A pair of San Jose Sharks alumni have etched their names in the history of Swedish hockey, as they were awarded the Le Mat Trophy as Swedish Hockey League champions earlier this month.
Skellefteå AIK defeated Rögle BK in five games to win the championship and two former San Jose Sharks were instrumental in the team's success. Andreas Johnsson, who played 11 games for the Sharks during the 2022-23 season, scored three goals and had 11 goals for Skellefteå during their playoff run, including two points in the final series against Rögle.
This season's championship victory was the second of Johnsson's career, as he had previously held the Le Mat Trophy as a member of Frölunda HC in 2016.
Meanwhile, Strauss Mann, who the Sharks originally signed from Skellefteä following the 2021-22 season, started seven games between the pipes for the Swedish champions during their playoff run. Mann recorded a .923 save percentage and a goals against average of 1.47 while going 6-1-0 during the postseason.
Mann spent just one season in the Sharks organization, splitting time between their American Hockey League affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda, and their ECHL affiliate, the Wichita Thunder.
After leaving the Sharks, Mann had a brief stint with the Laval Rocket of the AHL and he scored a goal during that time before returning to Europe for the 2024-25 season.