Oskar Sundqvist facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Oskar Sundqvist |
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Sundqvist with the Pittsburgh Penguins during the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs
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| Born | 23 March 1994 Boden, Sweden |
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| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
| Weight | 209 lb (95 kg; 14 st 13 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| NHL team Former teams |
St. Louis Blues Skellefteå AIK Pittsburgh Penguins Detroit Red Wings Minnesota Wild |
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| NHL Draft | 81st overall, 2012 Pittsburgh Penguins |
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| Playing career | 2012–present | ||
Oskar Sundqvist (born March 23, 1994) is a Swedish professional ice hockey player. He plays the centre position for the St. Louis Blues in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Sundqvist was born in Boden, Sweden, and started his career playing for the Skellefteå hockey organization. He was chosen by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2012 NHL draft. He also won a silver medal with Sweden's junior national team at the 2014 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.
After moving to North America, Sundqvist played for the Penguins organization for three seasons. He was part of the team that won the 2016 Stanley Cup. In 2017, he was traded to the St. Louis Blues. With the Blues, he won his second Stanley Cup in 2019, which was the first in the team's history.
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Hockey Career
Early Years in Sweden
Oskar Sundqvist grew up playing hockey in Sweden for the Skellefteå AIK youth teams. He was very good, scoring 54 points in 41 games for the junior team. This got the attention of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who drafted him 81st overall in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft.
After being drafted, Sundqvist made his debut in Sweden's top professional league, the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), on October 24, 2012. He scored his first goal in the SHL on January 5, 2013.
In 2014, he played for Sweden in the 2014 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. He scored an important goal against Russia to help his team reach the final, where they won a silver medal. That same year, he helped Skellefteå win the Swedish Championship.
The Penguins signed him to a three-year contract, but he played one more season in Sweden. In his final season there, he scored a career-high 19 points.
Pittsburgh Penguins
In 2015, Sundqvist moved to North America to start his professional career. He first played for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the American Hockey League (AHL) team for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
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He made his NHL debut on February 5, 2016, in a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning. He scored his first NHL goal on April 2, 2016, against the New York Islanders. That season, the Penguins won the Stanley Cup. Even though Sundqvist didn't play enough games to get his name on the cup, the team gave him a Stanley Cup ring and a day with the trophy.
The next season, he played mostly in the AHL and had a great year, scoring 20 goals. He was called up to the NHL for a few games but spent most of his time helping the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have a successful season.
St. Louis Blues
In 2017, Sundqvist was traded to the St. Louis Blues. He played 42 games in his first season with the team, scoring five points while playing on the fourth line.
The 2018–19 season was a breakout year for Sundqvist. He set a new career-high with 31 points. The Blues started the season poorly but made an amazing comeback to qualify for the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs. Sundqvist was a key player during the playoffs, helping the Blues on both offense and defense.
In the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals against the Boston Bruins, Sundqvist played on the team's fourth line. He was suspended for one game for a hit on a Bruins player. After returning, he helped the Blues win their first-ever Stanley Cup.
On July 21, 2019, he signed a new four-year contract with the Blues. He continued to be a valuable player for the team, though he dealt with some injuries. In March 2021, he suffered a serious knee injury that ended his season.
Detroit and Minnesota
On March 21, 2022, Sundqvist was traded to the Detroit Red Wings. He played parts of two seasons with the Red Wings.
On March 3, 2023, he was traded again, this time to the Minnesota Wild, where he finished the season.
Return to St. Louis
As a free agent, Sundqvist returned to the St. Louis Blues for the 2023–24 season, signing a one-year contract. He played well, and on March 7, 2024, he signed a two-year extension to stay with the team. Unfortunately, his season was cut short by another knee injury in March 2024.
Personal life
Sundqvist is the cousin of Jessica Almenäs, a Swedish television presenter who competed in the Miss World pageant in 1998.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2010–11 | Skellefteå AIK | J18 | 21 | 13 | 12 | 25 | 54 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Skellefteå AIK | J18 Allsv | 17 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 46 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 29 | ||
| 2010–11 | Skellefteå AIK | J20 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Skellefteå AIK | J18 | 22 | 13 | 23 | 36 | 78 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Skellefteå AIK | J18 Allsv | 17 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 51 | 7 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 14 | ||
| 2011–12 | Skellefteå AIK | J20 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Skellefteå AIK | J20 | 38 | 17 | 16 | 33 | 48 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 | ||
| 2012–13 | Skellefteå AIK | SEL | 14 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Skellefteå AIK | SHL | 51 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 16 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 16 | ||
| 2014–15 | Skellefteå AIK | SHL | 41 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 34 | 15 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 18 | ||
| 2014–15 | Wilkes–Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | Wilkes–Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 45 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 18 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | Wilkes–Barre/Scranton Penguins | AHL | 63 | 20 | 26 | 46 | 52 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 19 | ||
| 2016–17 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 42 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | San Antonio Rampage | AHL | 6 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 74 | 14 | 17 | 31 | 22 | 25 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 8 | ||
| 2019–20 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 57 | 12 | 11 | 23 | 28 | 9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2020–21 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 28 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 41 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 18 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 52 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 15 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2023–24 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 71 | 6 | 15 | 21 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 67 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 32 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| SHL totals | 106 | 16 | 20 | 37 | 58 | 28 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 34 | ||||
| NHL totals | 493 | 62 | 102 | 164 | 205 | 44 | 6 | 7 | 13 | 16 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Sweden | WJC |  |
7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |
| Junior totals | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | ||||
Awards and honours
| Award | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| NHL | ||
| Stanley Cup champion | 2016, 2019 | |
