Victor Hedman

Victor Hedman

Hedman with the Tampa Bay Lightning in December 2014
Born (1990-12-18) 18 December 1990
Örnsköldsvik, Sweden
Height 6 ft 6 in (198 cm)
Weight 232 lb (105 kg; 16 st 8 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams		 Tampa Bay Lightning
Modo Hockey
Barys Astana
National team  Sweden
NHL Draft 2nd overall, 2009
Tampa Bay Lightning
Playing career 2007–present

Victor Erik Olof Hedman (born 18 December 1990) is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL). Hedman was selected second overall by the Lightning in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Playing career

Hedman with Modo Hockey in 2008
Hedman in September 2011

Sweden

Hedman began his junior ice hockey career in the Swedish J20 SuperElit with the Modo Hockey organization. He recorded 25 points in 34 games during his first full season in the league in 2006–07. Hedman then turned professional and joined the Elitserien with Modo at the age of 16. At the beginning of the 2008–09 season, he was ranked first overall amongst all draft-eligible skaters in the International Scouting Services' preliminary rankings.[1] In the same season, he was nominated as the SHL Rookie of the Year. Following his performance at the 2009 World Junior Championships for Sweden, Hedman was listed atop the rankings of European skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau. Despite the unlikelihood of Hedman playing in Russia, he was drafted 83rd overall by the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL)'s Spartak Moscow on 1 June 2009.[2]

Going into the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, Hedman was listed as the second-ranked player and top European player. This led to him being selected second overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning.[3][4]

Hedman has drawn comparisons to Chris Pronger, who has a similar physique and was also drafted second overall.[5]

Tampa Bay Lightning

Hedman made his NHL debut for the Lightning on 3 October 2009, against the Atlanta Thrashers. He registered his first point, an assist, on a Martin St. Louis goal. His first NHL goal was then scored on 5 December against Dwayne Roloson of the New York Islanders.

On 5 January 2011, during his sophomore NHL season in 2010–11, Hedman checked Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby from behind, receiving a minor boarding penalty. The hit was one of two that were eventually blamed for causing a severe concussion on Crosby that kept him out of play for over a year.[6][7]

On 29 November 2011, shortly into the 2011–12 season, Hedman signed a five-year, $20 million contract extension with Tampa Bay. On 25 September 2012, it was announced that Hedman signed a contract with Barys Astana of the KHL during the 2012–13 NHL lockout. During the 2013–14 season, Hedman had a breakout season, posting a career best in goals (13), assists (42) and points (55).

Hedman followed up his breakout season with a strong start to the 2014–15 season. However, his start would be derailed after he suffered a broken finger, which was expected to rule him out of play for four to six weeks. At the time, Hedman was tied for the lead amongst NHL defencemen with seven points, and was considered a possible James Norris Memorial Trophy candidate for Defenceman of the Year entering into the season.[8] Despite the injury, Hedman still had a productive season with the Lightning, scoring 10 goals, 28 assists and 38 points in 59 games played. After Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Chicago Blackhawks, Hedman had recorded the most points by a Lightning defencemen in a single playoff year, with one goal, 11 assists and 12 points.[9] On 8 June 2015, during Game 3 of the Final series, Hedman set Lightning records for career playoff assists (20) and points (23) by a defenceman, surpassing Dan Boyle, who previously held the record with three goals and 19 assists (22 points).[10]

On 24 October 2015, Hedman played in his 400th career NHL game in an OT loss to the Chicago Blackhawks.[11] On 20 December 2015, Hedman recorded his 200th NHL point, which was an assist on a Nikita Kucherov pp goal. The point came during a 5–2 Lightning victory over the visiting Ottawa Senators.[12] On 20 May 2016, Hedman recorded two assists in a 4–3 Lightning win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. The two assists moved Hedman past Vincent Lecavalier (28) and Brad Richards (29) for number two all-time in playoff assists with the franchise.[13] On 24 May 2016, Hedman became the leader in playoff games played for the Lightning. He surpassed former teammates Martin St. Louis and Vincent Lecavalier, who were tied for the most playoffs games played in franchise history.[14]

