Erik Karlsson

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
For the Swedish ice hockey player born in 1994, see Erik Karlsson (ice hockey b. 1994).
Erik Karlsson
Erik Karlsson 2011-11-25.JPG
Karlsson in November 2011.
Born (1990-05-31) 31 May 1990 (age 22)
Landsbro, Sweden
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Right
NHL team
Former teams		 Ottawa Senators
Jokerit
Frölunda HC
National team  Sweden
NHL Draft 15th overall, 2008
Ottawa Senators
Playing career 2008–present

Erik Karlsson (born 31 May 1990) is a Swedish professional ice hockey player. Karlsson is a member of the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected 15th overall by the Senators in the first round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. Karlsson is the 2012 winner of the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL's best defenceman.

Contents

Playing career [edit]

Karlsson made his Elitserien debut for Frölunda HC on 1 March 2008, recording 8:48 of ice time during a sold out home game in Scandinavium, against league leaders HV71. Karlsson scored the game-winning goal, assisted by Tomi Kallio and Magnus Kahnberg, with a slapshot off a faceoff, in overtime during a man advantage. The win secured a playoff berth for Frölunda with three games remaining of the regular season.

Karlsson finished the season with Frölunda's J20 team playing in the J20 SuperElit playoffs, where Frölunda took home the Anton Cup when they won two to one in games against Brynäs IF in the Swedish Junior Ice Hockey Championship final.

Karlsson playing for Jokerit during the 2012 NHL lockout.

Prior to the 2008 NHL Entry Draft, Karlsson was ranked fourth among European skaters by the NHL's Central Scouting Service.[1] He was drafted 15th overall by the Ottawa Senators, in front of their hometown fans at Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, Ontario. The selection was made by Ottawa's captain Daniel Alfredsson, a native of Gothenburg, who played for Frölunda before entering the NHL. Ottawa's general manager, Bryan Murray, traded Ottawa's first round pick, 18th overall, and their third round pick in 2009 to the Nashville Predators for the Predators' first round pick, 15th overall, to ensure that no other team would pick Karlsson before them.

A few weeks before the 2008–09 Elitserien season premiere, Frölunda announced that Karlsson was brought up to the senior team as a regular roster player.[2]

In September 2009, Karlsson attended the Ottawa Senators training camp with a chance at joining the squad even at junior age. On 29 September 2009, the Senators announced that Karlsson had made the team's roster and would start the 2009–10 season in Ottawa.[3] However, after struggling in nine regular season games with Ottawa, Karlsson was assigned to the Binghamton Senators. On 27 November 2009, exactly a month after being sent down, Karlsson was recalled from Binghamton. He would score his first NHL goal against Minnesota's Niklas Bäckström in a 4–1 win for Ottawa on 19 December and remain in the NHL for the remainder of the season and play in all of Ottawa's playoff games.

Karlsson was selected to participate in the 2011 NHL All-Star Game, set for 30 January at the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina,[4] having recorded 25 points in 41 games.

The 2011–12 season saw Karlsson continue his development. On 16 December 2011, with his third assist of the night, Karlsson registered his 100th regular season NHL point (in 168 games) in a game against the rival Pittsburgh Penguins.[5] Karlsson was the NHL's leading vote-getter in All-Star voting,[6] receiving 939,951 fan votes and becoming one of four Senators' players selected to partake in the 59th National Hockey League All-Star Game. Karlsson finished the season as the leading scorer among NHL defensemen, leading second place Dustin Byfuglien and Brian Campbell by 25 points. Karlsson was being mentioned as a Norris Trophy candidate, if not the favorite for the award.[7][8]

On June 19, 2012, Karlsson signed a seven-year contract extension with the Senators worth a reported $45.5 million dollars.[9]

On June 20, 2012, Karlsson was announced as the winner of the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL's best defenceman, beating Zdeno Chára of the Boston Bruins and Shea Weber of the Nashville Predators. He became the second Swede to win the award (after 7 time winner Nicklas Lidström), joining the ranks of Hall of Famers Bobby Orr and Denis Potvin as the only players to win the award under the age of 23.

