Eric Thore Nystrom (born February 14, 1983) is an American former professional ice hockey player. He was a first round selection of the Calgary Flames, taken 10th overall in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, and made his NHL debut with Calgary in 2005. Nystrom has also played for the Minnesota Wild, Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators. He played four seasons of college hockey with the Michigan Wolverines before he turned professional. On four occasions, Nystrom has played with the United States national team, most recently at the 2010 World Championship. He is the son of former NHL player Bob Nystrom. Early life Nystrom was born and raised in Syosset, New York, where his father, Bob, was an NHL player for the New York Islanders. Bob, who was himself born in Sweden but grew up in Hinton, Alberta, won four consecutive Stanley Cups between 1980 and 1983. Bob coached his son during his formative years in hockey. Nystrom is Jewish as is his mother. He attended high school at Portledge School in Locust Valley, New York. He has an older sister, Marissa. Nystrom grew up playing several sports, including soccer and baseball, and only seriously considered a hockey career in his mid-teens. He played in the 1997 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with the New York Islanders minor ice hockey team. While Eric was regarded as an NHL prospect himself, his father encouraged him to seek an education first, which the younger Nystrom did upon earning a scholarship to play for the University of Michigan Wolverines in 2000. He spent four years at Michigan where he earned a degree in liberal arts. Playing career Junior and college Nystrom established a hard-working style similar to his father's, which helped earn him an invite to play with the US National Development Program (USDP). He played 55 games for USDP in the North American Hockey League in 1999–2000, scoring seven goals and 23 points. He split the 2000–01 season with the national under-18 program and the junior team in the United States Hockey League, also representing the United States at the 2001 IIHF World U18 Championships. He later represented the United States at the 2002 and 2003 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. He moved onto the University of Michigan, earning a place on the Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) All-Rookie team in 2002 after scoring 18 goals and 31 points. On the strength of