On July 1, 2016, the Lightning re-signed Hedman to an eight-year contract extension worth $7.875 million per season. Hedman lead all Lightning defensemen in goals, assists (37), points and plus/minus. He also led all Lightning skaters in plus/minus, average ice time (23:03), takeaways (48) and blocked shots (132). He also posted a career high with a plus-21 rating. Hedman currently ranks third all-time in franchise history among defensemen in career points (229), behind Dan Boyle (253) and Pavel Kubina (243). He is also second all-time among defensemen in assists (180) and fourth for goals (49). Hedman ranks third all-time among Lightning defensemen for games played, trailing only Pavel Kubina (662) and Cory Sarich (490). In addition, Hedman is the Bolts' all-time playoff leader for points, goals, assists and plus/minus among defensemen.[15]

On October 26, 2016, Hedman recorded his 50th career NHL goal.[16] The goal came in a 7-3 Lightning victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Air Canada Centre.[17] On November 5, 2016, Hedman recorded his 187th assist, which tied him with Dan Boyle for most career assists by a Lightning defenseman.[18] The assist came in a 4-1 Lightning victory over the visiting New Jersey Devils.[19] On November 10, 2016, Hedman recorded his 188th career assist which is the most assists by a defenseman in Lightning history.[20] Hedman is now seventh in franchise history in assists.[21] On November 14, 2016, Hedman recorded his 189th assist, which tied with Brian Bradley for 6th in assists in Lightning history. The assist came in a 4-0 Lightning win over the New York Islanders at the Barclays Center.[22] On November 15, 2016, Hedman recorded his 190th assist, which moved Hedman past Bradley for sixth all time in assists in Lightning history. The assist came in a 4-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena.[23] On November 21, 2016, Hedman recorded an assist, which was Hedman's 243 career point. This put Hedman into a tie with Pavel Kubina for 10th place on the Lightning's all-time scoring list.[24] Hedman is also tied with Kubina for 2nd all-time in points by a defensemen in Lightning history. On November 23, 2016, Hedman recorded a goal in a 4-2 Lightning victory over the visiting Philadelphia Flyers. This was Hedman's 244th career point, which moved him past Kubina for 2nd in points by a defenseman and 10th in points in Lightning history.[25]

International play
Medal record
Representing  Sweden
Ice hockey
World Championships
2010 Germany
World Junior Championships
2009 Ottawa
2008 Pardubice
World U18 Championships
2007 Tampere
Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament
2007 Hodonín

Hedman played for Sweden at the 2008 World Junior Championships, where he helped the team to a silver medal, losing to Canada 3–2 in the final, and was selected to the tournament All-Star Team. He later became one of the youngest players to play for Sweden's men's team when he made his debut at age 17 in an exhibition game against Norway.[26] Hedman would once again play for Sweden's junior team at the 2009 World Junior Championships in Ottawa, where he met Canada for the second consecutive year in the gold-medal game, earning another silver medal in a 5–1 loss.

On 2 March 2016, the Swedish Ice Hockey Association named Hedman to its roster for the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. Hedman will be joined by Lightning teammate Anton Stralman. The tournament is set to run from 17 Sep to 1 October 2016, in Toronto.[27]

Personal life

Hedman has two older brothers — Oscar Hedman, who is also a professional hockey player that currently plays for Modo Hockey; as well as Johan Hedman, who does not play professionally.

As a child, Hedman originally started out playing as a goaltender. His father, Olle Hedman, told his son that if he left the net, he would purchase him the new helmet that he coveted. He has not played in goal since that day. Victor said "I'm thankful for that now. You never know what would have happened otherwise."[28]

Hedman's other passions were flying (he has logged eight hours on a Piper PA-32), and soccer. His father said that his son would just outrun everyone on the field. Hedman still plays soccer in the summer, and religiously follows the sport. In an article it was revealed that when quizzed on any player on any English Premier League team, he couldn't be stumped. His dad said that his son "probably knows more about football than hockey. However, Hedman knew that hockey was his future. He was encouraged by some of hockey's greats. The players would come back every summer and play for a team called the Icebreakers, inviting Hedman to play. Some notable players on the team included Peter Forsberg, Markus Näslund, Henrik Zetterberg, and Nicklas Bäckström. Hedman said that "looking back at it now, it was an unbelievable experience."[29]