During the 2012–13 NHL lockout Karlsson signed with Jokerit of the Finnish SM-liiga. He received a one game suspension for allegedly throwing his stick at a referee following a game on December 8, 2012.[10] He finished his stint in Jokerit with 9 goals and 25 assists (34 points) in 30 games, leading all defencemen in scoring. Once the lockout ended and the NHL season commenced, Karlsson promptly recorded a goal and two assists as Ottawa defeated the Winnipeg Jets 4 - 1 in their season opener.[11] On February 13, 2013, Karlsson's Achilles tendon was lacerated when Pittsburgh Penguins' forward Matt Cooke brought his skate down onto the back of Karlsson's left leg,[12] requiring surgery and taking him out of Ottawa's lineup indefinitely.[13] Cooke has been suspended several times in the past for much criticized incidents resulting in injury to opposing players, but was not suspended for this incident.[14][15][16] At the time of the injury, Karlsson led all NHL defencemen with six goals. Though initial estimates had him out of the lineup for 4 - 6 months, Karlsson returned to the Ottawa lineup against the Washington Capitals on April 25, 2013, ten weeks to the day after the injury occurred.[17]

International play [edit]

Erik Karlsson
Medal record
Competitor for  Sweden
Men's ice hockey
World Championships
Bronze 2010 Cologne
World Junior Championships
Silver 2009 Ottawa

Karlsson was selected as the tournament's best defenceman at the 2008 IIHF World U18 Championships.[18] He was the tournament's plus/minus leader with a plus eight rating,[19] and he led team Sweden in assists, finishing third overall in the tournament, with seven in six games,[20] which also tied him for first place in defencemen scoring.[21] During the 2008 U20 4-Nations tournament which Sweden won, Karlsson scored one goal and one assist which tied him with David Rundblad, Viktor Ekbom, and Tim Erixon as Sweden's defenceman scoring leader.[22] At the 2009 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships Karlsson was selected to the all-star team,[23] and as the tournament's best defenceman.[24] With two goals and seven assists in six games he led all Swedish players in points,[25] and was tied for the tournament lead among defencemen.[26]

Karlsson played at the 2010 World Championships and was the highest scoring defenseman for Sweden[27] with one goal and three assists in nine games.

Karlsson tied for 4th in team scoring with Senators teammate Daniel Alfredsson at the 2012 World Championship with 7 points and led all Swedish defensemen in that category.[28] He also finished tied for 5th in points and tied 3rd in goals by defensemen overall in the tournament.[29]

Karlsson played with Frölunda HC in Sweden before joining the Senators.

Personal life [edit]

Karlsson was married to Therese on July 6, 2012, in Sweden.[citation needed]

Career statistics [edit]

Regular season and playoffs [edit]

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2006–07 Södertälje SK J20 10 2 8 10 8 — — — — —
2007–08 Frölunda HC J20 38 13 24 37 68 5 1 0 1 4
2007–08 Frölunda HC SEL 7 1 0 1 0 6 0 0 0 0
2008–09 Frölunda HC J20 1 0 2 2 2 — — — — —
2008–09 Borås HC Allsv 7 0 1 1 14 — — — — —
2008–09 Frölunda HC SEL 45 5 5 10 10 11 1 2 3 24
2009–10 Binghamton Senators AHL 12 0 11 11 22 — — — — —
2009–10 Ottawa Senators NHL 60 5 21 26 24 6 1 5 6 4
2010–11 Ottawa Senators NHL 75 13 32 45 50 — — — — —
2011–12 Ottawa Senators NHL 81 19 59 78 42 7 1 0 1 4
2012–13 Jokerit SM-liiga 30 9 25 34 24 — — — — —
2012–13 Ottawa Senators NHL 17 6 8 14 8
NHL totals 233 43 120 163 116 13 2 5 7 8

International [edit]

Year Team Event GP G A Pts PIM
2008 Sweden Jr. WJC U18 6 0 7 7 4
2009 Sweden Jr. WJC 6 2 7 9 0
2010 Sweden WC 9 1 3 4 2
2012 Sweden WC 8 3 4 7 2
Junior int'l totals 35 6 22 28 4
Senior int'l totals 18 4 7 11 4

Awards [edit]

International [edit]

Award Year(s) awarded
WJC U18 Best Defenceman 2008[18]
WJC All-Star Team 2009[23]
WJC Best Defenceman 2009[24]

NHL [edit]

Award Year(s) awarded
NHL All-Star Game 2011, 2012
James Norris Memorial Trophy 2012
NHL First All-Star Team 2012
Viking Award 2012

Records and Achievements [edit]

Milestones [edit]

Records [edit]

  • In 2011-12, Karlsson set a new Senators' franchise record for points in a season by a defenseman (previously held by Norm Maciver) with 78. In the same season he tied Steve Duchesne for the Senators franchise record for most goals in a season by a defenseman with 19.

