Robin Kovacs

Robin Kovacs (born 16 November 1996) is a Swedish professional ice hockey forward for Linköping HC of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He was drafted 62nd overall by the New York Rangers in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.

Robin Kovacs
Kovacs with AIK in 2016
Born	(1996-11-16) 16 November 1996 (age 28) Stockholm, Sweden
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	159 lb (72 kg; 11 st 5 lb)
Position	Right Wing
Shoots	Left
SHL team Former teams	Linköping HC AIK Rögle BK Luleå HF Örebro HK Lausanne HC
NHL draft	62nd overall, 2015 New York Rangers
Playing career	2013–present

Playing career

He made his Elitserien debut playing with AIK during the 2012–13 Elitserien season.^[1] Kovacs, who is of Hungarian descent^{[citation needed]}, was seen as one of the top twenty international skaters for the 2015 NHL Entry Draft according to the NHL Central Scouting Bureau.^[2]

Kovacs played in four games with Rögle BK in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) during the 2015–16 season.^[3] After being loaned for the majority of the campaign back with AIK, Kovacs signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the New York Rangers on 18 July 2016.^[4]

In his first North American season in 2016–17, Kovacs struggled to adapt offensively in playing with the Rangers American Hockey League affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack. He appeared in 72 of 76 games with the Wolf Pack, totalling just 2 goals and 12 points. Having endured a troubling off-season in Sweden (see Personal life), and underperforming at the Rangers' 2017 training camp, Kovacs failed to play in a pre-season game as he was amongst the first roster cuts reassigned to Hartford on 19 September 2017.^[5] On 1 October 2017, Kovacs was placed on unconditional waivers in order to terminate the remainder of his contract with the Rangers and return to Sweden.^[6] On 7 October 2017, he signed a two-year deal with Luleå HF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).^[7] In April 2022 he signed a tree-year contract with Lausanne HC in Switzerland.^[8]

Personal life

Kovacs has a neuropsychiatric disability, with ADHD and dyslexia. He has credited the conditions for helping progress his professional career.^[9]

Kovacs was found guilty and later fined for reckless driving in a fatal traffic accident involving a friend in June 2017.^[10]

He and his wife, retired Swedish national team goaltender Minatsu Murase, have three children – born in October 2018, September 2020, and November 2022.^{[11][12][13][14]}

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2010–11	Flemingsbergs IK	J18		13	6	5	11	10		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	AIK	J18		17	7	7	14	20		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	AIK	J18 Allsv		18	5	9	14	41		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	AIK	J18		18	18	16	34	59		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	AIK	J18 Allsv		18	14	16	30	24		5	4	4	8	8
2012–13	AIK	J20		6	2	2	4	4		1	0	0	0	0
2012–13	AIK	SEL		1	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2013–14	AIK	J18		1	0	0	0	12		—	—	—	—	—
2013–14	AIK	J18 Allsv		6	2	5	7	39		—	—	—	—	—
2013–14	AIK	J20		40	15	13	28	62		2	1	1	2	6
2013–14	AIK	SHL		3	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	AIK	J20		9	5	5	10	8		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	AIK	Allsv		52	17	11	28	63		—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	AIK	Allsv		44	21	13	34	54		7	1	3	4	29
2015–16	Rögle BK	SHL		4	0	1	1	0		—	—	—	—	—
2016–17	Hartford Wolf Pack	AHL		72	2	10	12	20		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	Luleå HF	SHL		44	13	14	27	20		3	2	0	2	0
2018–19	Luleå HF	SHL		52	11	22	33	38		10	2	3	5	6
2019–20	Luleå HF	SHL		32	8	11	19	14		—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	Örebro HK	SHL		18	4	8	12	18		—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	Örebro HK	SHL		51	17	21	38	42		9	1	5	6	4
2021–22	Örebro HK	SHL		52	21	20	41	26		6	1	5	6	0
2022–23	Lausanne HC	NL		44	13	16	29	24		—	—	—	—	—
2023–24	Lausanne HC	NL		36	8	14	22	14		8	1	5	6	4
2024–25	Linköping HC	SHL		51	17	21	38	55		—	—	—	—	—
SHL totals				308	91	118	209	213		28	6	13	19	14

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2013	Sweden	U17			6	1	0	1	4
2013	Sweden	IH18	7th		4	1	0	1	2
Junior totals					10	2	0	2	6