Viktor Stålberg facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Viktor Stålberg |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
Stålberg with the New York Rangers in September 2015
|
|||
| Born | 17 January 1986 Gothenburg, Sweden |
||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
| Weight | 209 lb (95 kg; 14 st 13 lb) | ||
| Position | Right Wing | ||
| Shot | Left | ||
| Played for | Toronto Maple Leafs Chicago Blackhawks Frölunda HC Atlant Moscow Oblast Nashville Predators New York Rangers Carolina Hurricanes Ottawa Senators EV Zug Avangard Omsk HC Fribourg-Gottéron |
||
| National team |  Sweden |
||
| NHL Draft | 161st overall, 2006 Toronto Maple Leafs |
||
| Playing career | 2009–2021 | ||
Viktor Stålberg (born 17 January 1986) is a former professional ice hockey player from Sweden. He played as a winger for many teams in the National Hockey League (NHL). These teams included the Toronto Maple Leafs, Nashville Predators, New York Rangers, Carolina Hurricanes, Ottawa Senators, and Chicago Blackhawks. He won the famous Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2013.
Contents
Playing Career
Early Hockey Days
Playing as an Amateur
In the 2005–06 season, Viktor Stålberg played for Frölunda HC in Sweden's junior league. He was a top scorer, getting 33 goals and 31 assists in 48 games. After this great season, the Toronto Maple Leafs picked him in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. He was the 161st player chosen overall.
Stålberg then moved to the University of Vermont in the United States. He joined their ice hockey team for the 2006–07 season. He played in all 39 games and scored 7 goals with 8 assists. He was even named "Hockey East Rookie of the Week" during this time.
In his second year (2007–08), he continued to play well, scoring 10 goals and 13 assists. He was named "Hockey East Player of the Week" three times. By his third year (2008–09), Stålberg was a star player. He scored 24 goals and 22 assists in 39 games. He was even a finalist for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, which is given to the best college hockey player.
Professional Hockey (2009–2021)
Starting with the Toronto Maple Leafs (2009–2010)
After his successful college career, Stålberg decided to become a professional player. He signed a contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs in April 2009. He first played for their minor league team, the Toronto Marlies, in the American Hockey League (AHL).
Stålberg made his NHL debut with the Maple Leafs on 1 October 2009. He got his first NHL assist in that game. A few days later, he got a concussion from a hit during a game. He later scored his first NHL goal on 18 December 2009. In his first NHL season, he played 40 games and scored 9 goals with 5 assists.
Winning the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks (2010–2013)
On 30 June 2010, Stålberg was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks. This team had just won the Stanley Cup. In his first season with the Blackhawks (2010–11), he scored 12 goals and 12 assists in 77 games. He also played in his first Stanley Cup playoffs, scoring a goal against the Vancouver Canucks.
In July 2011, Stålberg signed a new contract with the Blackhawks. The 2011–12 season was a great one for him. He scored his first career hat trick (three goals in one game) on 10 January 2012. He finished that season with career-highs of 22 goals and 21 assists.
The 2012–13 season was shorter due to a lockout, but Stålberg still played well. The Blackhawks had an amazing season, winning the Presidents' Trophy for being the best team in the regular season. Stålberg and the Blackhawks then went on to win the Stanley Cup in 2013. They beat the Boston Bruins in the finals.
Time with the Nashville Predators (2013–2015)
After winning the Stanley Cup, Stålberg signed a four-year contract with the Nashville Predators in July 2013. He played 70 games in his first season with the Predators, scoring 8 goals and 10 assists.
In his second season (2014–15), he faced some injuries. He was sent to the Predators' minor league team, the Milwaukee Admirals, for a while. He returned to the Predators for the 2015 playoffs. In June 2015, the Predators bought out the rest of his contract, making him a free agent.
Joining the New York Rangers (2015–2016)
On 1 July 2015, Stålberg signed a one-year contract with the New York Rangers. He had a good season with the Rangers, scoring 9 goals and 11 assists in 75 games. He also played an important role on the team's penalty-killing unit.
Playing for the Carolina Hurricanes and Ottawa Senators (2016–2017)
Stålberg signed a one-year contract with the Carolina Hurricanes in July 2016. He played 57 games for them, scoring 9 goals and 3 assists. In February 2017, he was traded to the Ottawa Senators.
