Niklas Hagman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Niklas Hagman
Hagman with the Calgary Flames in 2010
Born	(1979-12-05) December 5, 1979 (age 45) Espoo, Finland
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	210 lb (95 kg; 15 st 0 lb)
Position	Left wing
Shot	Left
Played for	HIFK Espoo Blues Kärpät Florida Panthers HC Davos Dallas Stars Toronto Maple Leafs Calgary Flames Anaheim Ducks Lokomotiv Yaroslavl Ässät HC Fribourg-Gottéron Jokerit HPK
National team	Finland
NHL Draft	70th overall, 1999 Florida Panthers
Playing career	1997–2017

Niklas Hagman (born December 5, 1979) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey player. He played as a forward, which means he was one of the main attacking players on the team.

Niklas was chosen by the Florida Panthers in the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. He was the 70th player picked overall. He started playing in the National Hockey League (NHL) in 2001. During his career, he also played for other NHL teams like the Dallas Stars and Toronto Maple Leafs.

Besides the NHL, Niklas played in other top leagues around the world. He played in Finland's SM-liiga, Russia's KHL, and Switzerland's National League A. He was also a very successful player for the Finnish national team. He won a silver medal at the 2006 Winter Olympics and a bronze medal at the 2010 Winter Olympics. He also helped Finland reach the final of the 2004 World Cup of Hockey.

Playing Career: Niklas Hagman's Journey in Hockey

Starting in Finland

Niklas Hagman began his hockey journey playing for junior teams in HIFK in Finland. He played for their younger teams from 1995 to 1999. In the 1997–98 season, he played his first professional games with HIFK in the SM-liiga, which is Finland's top hockey league. He even scored his first goal that season!

Later, he moved to the Espoo Blues to finish the 1998–99 season. Even though the Florida Panthers picked him in the 1999 NHL Draft, Niklas stayed in Finland. He played for Kärpät in the second Finnish league. When Kärpät moved up to the SM-liiga in 2000–01, Niklas was a star. He led his team with 28 goals that season.

Playing in the NHL

Niklas Hagman playing for the Dallas Stars.

Niklas moved to North America to join the Florida Panthers for the 2001–02 season. He played in 78 games and scored 10 goals and 28 points. He was even named the NHL's Rookie of the Month in March 2002! The next year, he played in the YoungStars game at the 2003 NHL All-Star Game.

In 2004–05, the NHL season was canceled due to a player dispute. During this time, Niklas played for HC Davos in Switzerland. He had a great season, scoring 40 points in 44 games, and his team won the Swiss championship!

He returned to the Panthers for the 2005–06 season. After 30 games, he was traded to the Dallas Stars. On October 23, 2006, he reached a big milestone by scoring his 100th NHL point. His best season was 2007–08, when he scored 27 goals and 41 points. He even scored his first hat-trick (three goals in one game) on February 28, 2008.

After that season, Niklas signed a four-year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. He continued to reach milestones there. He played his 500th NHL game in November 2008 and scored his 100th NHL goal in March 2009. In January 2010, he was traded to the Calgary Flames as part of a big trade. He finished that season with 25 goals and 44 points combined between Toronto and Calgary.

In the 2011–12 season, Niklas started with the Flames but was later claimed by the Anaheim Ducks. This meant the Ducks took over his contract.

Returning to Europe

After his time in the NHL, Niklas returned to Europe. He signed with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl in the KHL (Kontinental Hockey League) for the 2012–13 season. He played 49 games and scored 12 goals.

In July 2013, he signed a one-year contract with Ässät in the Finnish SM-liiga. He also played for HC Fribourg-Gottéron in Switzerland, and later for Jokerit in the KHL and HPK in Finland before ending his career in 2017.

International Play: Representing Finland

Medal record
Representing Finland
Ice hockey
Olympic Games
Silver	2006 Turin
Bronze	2010 Vancouver
World Cup
Silver	2004 Toronto
World Junior Championship
Gold	1998 Finland

Niklas Hagman first played for his country at the 1998 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. This big tournament for young players was held in Helsinki, Finland. Even though Finland wasn't expected to win, they surprised everyone and won the gold medal! Niklas scored the winning goal in overtime against Russia. He said winning that championship in his home country was one of his greatest achievements.

He played again at the 1999 tournament, but Finland finished fifth that time.

Niklas got his first chance to play for the senior Finnish team at the 2002 Winter Olympics. He played in four games and scored one goal. He also played in four World Championships after that. In the 2004 World Cup of Hockey, he scored one goal and helped Finland reach the finals, where they lost to Canada.

At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Italy, Niklas won a silver medal. Finland played against their rivals, Sweden, in the gold medal game, but lost 3–2. Niklas found it disappointing to lose to Sweden.

He played in his third Olympics at the 2010 Vancouver Games. Finland lost to the United States in the semi-final. In the bronze medal game against Slovakia, Finland was losing 3–1 in the third period. Niklas scored a power-play goal to start a comeback, and Finland ended up winning the bronze medal! This was his second Olympic medal.

Personal Life

Niklas Hagman comes from a family of athletes. His father, Matti, was the first Finnish player to ever play in the NHL. This makes Niklas and Matti the first Finnish father and son to play in the league.

His uncle, Kai Haaskivi, was a professional soccer player for the Finnish national team. Niklas married Finnish model Piritta Hannula on July 8, 2006. They have two children: a son named Lukas, born in 2007, and a daughter named Lila, born in 2009. Niklas and Piritta divorced in 2018.

See also

• Notable families in the NHL