Linus Omark: the Swedish magician
KHL.ru continues its series of stories about the legends of the league. This time we’re looking at Linus Omark, one of the most successful imports in the K.
Progress at home
In 2007, a series of YouTube clips showing a young Swedish forward began to go viral. In one clip, after balancing the puck on the crook of his stick, he tried to score via a deflection off the goalie’s helmet. In another, he scored after shooting the puck between his own legs. A third showed him getting the goalie on the ice before floating a butterfly shot over him. The star of the footage was one Linus Omark.
In 2006-2007, Omark played at the World Juniors, where he had 5 (2+3) points. Only Alexander Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom scored more. The Swedes came close to a medal but lost to Russia in the semi-final and the USA in the bronze medal game.
Meanwhile, Omark didn’t garner that much hype ahead of the NHL draft. He wasn’t taken until the fourth round and finally went at #97. The forward didn’t rush to North America and spent the next two seasons in Sweden with Lulea, where he made great progress. In 2008 he was third in team scoring then in 2009 he was the outright leader. That year brought his first World Championship call-up.
Linus Omark
476 games
429 points
World Championship gold (2017) and bronze (2009, 2010)
KHL bronze (2016, 2019)
Highest-scoring Swedish player in KHL history
KHL All-Star (2016, 2018, 2020)
Swedish forward of the year (2016)
May 10, 2009 World Championship bronze with Sweden
Sep. 11, 2009 KHL debut for Dynamo Moscow. He played one season with the blue-and-whites
May 23, 2010 Second World Championship bronze
Apr. 1, 2014 Returned to KHL, signed with Jokerit
During this time, Omark established a great partnership with center Johan Harju. For two seasons, they set the tone for Lulea. They made their World Championship debuts together in 2009. Omark made a super-productive start with five assists in his opening game, albeit against a weak Austrian team. Nonetheless, five World Championship assists demand respect in any circumstances.
In total, Omark had two goals and eight assists in that tournament. On Team Sweden, only Mattias Weinhandl (5+7) scored more. Among other players, Omark was topped by Martin St-Louis, Ilya Kovalchuk, Shea Weber, Jason Spezza and Steven Stamkos. In Switzerland, Linus won bronze: his first medal with the national team.
Dynamo, NHL and a partnership with Moses
In Aug. 2006, Mikhail Golovkov became president of Dynamo Moscow. After that, the club began to assemble a stellar roster. The team brought in CSKA’s productive pairing of Oleg Saprykin and Vadim Yepanchintsev, Jiri Hudler came from Detroit and Leo Komarov arrived from Finland. Omark and Harju formed the Swedish contingent on two powerful lines.
For Russian fans, the first glimpses of Omark were exciting. In the regular season, the Swede made a big impact. He was productive – 20 goals, 16 assists – but more than that he played with great flair. However, in the playoffs he disappeared, failing to register a point as Dynamo crashed out against Spartak in round one. After that, Dynamo underwent a huge change, releasing almost all its big-name players and merging with MVD. Omark left for North America.
In the NHL, the tricky Swede could not find his place. For three seasons he struggled to break into teams in Edmonton and Buffalo. In 2014, the forward signed for Jokerit as the Finnish team prepared to join the KHL.
Jokerit’s debut season, 2014-2015, was impressive. The Finns finished fourth in the West and won through the first round of the playoffs. Omark played a leading role, forming a deadly partnership with American forward Steve Moses. The latter scored 36 goals, a KHL record return at the time. His Swedish team-mate played a big part in that success, supplying 30 assists.
After such a successful season, Moses got a World Championship call-up. The following season he tried to break into the NHL before joining SKA in December. Many expected the goals to keep flowing, but he managed just 15 in 18 months. Why the drop-off? This time, there was no Omark alongside him.
A Star in Ufa
Omark himself followed his super season with Jokerit by signing a contract at Salavat Yulaev, where he would spend five years. In Ufa, he won just one medal – bronze in 2016. Despite this, he left his mark on the league and proved that he was one of the KHL’s top imports and a legend of the league.
Only once did Omark fail to score 50 points in a season. Three times (2016, 2018, 2020) he was among the top five regular season scorers. In 2017 he was in the top 10. It all added up to make him the most productive Swede in KHL history with 429 (124+305) points. Nobody is going to break that record any time soon. Of the Swedes currently active in the KHL, Robin Press currently leads the way with 118 points, a long way off Omark’s pace.
May 2, 2015 signed a 2-year deal with Salavat Yulaev, where he would spend his best years in the KHL
Jan. 23, 2016 took a penalty shot with a fiery stick in his first All-Star appearance
March 20, 2016 reached the Conference final with Ufa, his best KHL result (equalled in 2019)
May 21, 2017 World Champion with Team Sweden
March 11, 2020 Two assists in his final KHL appearance
Omark played in three KHL All-Star Games (2016, 2018, 2020). He was selected again in 2017 but missed out through illness.
In 2016 in Moscow, during the shoot-out contest, the Swede produced a stunt that remains one of the most famous All-Star moments. After dousing his stick in lighter fluid, the Swede set it ablaze and proceeded to burn down the ice. Even though his eventual shot went wide, that barely detracted from the show.
Then in the 2020 edition, Omark again caught the eye, swapping with his Salavat team-mate Juha Metsola and taking over in goal while the Finn joined the offense. Omark made some good saves, and again earned the cheers of the crowd.
That showman’s instinct also served Linus well in competitive play. His dekes and unpredictable moves often thrilled fans and pundits alike. He could take the puck and chip it over a defenseman, soccer style. He could get it on the crook of his stick behind the net and fire it on goal. At times, he would seem to waste a great chance only to surprise everyone by presenting his team-mate with an open goal. Omark regularly opened his bag of tricks, and was often dubbed the “magician.” He really could do things that other could not.
Back in 2019 it was known that the coming season would be Omark’s last in Ufa. He promised to end with a Gagarin Cup win. We’ll never know if he would deliver on that promise. In the first round, Salavat Yulaev got past Avangard and Omark’s 11 assists set another KHL record. He was named the top forward of the opening round. Salavat Yulaev was preparing for a classic green derby showdown against Ak Bars in the next stage. But then Covid struck. The season was cancelled and Omark’s KHL career came to a premature end.
“My heart will always be green, wherever I play.”
Linus Omark bidding farewell to fans in Ufa
Now Omark is playing in Europe. His teams have regularly been title contenders. In 2021, he helped Sevette reach the final of the Swiss championship before losing to Zug. Two years later, the team from Geneva took the title, defeating Biel in the final series. In between, Omark played in Sweden and went to the final with his hometown team Lulea. Despite leading Fjarestad 3-2, defeats in games six and seven cost the title. Omark is still on the roster for Lulea and may yet finish his career with a championship in his homeland.
Factfile
Linus Omark
Born Feb. 5 1987 in Overtornea (Sweden)
Playing career: 2005-2009, 2014, 2021-2022, 2023-2024 – Lulea (SWE), 2009-2010 – Dynamo Moscow (KHL), 2010-2012, 2013-2014 – Edmonton (NHL), Oklahoma (AHL), 2012-2013 – Zug (SUI), 2013-2014 – Buffalo (NHL), 2014-2015 – Jokerit (KHL), 2015-2020 – Salavat Yulaev (KHL), 2020-2021, 2022-2023 – Servette (SUI).
Honors: World Championship gold (2017) and bronze (2009, 2010), Russian championship bronze (2016, 2019), Swiss champion (2023).
