Niklas Hjalmarsson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Niklas Hjalmarsson |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
Hjalmarsson with the Chicago Blackhawks in December 2014
|
|||
| Born | 6 June 1987 Eksjö, Sweden |
||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
| Weight | 197 lb (89 kg; 14 st 1 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | HV71 Chicago Blackhawks HC Bolzano Arizona Coyotes |
||
| National team |  Sweden |
||
| NHL Draft | 108th overall, 2005 Chicago Blackhawks |
||
| Playing career | 2004–2023 | ||
Niklas Hjalmarsson (born June 6, 1987) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey player. He was a defenceman, which means he played a key role in protecting his team's goal. He played for HV71 in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).
Before that, he played for the Chicago Blackhawks and Arizona Coyotes in the National Hockey League (NHL). The Blackhawks chose him in the fourth round of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. Hjalmarsson won three Stanley Cups with the Blackhawks in 2010, 2013, and 2015. He also won a silver Olympic medal with Sweden at the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Contents
Playing Career Highlights
Joining the Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks picked Hjalmarsson 108th overall in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. Before joining the NHL, he played professionally for three years in Sweden with HV71.
In the 2007–08 season, Hjalmarsson played his first NHL game. He spent most of that season with the Rockford IceHogs. This team is the Blackhawks' minor league affiliate in the American Hockey League (AHL). He earned a regular spot on the Blackhawks' team after a trade.
Hjalmarsson scored his first NHL goal against Ty Conklin of the Detroit Red Wings.
Winning the Stanley Cup
Hjalmarsson became a very important player for the Blackhawks. This happened late in the 2008–09 season and at the start of the 2009–10 season. In the 2009–10 season, he played 77 regular season games. He also played all 22 games in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
During the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs, Hjalmarsson took a powerful shot. His teammate Andrew Ladd redirected it into the net. This gave Chicago a 3–2 lead in Game 6 of the 2010 Stanley Cup Final. The Blackhawks won that game in overtime and then won the Stanley Cup.
After the 2010 season, Hjalmarsson signed an "offer sheet" with the San Jose Sharks. This is a contract offer from another team. The Blackhawks decided to match the offer. This meant Hjalmarsson stayed with Chicago. However, matching the offer meant the Blackhawks did not have enough money to keep their goalie, Antti Niemi. Niemi later joined the Sharks.
During the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Hjalmarsson played in Italy. He played for HC Bolzano.
In Game 7 of a playoff series against the Detroit Red Wings, Hjalmarsson scored a goal. It looked like it would be the winning goal. But the referee called penalties just before the puck went in. So, the goal did not count. Later, Brent Seabrook scored the real game-winning goal in overtime. The Blackhawks won that series.
The Blackhawks went on to win the 2013 Stanley Cup Final. After this win, Hjalmarsson signed a new five-year contract with the Blackhawks. The Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup again in 2015. Hjalmarsson was one of only seven players to win the Stanley Cup with the Blackhawks in 2010, 2013, and 2015.
Time with the Arizona Coyotes
After the 2016–17 season, Hjalmarsson left the Blackhawks. He had played 10 years with the team. He was traded to the Arizona Coyotes in June 2017. He was named an alternate captain for the Coyotes. In 2018, he signed a two-year contract extension with the Coyotes.
On July 25, 2021, Hjalmarsson announced his retirement from professional ice hockey. He had played 14 seasons in the NHL.
Returning to HV71
After being retired for one season, Hjalmarsson decided to play again. He re-signed with HV71 on November 10, 2022. After the 2023 season, Hjalmarsson retired from hockey once again.
Career Statistics
Here are Niklas Hjalmarsson's statistics from his professional hockey career. GP means games played, G means goals, A means assists, Pts means total points (goals + assists), and PIM means penalty minutes.
Regular Season and Playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2001–02 | Eksjö HC | SWE.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | HV71 | J20 | 15 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 14 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||
| 2004–05 | HV71 | J18 Allsv | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | HV71 | J20 | 31 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 87 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | HV71 | SEL | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | HV71 | J20 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | HV71 | SEL | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2006–07 | HV71 | J20 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | IK Oskarshamn | Allsv | 8 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | HV71 | SEL | 37 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 24 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2007–08 | Rockford IceHogs | AHL | 47 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 31 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 8 | ||
| 2007–08 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Rockford IceHogs | AHL | 52 | 2 | 16 | 18 | 53 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 21 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 2009–10 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 77 | 2 | 15 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 6 | ||
| 2010–11 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 80 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 39 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2011–12 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 69 | 1 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2012–13 | HC Bolzano | ITA | 16 | 6 | 16 | 22 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 46 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 22 | 23 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 2013–14 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 81 | 4 | 22 | 26 | 34 | 19 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 14 | ||
| 2014–15 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 82 | 3 | 16 | 19 | 44 | 23 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 8 | ||
| 2015–16 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 81 | 2 | 22 | 24 | 32 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 73 | 5 | 13 | 18 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2017–18 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 48 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 82 | 0 | 10 | 10 | 44 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 27 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 14 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 2020–21 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 41 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | HV71 | SHL | 17 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| SHL totals | 72 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 28 | 26 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||||
| NHL totals | 821 | 25 | 147 | 172 | 332 | 137 | 2 | 27 | 29 | 52 | ||||
International Play
Niklas Hjalmarsson also represented his home country, Sweden, in international hockey tournaments. He won a silver medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics.
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's ice hockey | ||
Representing  Sweden |
||
| Olympic Games | ||
| Silver | 2014 Sochi | |
| IIHF World U18 Championship | ||
| Bronze | 2005 Plzen | |
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Sweden | WJC18 |  |
7 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 2007 | Sweden | WJC | 4th | 7 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| 2012 | Sweden | WC | 6th | 8 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | |
| 2014 | Sweden | OG |  |
6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2016 | Sweden | WCH | |
4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| Junior totals | 14 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 10 | ||||
| Senior totals | 18 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 | ||||
See also
- List of NHL players who have signed offer sheets
