Louis Blues.Īfter Karlsson developed his game as a member of Vasteras in Sweden's second division, he made the jump to the Swedish Hockey League as a 21-year-old during the 2013-14 season. He scored his first goal for Columbus four nights later against the St. He played his first game for Columbus on Maand had an assist in a 5-3 win against the Ducks. Karlsson played 16 more games for the Ducks and on March 2, 2015, was traded to the Blue Jackets. 11, 2014, and scored his first two NHL goals two nights later, against the Buffalo Sabres. 53) by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2011 NHL Draft, Karlsson made his NHL debut Oct. Karlsson didn't quite live up to those numbers the following season, but he did finish with 24 goals (including five game-winners) and 56 points.Ī second-round pick (No. In the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Karlsson scored seven goals and finished with 15 points in 20 games, helping the first-year Golden Knights advance to the Cup Final before losing to the Washington Capitals. He also took just six minor penalties in 82 games and won the Lady Byng Trophy, given for skillful and gentlemanly play. But Karlsson didn't forget his defensive responsibilities he led the NHL with a plus-49 rating. He finished third in the NHL in goals and led the Golden Knights with 78 points, up from 19 in 2016-17. The Marsta, Sweden, native went from six goals in 2016-17 to 43 in 2017-18, the third-biggest single-season jump in NHL history.

Karlsson had earned a role as a useful checking center with the Blue Jackets, though he had never scored more than nine goals or finished with more than 25 points in a season.īut given a chance to have an expanded role with the NHL's newest team, Karlsson took the opportunity and ran with it. The Vegas Golden Knights claimed Karlsson from the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft. Few players have made the year-to-year offensive improvement that William Karlsson did in 2017-18.

William tyrone karlson