John Klingberg facts for kids
Quick facts for kids John Klingberg |
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Klingberg with the Dallas Stars in March 2022
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| Born | 14 August 1992 Gothenburg, Sweden |
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| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| NHL team Former teams |
San Jose Sharks Frölunda HC Jokerit Skellefteå AIK Dallas Stars Anaheim Ducks Minnesota Wild Toronto Maple Leafs Edmonton Oilers |
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| National team |  Sweden |
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| NHL Draft | 131st overall, 2010 Dallas Stars |
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| Playing career | 2010–present | ||
John Andersson Klingberg (born August 14, 1992) is a Swedish professional ice hockey player. He plays as a defenceman for the San Jose Sharks in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Dallas Stars picked him 131st overall in the 2010 NHL entry draft. John is the younger brother of fellow hockey player Carl Klingberg.
Contents
John Klingberg's Hockey Journey
Klingberg started playing hockey at a young age with Lerums BK. He later joined the Frölunda HC team as a youth player. He made his first appearance in the top Swedish league, Elitserien, on September 21, 2010. This game was against AIK.
Early Career and Moving to North America
On May 16, 2011, the Dallas Stars signed Klingberg to a three-year contract. He then played for Jokerit in Finland during the 2011–12 season. Later that season, he returned to Sweden to play for Skellefteå AIK.
In the 2013–14 season, Klingberg played for Frölunda HC again. He had a great year, scoring 11 goals and 28 points in 50 games. After his team finished their season, Klingberg joined the Texas Stars. This team is the Dallas Stars' minor league affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL). He played in three regular season games there.
NHL Debut and Rookie Success
Klingberg began his first full season in North America in 2014–15 with the Texas Stars. He was soon called up to the Dallas Stars. He made his NHL debut on November 11, 2014, in a 4–3 win against the Arizona Coyotes. Klingberg scored his first NHL goal on November 20, 2014, against Mike Smith of the Arizona Coyotes. He was the top-scoring rookie defenceman that season. He was also named to the NHL All-Rookie Team.
Playoffs and All-Star Games
The Stars made it to the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs. They won their first series against the Minnesota Wild. However, they lost to the St. Louis Blues in the second round. Klingberg scored one goal and had three assists in 13 playoff games.
Klingberg was chosen for the 2018 NHL All-Star Game. He was the top-scoring defenceman in the NHL at that time. He finished the season with a career-high 67 points in 82 games.
Injuries and Team Changes
On November 9, 2018, Klingberg had hand surgery. This kept him out of play for at least four weeks. He returned on December 20 in a game against the Chicago Blackhawks. Even though he missed 18 games, he still scored ten goals and had 45 points.
During the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs, Klingberg scored the winning goal in overtime in Game 6. This helped the Stars beat the Nashville Predators and move on in the playoffs.
After the 2021–22 season, Klingberg became a free agent. He signed a one-year contract with the Anaheim Ducks on July 29, 2022. In the 2022–23 season, he led the Ducks' defencemen with eight goals and 24 points in 50 games. On March 3, 2023, the Ducks traded Klingberg to the Minnesota Wild.
Klingberg then joined the Toronto Maple Leafs on July 1, 2023, signing a one-year contract. He started well with 5 points in his first 6 games. However, he then went scoreless for 9 games. On November 23, the Maple Leafs placed him on injured reserve due to a hip injury. He had hip surgery in December and did not play for the rest of the season.
After not signing with a team for a while, Klingberg joined the Edmonton Oilers on January 17, 2025. He signed a contract for the rest of the 2024–25 NHL season. He then moved to the San Jose Sharks in July 2025, signing a one-year contract.
About John's Family
John Klingberg was born in Gothenburg, Sweden. His father, Anders Klingberg, is also involved in hockey. Anders was a head coach for Göteborg in a Swedish ice hockey tournament called TV-pucken. John has two brothers who also play hockey. His brother Carl plays for Ilves in Finland. His other brother, Olle, has retired from playing.
Career Statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2008–09 | Frölunda HC | J18 | 16 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Frölunda HC | J18 Allsv | 14 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2009–10 | Frölunda HC | J18 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Frölunda HC | J18 Allsv | 10 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 10 | ||
| 2009–10 | Frölunda HC | J20 | 27 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 32 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 2010–11 | Frölunda HC | J20 | 13 | 3 | 14 | 17 | 29 | 7 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 6 | ||
| 2010–11 | Frölunda HC | SEL | 26 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Borås HC | Allsv | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Jokerit | FIN U20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Jokerit | SM-l | 20 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Kiekko-Vantaa | Mestis | 6 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Skellefteå AIK | SEL | 16 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 14 | ||
| 2012–13 | Skellefteå AIK | J20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Skellefteå AIK | SEL | 25 | 1 | 12 | 13 | 6 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | ||
| 2012–13 | Texas Stars | AHL | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2013–14 | Frölunda HC | SHL | 50 | 11 | 17 | 28 | 12 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 2013–14 | Texas Stars | AHL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Texas Stars | AHL | 10 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 65 | 11 | 29 | 40 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 76 | 10 | 48 | 58 | 30 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 2016–17 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 80 | 13 | 36 | 49 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 82 | 8 | 59 | 67 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 64 | 10 | 35 | 45 | 12 | 13 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 6 | ||
| 2019–20 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 58 | 6 | 26 | 32 | 22 | 26 | 4 | 17 | 21 | 14 | ||
| 2020–21 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 53 | 7 | 29 | 36 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Dallas Stars | NHL | 74 | 6 | 41 | 47 | 34 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 26 | ||
| 2022–23 | Anaheim Ducks | NHL | 50 | 8 | 16 | 24 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 17 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 14 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 11 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 19 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | ||
| SHL totals | 117 | 13 | 37 | 50 | 34 | 36 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 24 | ||||
| NHL totals | 644 | 82 | 334 | 416 | 263 | 82 | 9 | 34 | 43 | 50 | ||||
International
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  Sweden |
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| Ice hockey | ||
| World Championships | ||
| Gold | 2017 Germany/France | |
| Gold | 2018 Denmark | |
| World Junior Championships | ||
| Gold | 2012 Canada | |
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Sweden | WJC | 4th | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2012 | Sweden | WJC |  |
6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | |
| 2015 | Sweden | WC | 5th | 7 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2017 | Sweden | WC | |
10 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2018 | Sweden | WC | |
10 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 4 | |
| 2019 | Sweden | WC | 5th | 5 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | |
| Junior totals | 12 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | ||||
| Senior totals | 32 | 7 | 15 | 22 | 8 | ||||
Awards and Achievements
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| SHL | ||
| Le Mat Trophy champion | 2013 | |
| NHL | ||
| All-Rookie Team | 2015 | |
| All-Star Game | 2018 | |
| International | ||
| Best Defenceman | 2018 | |