In 2014 Hedman started a hockey school in his hometown. The spots in the school sold out in two hours. Hedman said that "to see the thrill in the kids' eyes, it's worth it all."[30]

Hedman is from Örnsköldsvik and trains with the Sedin twins in the off-season.[31]

During an interview with The Hockey News, Hedman revealed why he chose seventy-seven as his jersey number. Hedman revealed that Nicklas Lidstrom was an idol of his growing up, however, he stated that he did not play the same style of game. Hedman said he liked the way Ray Bourque played the game. As well as guys like Paul Coffey due to their skating ability. Due to watching a lot of the Colorado Avalanche Hedman witnessed Bourque winning a cup with the Avs. Hedman wore #41 back in Sweden, but Lightning teammate Mike Smith wore that number. He decided to wear Bourque's No. 77 instead.[32]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

    Regular season   Playoffs
SeasonTeamLeague GPGAPtsPIMGPGAPtsPIM
2005–06 Modo Hockey J20 100118 —————
2006–07 Modo Hockey J20 3413122530 511244
2007–08 Modo Hockey J20 621326 32024
2007–08 Modo Hockey SHL 3922444 51014
2008–09 Modo Hockey J20 202210 50112
2008–09 Modo Hockey SHL 437142152 —————
2009–10 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 744162079 —————
2010–11 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 793232670 180668
2011–12 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 615182365 —————
2012–13 Barys Astana KHL 261202170 —————
2012–13 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 444162031 —————
2013–14 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 7513425553 41232
2014–15 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 5910283840 26113146
2015–16 Tampa Bay Lightning NHL 7810374746 174101414
SHL totals 829162596 51014
NHL totals 47049180229384 656313730

International

Year Team Event Result   GP G A Pts PIM
2007 Sweden WJC18 3rd, bronze medalist(s) 612310
2008 Sweden WJC18 4th 413410
2008 Sweden WJC 2nd, silver medalist(s) 60114
2009 Sweden WJC 2nd, silver medalist(s) 60226
2010 Sweden WC 3rd, bronze medalist(s) 91126
2012 Sweden WC 5th 801114
2016 Sweden WCH 3rd, bronze medalist(s) 41010
Junior totals 22281030
Senior totals 2122420

Awards

Sweden

Award Year(s) awarded
Sweden's Junior of the Year 2009
Elitserien Rookie of the Year 2009
Guldpucken 2015[33][note 1]

International

Award Year(s) awarded
World U18 All-Star Team 2007, 2008
World Junior All-Star Team 2008[34]

Notes

  1. ↑ Normally the Guldpucken is awarded to a player in Sweden, but Hedman won the award for his play in the NHL.

