Niklas Hjalmarsson
Encyclopedia
Niklas Hjalmarsson is a Swedish
ice hockey
defenseman currently playing for the Chicago Blackhawks
of the National Hockey League
.
by the Chicago Blackhawks
. He played professionally for 3 years in the Elitserien
with HV71
.
In the 2007–08 season, his first in North America, Hjalmarsson made his NHL debut with the Blackhawks. After spending the majority of the season with the Rockford IceHogs
, he procured a regular spot on the roster with James Wisniewski
's trade to the Anaheim Ducks
.
He scored his first NHL goal against Chris Osgood
of the Detroit Red Wings
.
Hjalmarsson became a major installment into the Blackhawks lineup late in the 2008-2009 season and coming into the 2009-2010 season. He played 77 games in the regular season and all 22 in the playoffs for the team, tallying over 19 minutes per game, switching between a position in the second and third lines of defensive pairings. Over that time, he recorded a production value (PROD) of a point roughly every 45 minutes of it, while his season PROD was 89 minutes. A slapshot of Hjalmarsson's was redirected by Andrew Ladd
to take a 3-2 lead in game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals where his team won in 4-3 in overtime.
He won the Stanley Cup
with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010.
On July 9, 2010 Hjalmarsson signed an offer sheet
with the San Jose Sharks
for 4 years and $14 million. On July 12 the Chicago Blackhawks announced that they would match the offer sheet. Hjalmarsson was the first defenseman in 13 years to receive an offer sheet as a restricted free agent.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
defenseman currently playing for the Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
of the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
.
Playing career
Hjalmarsson was drafted 108th overall in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft2005 NHL Entry Draft
The 2005 NHL Entry Draft was the 43rd NHL Entry Draft.As a lockout cancelled the games of the 2004–05 NHL season, the draft order was determined by lottery on July 22, 2005. Teams were assigned 1 to 3 balls based on their playoff appearances and first overall draft picks from the past three years...
by the Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
. He played professionally for 3 years in the Elitserien
Elitserien
Elitserien, is a professional ice hockey league composed of twelve teams in Sweden...
with HV71
HV71
HV71, often referred to as just HV, is a Swedish professional ice hockey club based in Jönköping, playing in the Swedish elite league Elitserien...
.
In the 2007–08 season, his first in North America, Hjalmarsson made his NHL debut with the Blackhawks. After spending the majority of the season with the Rockford IceHogs
Rockford IceHogs
This article is about the former UHL franchise. For the current American Hockey League franchise, see Rockford IceHogs.The Rockford IceHogs were a professional ice hockey team in Rockford, Illinois USA. They were a member of the United Hockey League from 1999 to 2007. The IceHogs played their home...
, he procured a regular spot on the roster with James Wisniewski
James Wisniewski
James Joseph Wisniewski is an American professional ice hockey player, an alternate captain for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League.-Playing career:...
's trade to the Anaheim Ducks
Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California, USA. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
.
He scored his first NHL goal against Chris Osgood
Chris Osgood
Christopher John Osgood is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender. He's currently ranked tenth in wins in NHL regular season history with 401 career wins. He spent the first part of his 17-year NHL career with the Detroit Red Wings, then the New York Islanders and the St. Louis...
of the Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
.
Hjalmarsson became a major installment into the Blackhawks lineup late in the 2008-2009 season and coming into the 2009-2010 season. He played 77 games in the regular season and all 22 in the playoffs for the team, tallying over 19 minutes per game, switching between a position in the second and third lines of defensive pairings. Over that time, he recorded a production value (PROD) of a point roughly every 45 minutes of it, while his season PROD was 89 minutes. A slapshot of Hjalmarsson's was redirected by Andrew Ladd
Andrew Ladd
Andrew Ladd is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger and captain of the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League . He was originally drafted in 2004 by the Carolina Hurricanes and won the Stanley Cup with them in 2006...
to take a 3-2 lead in game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals where his team won in 4-3 in overtime.
He won the Stanley Cup
Stanley Cup
The Stanley Cup is an ice hockey club trophy, awarded annually to the National Hockey League playoffs champion after the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Finals. It has been referred to as The Cup, Lord Stanley's Cup, The Holy Grail, or facetiously as Lord Stanley's Mug...
with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010.
