fransson made his Elitserien debut for Luleå HF, but only played three games because of a groin injury. For the 2003–04 season, he returned to the Luleå' roster, and was nominated for Elitserien Rookie of the Year. In his first playoff game, Fransson suffered a concussion after being checked by Färjestads BK's Peter Nordström. He returned to play one game in the series, but his team was eliminated from the playoffs. He was praised as having a bright future. His 2004–05 season was not as strong as his rookie year, and in the following season, he struggled, and the team did not re-sign him. He and his fellow Luleå teammate Karl Fabricius signed with Frölunda HC. He began the 2006–07 season well despite his team struggling. After Per Bäckman replaced Stephan Lundh as coach, Fransson saw less ice time, and was eventually loaned to Ässät, in the SM-liiga league in Finland.