References

  1. ↑ "International Scouting Services Preliminary Rankings". TSN. Archived from the original on 19 October 2008. Retrieved 25 November 2008.
  2. ↑ "Tavares passed over in KHL draft, Hall taken by Ak Bars". The Sports Network. 1 June 2009. Archived from the original on 3 June 2009. Retrieved 20 January 2010.
  3. ↑ "2014 NHL Mock Draft". My NHL Draft. Archived from the original on 15 January 2009.
  4. ↑ "Tavares, Hedman highlight NHL mid-season rankings". TSN. 12 January 2009. Archived from the original on 15 January 2009. Retrieved 13 January 2009.
  5. ↑ Allen, Kevin (25 June 2009). "Intriguing choice at No. 1 pick: Big-time scorer or franchise D". USA Today. Retrieved 26 June 2009.
  6. ↑ Masi, Vince (7 September 2011). "Crosby Show has been must-see TV". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
  7. ↑ Greg Wyshynski (6 January 2012). "The Sidney Crosby concussion vs. the economics of the NHL". Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on 11 January 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
  8. ↑ Peters, Chris (20 October 2014). "Lightning D Victor Hedman out 4-6 weeks with broken finger". CBSSports NHL. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  9. ↑ Burns, Bryan (6 June 2015). "Bolts even up Stanley Cup Final with 4-3 win over Blackhawks". Tampa Bay Lightning. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  10. ↑ Burns, Bryan (8 June 2015). "Cedric Paquette's game-winner gives Bolts 2-1 series lead against Chicago". Tampa Bay Lightning. Retrieved 8 June 2015.
  11. ↑ Hedger, Brian (24 October 2015). "Toews gives Blackhawks win against Lightning". NHL.com. Retrieved 25 October 2015.
  12. ↑ Long, Corey (20 December 2015). "Stamkos scores twice, Lightning top Senators". NHL.com. Retrieved 21 December 2015.
  13. ↑ Hutcheon, Shawn (21 May 2016). "Stanley Cup Recap: Penguins Run Out of Time, Lightning Hold On for Game 4 Win". ESPNradio.com. Retrieved 25 May 2016.
  14. ↑ Long, Corey (25 May 2016). "Penguins win Game 6, extend series vs. Lightning". NHL.com. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  15. ↑ Lightning, Tampa Bay (July 1, 2016). "Lightning Sign Victor Hedman to Eight-Year Contract Extension". Tampa Bay Lightning. Retrieved July 4, 2016.
  16. ↑ BBurnsNHL (25 October 2016). "Hedman 50th career NHL goal" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  17. ↑ Associated, Press (October 25, 2016). "Stamkos' 4 points lead Lightning over Maple Leafs". Tampa Bay Lightning. Retrieved October 26, 2016.
  18. ↑ SammonSez (5 November 2016). "Hedman ties Dan Boyle for most career assists by Lightning defenseman" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  19. ↑ Long, Corey (November 5, 2016). "Ben Bishop makes 37 saves in Lightning win". NHL.com. Retrieved November 5, 2016.
  20. ↑ TBLightning (10 November 2016). "Hedman moves past Dan Boyle for most career assists by a Lightning defenseman" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  21. ↑ Erik_Erlendsson (10 November 2016). "Hedman #7 in assists in Lightning history" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  22. ↑ Smith, Joe (November 14, 2016). "Lightning opens road trip with 4-0 rout of Islanders". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  23. ↑ Hogg, Dave (November 15, 2016). "Nikita Kucherov sends Lightning past Red Wing". NHL.com. Retrieved November 15, 2016.
  24. ↑ BBurnsNHL (10 November 2016). "Hedman ties Kubina for 10th in points all time in Lightning history" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  25. ↑ BBurnsNHL (23 November 2016). "Hedman moves past Kubina for 10th in points all time in Lightning history" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  26. ↑ Ek, Mattias (28 March 2008). "Debut i Tre Kronor - som 17-åring" [Debut in Three Crowns - 17 years old] (in Swedish). Expressen. Archived from the original on 12 October 2012. Retrieved 18 November 2008.
  27. ↑ Peters, Chris (2 March 2016). "World Cup of Hockey: Erik Karlsson leads loaded early Sweden roster". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2 March 2016.
  28. ↑ Smith, Joe (9 June 2015). "Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman turning heads as playoff MVP candidate". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  29. ↑ Smith, Joe (9 June 2015). "Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman turning heads as playoff MVP candidate". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  30. ↑ Smith, Joe (9 June 2015). "Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman turning heads as playoff MVP candidate". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 17 June 2015.
  31. ↑ Ziemer, Brad (22 December 2015). "Hedman continues to be inspired by Sedins". Vancouver Sun. Archived from the original on 31 December 2015. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  32. ↑ Kennedy, Ryan (July 17, 2016). "Rapid Fire: with Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman". The Hockey News. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
  33. ↑ Fontana, John (4 July 2015). "Quick Strikes for Saturday, July 4". rawcharge.com. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
  34. ↑ "Hockey Awards & Achievements". Elite Prospects. Archived from the original on 1 September 2011.
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Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Steven Stamkos		 Tampa Bay Lightning first round draft pick
2009 		Succeeded by
Carter Ashton
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