References [edit]

  1. ^ "European Skaters". National Hockey League. 2008. Retrieved 2008-09-03. 
  2. ^ Gyllander, Peter (2008-08-25). "#65 Erik Karlsson till A-truppen" (in Swedish). Frölunda HC. Retrieved 2008-09-04. 
  3. ^ "Battle just beginning for new Sens". cbssportsline.com. 2009-01-08. Retrieved 2009-01-09. 
  4. ^ Brodie, Rob (2011-01-11). "Karlsson eager to shine with NHL's brightest stars". Ottawa Senators. Retrieved 2011-01-12.  Text "OTT" ignored (help); Text "home " ignored (help)
  5. ^ Nordström, Gunnar (2011-12-17). "Sex poäng av Ottawas svenskduo - NHL - Allt om NHL, svenskarna och stjärnorna!". Expressen (in Swedish). Retrieved 2011-12-17. 
  6. ^ http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/7427747/2012-nhl-all-star-game-starters-four-ottawa-senators-one-toronto-maple-leaf-one-boston-bruin Fans vote in four Senators All-Stars
  7. ^ Pang gets Sens fans all a Twitter http://slam.canoe.ca/Slam/Hockey/NHL/Ottawa/2012/03/28/19558946.html
  8. ^ Ottawa Senators defenseman Erik Karlsson, Norris Trophy favorite http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nhl-puck-daddy/ottawa-senators-defenseman-erik-karlsson-norris-trophy-favorite-162445645.html
  9. ^ http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=398747 SENATORS AGREE WITH D KARLSSON ON SEVEN-YEAR EXTENSION
  10. ^ Erik Karlsson suspended 1 game for 'throwing' stick at refs http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/blog/eye-on-hockey/21391566/erik-karlsson-suspended-1-game-for-throwing-stick-at-refs
  11. ^ KARLSSON LEADS SENATORS OVER JETS IN SEASON OPENER http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=413985
  12. ^ Erik Karlsson needs surgery after skate cuts Achilles http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nhl/2013/02/13/ottawa-defenseman-karlsson-cut-by-skate/1918333/
  13. ^ Did You See That? Erik Karlsson's devastating injury http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/opinion/2013/02/did-you-see-that-erik-karlssons-devastating-injury.html
  14. ^ Senators fall to Penguins, lose Erik Karlsson indefinitely http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/game/1289377/recap
  15. ^ Penguins’ Matt Cooke suspended for rest of season http://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/2011/03/21/penguins_matt_cooke_suspended_for_rest_of_season.html
  16. ^ Erik Karlsson needs Achilles surgery http://espn.go.com/nhl/story/_/id/8945810/erik-karlsson-ottawa-senators-needs-achilles-surgery-suffering-cut-skate
  17. ^ KARLSSON RETURNS AS SENATORS LOOK TO CLINCH AGAINST CAPITALS http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=421652
  18. ^ a b "BEST PLAYERS SELECTED BY THE DIRECTORATE" (PDF). IIHF. 2008-04-23. Retrieved 2008-07-01. 
  19. ^ "PLUS-MINUS LEADERS" (PDF). International Ice Hockey Federation. 2008-04-23. Retrieved 2008-07-01. 
  20. ^ "ASSIST LEADERS" (PDF). International Ice Hockey Federation. 2008-04-23. Retrieved 2008-07-01. 
  21. ^ "DEFENSEMEN SCORING LEADERS" (PDF). International Ice Hockey Federation. 2008-04-23. Retrieved 2008-07-01. 
  22. ^ "Players By Team" (PDF). Swedish Ice Hockey Association. 2008-11-09. Retrieved 2008-11-10. [dead link]
  23. ^ a b "MEDIA ALL STARS" (PDF). International Ice Hockey Federation. 2009-01-06. Retrieved 2009-01-06. 
  24. ^ a b "BEST PLAYERS SELECTED BY THE DIRECTORATE" (PDF). International Ice Hockey Federation. 2009-01-06. Retrieved 2009-01-06. 
  25. ^ "PLAYER STATISTICS BY TEAM" (PDF). International Ice Hockey Federation. 2009-01-06. Retrieved 2009-01-06. 
  26. ^ "DEFENSEMEN SCORING LEADERS" (PDF). International Ice Hockey Federation. 2009-01-06. Retrieved 2009-01-06. 
  27. ^ "IIHF World Championship Defensemen Scoring Leaders". IIHF.com. 23 May 2010. 
  28. ^ http://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/272/IHM2720SWE_83_9_0.pdf
  29. ^ http://stats.iihf.com/Hydra/272/IHM272000_85E_15_0.pdf

External links [edit]

Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Daniel Sedin		 Winner of the Viking Award
2012		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
Preceded by
Nicklas Lidström		 Winner of the Norris Trophy
2012		 Succeeded by
Incumbent
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Jim O'Brien		 Ottawa Senators first round draft pick
2008		 Succeeded by
Jared Cowen
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Erik_Karlsson&oldid=555889315"