Niklas Kronwall
Niklas Kronwall ( born January 12, 1981 in Stockholm ) is a Swedish professional ice hockey defender, who plays for the Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League since 2003.
- 3.1 International
Career
Niklas Kronwall began his career in 1996/97 at the Junior Djurgårdens IF for which he was active until 1998. He then moved to Huddinge IK for which he completed two games in the Junior League and then was used for professionals in the HockeyAllsvenskan.
After one year he went back to 1999 Djurgårdens and played from then on for the first team in the Elitserien, with whom he won the Swedish championship in the 1999/2000 season. After the season he was selected by the Detroit Red Wings in the NHL Entry Draft in 2000 in the first round at position 29. The defender was at first still in Sweden and defended the title successfully Djurgårdens.
After two more years in Sweden, he moved to North America in 2003 and graduated from the 2003/04 season in part at the Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League and partly at their farm team, the Grand Rapids Griffins in the American Hockey League. While many European players due to the cancellation of the NHL season 2004/ 05 attracted because of the lockout back to their home countries to defray the season there, Kronwall remained in North America and completed the season with the Grand Rapids Griffins. After the season, he was awarded as the best defender of the AHL and was elected to the AHL First All -Star Team.
In a preparation game for the season 2005/ 06 in September he suffered a serious knee injury. Kronwall was indeed nominated for the squad of the Swedish team for the Olympic Winter Games in Turin, but had to cancel because it was only shortly before use again. When, later, Mattias Öhlund injured in the game against Switzerland, Kronwall took over the vacant place in the squad and won at the end of the Olympic gold medal with the Swedish team.
Kronwall had completed only 27 of the 82 league games due to injury at the end of the regular season. The Red Wings dropped out in the first round and Kronwall was thus able to participate in the 2006 World Cup, which ended Sweden as a world champion. He was honored as the best defender and Most Valuable Player of the tournament.
In November 2006 be the end of the season expiring contract from the Red Wings was extended by five years to 2012, which earns him a total of 15 million U.S. dollars. In the 2006/07 season Kronwall had to fight again with minor injuries and came on 22 points in 68 games. Four games before the end of the regular season, he suffered a more serious injury and missed alongside the rest of the regular season the entire playoffs.
The season 2007/ 08 developed for Kronwall to the best so far in his career, but he was hampered by injuries again at the shoulder and the groin. So he came in 65 games on his best result of seven goals and 28 assists. In the playoffs, he formed together with Brad Stuart, the second line of defense that stood out through their tough game and especially in the final series against the Pittsburgh Penguins helped the young stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin to keep them at bay. The Red Wings finally won the Stanley Cup and Kronwall was with 15 Assists best rigger and the top scoring defender of his team in the playoffs.
His younger brother Staffan Kronwall was also active in the NHL.
Awards and achievements
- 2000 Swedish Champion with Djurgårdens IF
- 2001 Swedish Champion with Djurgårdens IF
- 2001 Årets Junior
- 2005 AHL All- Star Classic
- 2005 Eddie Shore Award
- 2005 AHL First All -Star Team
- 2008 Stanley Cup win with the Detroit Red Wings
Internationally
- 2006 Gold medal at the World Championships
- 2006 Most Valuable Player of the World Cup
- 2006 Best defender of the world championship
- 2006 All- Star Team of the World Cup
- 2008 Inclusion in the Triple Gold Club
- 2014 Silver medal at the Olympic Winter Games
Career Stats
Internationally
Represented Sweden at:
- U18 European Junior Championships 1998
- U18 Junior World Championship 1999
- U20 Junior World Championship 2000
- U20 Junior World Championship 2001
- 2003 World Cup
- World Championship 2005
- 2006 Winter Olympics
- World Cup 2006
- 2010 Winter Olympics
- World Cup 2012
( Key to Career statistics: Sp or GP = Games Played, T or G = goals scored, V or A = achieved assists; Pts or Pts = scored points scorer, SM or PIM = received penalty minutes, / - = Plus / Minus balance sheet; PP = scored majority gates; SH = scored shorthanded goals, GW = achieved victory gates; Play-downs/Relegation 1 )