On July 9, 2010 Hjalmarsson signed an offer sheet
Offer sheet
In the National Hockey League, an offer sheet is a contract offered to a restricted free agent by a team other than the one for which he played during the prior season...
with the San Jose Sharks
San Jose Sharks
The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California, United States. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
for 4 years and $14 million. On July 12 the Chicago Blackhawks announced that they would match the offer sheet. Hjalmarsson was the first defenseman in 13 years to receive an offer sheet as a restricted free agent.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... |
A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... |
Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... |
PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2004–05 2004–05 Elitserien season The 2004–05 Elitserien season was the 30th season of Elitserien. It started on September 20, 2004, with the regular season ending March 1, 2005. The playoffs of the 81st Swedish Championship ended on April 11, with Frölunda HC taking the championship.... |
HV71 HV71 HV71, often referred to as just HV, is a Swedish professional ice hockey club based in Jönköping, playing in the Swedish elite league Elitserien... |
SEL Elitserien Elitserien, is a professional ice hockey league composed of twelve teams in Sweden... |
14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 2005–06 Elitserien season The 2005–06 Elitserien season was the 31st season of Elitserien. It ran from September 26, 2005 until March 6, 2006, with the Elitserien playoffs, the 82nd Swedish Championship, to April 18, with Färjestads BK taking the championship.-Final standings:... |
HV71 | SEL | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||
| 2006–07 | IK Oskarshamn IK Oskarshamn IK Oskarshamn is an ice hockey club from Oskarshamn in Sweden. The team is currently playing in the second highest league in Sweden, HockeyAllsvenskan. Head coach is Fredrik Söderström.-History:... |
Swe-1 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 2006–07 Elitserien season The 2006–07 Elitserien season was the 32nd season of Elitserien. It began on September 18, 2006, with the regular season ending March 2, 2007. The playoffs of the 84th Swedish Championship concluded on April 14, with Modo Hockey defeating Linköpings HC to win their second championship title.-Final... |
HV71 | SEL | 37 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 2007–08 AHL season The 2007–08 AHL season is the 72nd season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-nine teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Chicago Wolves won their second Calder Cup, defeating the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the Calder Cup Final.-Team changes:... |
Rockford IceHogs Rockford IceHogs This article is about the former UHL franchise. For the current American Hockey League franchise, see Rockford IceHogs.The Rockford IceHogs were a professional ice hockey team in Rockford, Illinois USA. They were a member of the United Hockey League from 1999 to 2007. The IceHogs played their home... |
AHL American Hockey League The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League... |
47 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 31 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 8 | ||
| 2007–08 | Chicago Blackhawks Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10... |
NHL | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 13 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 2008–09 AHL season The 2008–09 AHL season is the 73rd season of the American Hockey League. 29 teams each played 80 games in the regular season, which ran from October 8 until April 12.-Team and NHL affiliation changes:... |
Rockford IceHogs | AHL | 52 | 2 | 16 | 18 | 53 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 2008–09 NHL season The 2008–09 NHL season was the 92nd season of operation of the National Hockey League . It was the first season since prior to the 2004–05 lockout in which every team played each other at least once during the season, following three seasons where teams only played against two divisions in the... |
Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 21 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||
| 2009–10 2009–10 NHL season The 2009–10 NHL season was the 93rd season of operation of the National Hockey League , and the 100th season since the founding of the predecessor National Hockey Association . It ran from October 1, 2009, including four games in Europe on October 2 and 3—until April 11, 2010, with the 2010... |
Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 77 | 2 | 15 | 17 | 20 | 22 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 6 | ||
| 2010–11 2010–11 NHL season The 2010–11 NHL season was the 94th season of operation of the National Hockey League . It was the fourth consecutive season that opened in Europe with NHL Premiere . A record three events were scheduled, all in previous NHL Premiere cities: Helsinki, Finland; Stockholm, Sweden; and Prague, Czech... |
Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 80 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 39 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| AHL totals | 99 | 6 | 25 | 31 | 84 | 12 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 8 | ||||
| NHL totals | 191 | 6 | 25 | 31 | 72 | 46 | 1 | 10 | 11 | 14 | ||||
| SEL totals | 55 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 24 | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | ||||