With the Senators, Stålberg helped the team make a deep run in the 2017 playoffs. They reached the third round, just one win away from the Stanley Cup Finals. Stålberg played in 17 playoff games that year.
Playing in Europe (2017–2021)
After his time in the NHL, Stålberg moved to Europe. He signed a two-year contract with EV Zug in Switzerland in July 2017. He quickly became a top player there, scoring 22 goals and 50 points in 48 games in his first season.
In October 2018, he moved to Russia to play for Avangard Omsk in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL). He later returned to Switzerland in April 2019, signing with HC Fribourg-Gottéron.
On 13 August 2021, Viktor Stålberg announced his retirement from professional ice hockey.
Life After Playing Hockey
After retiring, Stålberg stayed involved in hockey. In September 2023, his former college, the University of Vermont, named him an advisor to their men's ice hockey coaching staff. He worked in this role part-time until September 2024.
Stålberg also explored new interests. In July 2024, he became a certified sommelier, which means he is an expert in wine. As of October 2024, he is the Chief Operating Officer of Global Wines. This is a Swedish company that imports alcoholic beverages. He works alongside another former NHL player, Douglas Murray, who is the CEO.
International Play
Viktor Stålberg also represented his home country, Sweden, in international hockey tournaments. He played for Sweden in the 2012 IIHF World Championship. He also played in the 2018 Winter Olympics, where he scored one goal.
Personal Life
Viktor Stålberg's parents are Eddy and Maria Stålberg. They live in Lerum, Sweden. He has two younger brothers, Alexander and Sebastian. Sebastian also plays hockey for Frölunda HC in Sweden. Stålberg's favorite athlete growing up was former Toronto Maple Leafs captain Mats Sundin.
Career Statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2003–04 | IF Mölndal Hockey | J18 | 13 | 14 | 13 | 27 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | IF Mölndal Hockey | J18 Allsv | 18 | 25 | 10 | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | IF Mölndal Hockey | SWE.4 | — | 5 | 7 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | IF Mölndal Hockey | J18 Allsv | 11 | 16 | 7 | 23 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | IF Mölndal Hockey | SWE.3 | 29 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 54 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Frölunda HC | J20 | 41 | 27 | 26 | 53 | 89 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 6 | ||
| 2006–07 | University of Vermont | HE | 39 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 53 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | University of Vermont | HE | 39 | 10 | 13 | 23 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | University of Vermont | HE | 39 | 24 | 22 | 46 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Toronto Marlies | AHL | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2009–10 | Toronto Marlies | AHL | 39 | 12 | 21 | 33 | 36 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 40 | 9 | 5 | 14 | 30 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 77 | 12 | 12 | 24 | 43 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | ||
| 2011–12 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 79 | 22 | 21 | 43 | 34 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | ||
| 2012–13 | Frölunda HC | SEL | 11 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Atlant Moscow Oblast | KHL | 14 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 47 | 9 | 14 | 23 | 25 | 19 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 2013–14 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 70 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Nashville Predators | NHL | 25 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | ||
| 2014–15 | Milwaukee Admirals | AHL | 20 | 11 | 6 | 17 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | New York Rangers | NHL | 75 | 9 | 11 | 20 | 22 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | ||
| 2016–17 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 57 | 9 | 3 | 12 | 33 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Ottawa Senators | NHL | 18 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2017–18 | EV Zug | NL | 46 | 22 | 28 | 50 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 2018–19 | EV Zug | NL | 10 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Avangard Omsk | KHL | 29 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 8 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 40 | ||
| 2019–20 | HC Fribourg–Gottéron | NL | 46 | 14 | 17 | 31 | 39 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | HC Fribourg–Gottéron | NL | 35 | 13 | 16 | 29 | 8 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| NHL totals | 488 | 82 | 86 | 168 | 245 | 60 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 27 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Sweden | WC | 6th | 8 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 | |
| 2018 | Sweden | OG | 5th | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| Senior totals | 12 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 4 | ||||
Awards and Honours
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| College | ||
| All-Hockey East First Team | 2008–09 | |
| AHCA East First-Team All-American | 2008–09 | |
| NHL | ||
| Stanley Cup champion | 2013 | |
