Roger Melin (born April 25, 1956) is a Swedish ice hockey coach and former player who most recently served as head coach of Leksands IF of the SHL. He has also previously coached SHL clubs Brynäs IF, Färjestad BK, Frölunda HC, AIK and Linköping HC, as well as Hammarby IF and Rögle BK in the Swedish second-tier league. His playing career included five seasons in the Elitserien, with AIK, Örebro IK, and Hammarby, as well as several seasons in the second and third tiers with Väsby IK. His brief stint in North America during the 1980–81 and 1981–82 seasons was mostly spent in the Central Hockey League, though he also played 3 National Hockey League games with the Minnesota North Stars[1]

Roger Melin
Roger Melin in October 2008
Born (1956-04-25) April 25, 1956 (age 68)
Sweden Enköping, Sweden
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 205 lb (93 kg; 14 st 9 lb)
Position Center
Shot Left
Played for Hammarby IF
Minnesota North Stars
Örebro IK
AIK
NHL draft Undrafted
Playing career 1972–1985
1988

He has been named Swedish ice hockey's Coach of the Year (Årets coach) on two occasions, first following Brynäs IF's Swedish championship title in 1999, and later for coaching AIK to the semifinals in 2011 in their first season after being promoted to Elitserien.[1][2]

Playing career

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Melin began playing A-level ice hockey in 1973, at the age of 16, with Swedish club Väsby IK in Division 2. In his first year, he played 16 games, getting 10 points (2 goals, 8 assists). After playing 3 years with Väsby, Melin joined AIK in the Elitserien for the 1975–76 season, playing 5 games without scoring. The following year, Melin joined Örebro IK, where he would play for another 3 years, getting 34 points in 65 games. In 1979, Melin rejoined Väsby, getting 45 points (28 goals, 17 assists) in 36 games.[1]

In the 1980–81 season, Melin moved to North America, signing a contract with the Minnesota North Stars of the NHL. That year, he scored a goal and an assist in 9 games with Minnesota's CHL affiliate, the Oklahoma City Stars, while also playing one game with Minnesota in the NHL. The following season, Melin remained scoreless in the two games he played with Minnesota, while scoring 45 points (18 goals, 27 assists) in 77 games with the CHL's Nashville South Stars.[1]

In 1982, after 2 years in North America, Melin returned to Sweden, having never adapted to North American style of play.[3] He would play 3 years with Hammarby IF, scoring 67 points in 88 games. In 1985, he retired as a player.[1]

In 1987–88, when Melin was coach of Enköpings SK of the Swedish division 2, he made a brief comeback, playing 7 games, and getting 11 points (4 goals, 7 assists).[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
1970–71 Enköpings IS SWE-5
1971–72 Enköpings IS SWE-4 17 2 3 5
1972–73 Väsby IK SWE-3 16 2 8 10
1973–74 Väsby IK SWE-3 18 4 5 9
1974–75 Väsby IK SWE-3 22 11 12 23
1975–76 AIK SWE 5 0 0 0 0
1975–76 Örebro IK SWE 21 3 3 6 2
1977��78 Örebro IK SWE-2 21 5 17 22 2
1978–79 Örebro IK SWE 23 2 1 3 4
1979–80 Väsby IK SWE-2 36 28 17 45 12
1980–81 Väsby IK SWE-2 32 16 12 28 20
1980–81 Minnesota North Stars NHL 1 0 0 0 0
1980–81 Oklahoma City Stars CHL 9 1 1 2 4
1981–82 Minnesota North Stars NHL 2 0 0 0 0
1981–82 Nashville South Stars CHL 77 18 27 45 7 3 0 2 2 0
1982–83 Hammarby IF SWE 26 9 8 17 14
1983–84 Hammarby IF SWE-2 33 17 19 36 22
1984–85 Hammarby IF SWE 32 6 9 15 8
1987–88 Enköpings SK SWE-4 9 4 7 11
SWE totals 107 20 21 41 28
NHL totals 3 0 0 0 0

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f "Roger Melin". Eliteprospects.com.
  2. ^ "ROGER MELIN, AIK IF, vald till årets coach 2010/2011". Swedish Ice Hockey Association.
  3. ^ "Legends of Hockey -- NHL Player Search -- Player -- Roger Melin". www.legendsofhockey.net. Archived from the original on 2015-09-10.
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Awards and achievements
Preceded by Coach of the Year (Sweden)
1999
Succeeded by
Preceded by Coach of the Year (Sweden)
2011
Succeeded by