Marcus Krüger (born 27 May 1990) is a Swedish professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice h ...

centreman who is currently playing as captain for

Djurgårdens IF Hockey Djurgårdens IF Ishockeyförening – commonly known as Djurgårdens IF, Djurgården Hockey, Djurgården () – is a professional ice hockey team based in Stockholm, Sweden, affiliated with the Djurgårdens IF umbrella organization. Djurgårde ...

of the

HockeyAllsvenskan HockeyAllsvenskan (previously Allsvenskan and SuperAllsvenskan) is a professional ice hockey league, and the second-highest league in the Swedish ice hockey system (after the SHL). Since the 2009–10 season, the league consists of fourteen team ...

(Allsv). He was drafted by the

Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...

in the fifth round, 149th overall, in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He is a two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Blackhawks in

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and 2015. Before joining the Blackhawks, Krüger previously played for Stockholm-based Djurgårdens IF then of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). Krüger represents Sweden in international play, helping his country capture a bronze medal at the junior level and a silver medal in senior international play.

Playing career

Sweden

Krüger was announced as the first of four nominees for the 2009–10

Elitserien Rookie of the Year SHL Rookie of the Year ( sv, Årets Rookie) is an annual award in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), presented by Svenska Spel since the 1989–90 season. Djurgårdens IF Djurgårdens Idrottsförening, commonly known simply as Djurgårdens IF, ...

on 18 October 2009 after starting the season with five goals and 11 assists in just 13 games.

Chicago Blackhawks

Krüger signed a three-year contract with the

in June 2010 but opted to stay with Djurgården during the first year of the contract He was later recalled from Djurgården to Chicago on 23 March 2011. Krüger's first full season with the Blackhawks was in 2011–12, when he played in 71 games with the club, scoring nine goals and adding 17 assists. On 9 April 2013, in Game 5 of the Western Conference Quarter-finals, Krüger scored his first career Stanley Cup playoff goal, which happened to be the game-winner against

Minnesota Wild The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and play their home games at the Xcel Ener ...

goaltender

Josh Harding Joshua Joel Harding (born June 18, 1984) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Minnesota Wild. Playing career Harding played three seasons of junior hockey in the Western ...

. The Blackhawks eventually won the

2013 Stanley Cup The 2013 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) season, and the conclusion of the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Western Conference playoff champion Chicago Blackhawks defeated the Eastern Confer ...

, with Krüger contributing three goals during the team's run. After his playoff success with the team, Krüger signed a two-year extension with the Blackhawks on 12 July 2013. He scored eight goals and 20 assists in 81 games for Chicago during the 2013–14 NHL season. On 19 May 2015, he scored the game-winning triple overtime away goal to tie the Western Conference finals 1–1 against the Anaheim Ducks. On 11 September 2015, Krüger signed a one-year, 1.5 million dollar contract to stay with the Blackhawks for the 2015–16 season. On 17 December, Krüger dislocated his wrist in a game against the

Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...

. He was projected to miss at least four months while recovering from the injury. On 27 February 2016 the Blackhawks announced that Krüger would be switching his number to 22 in order for his new teammate acquired from the

Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, p ...

Andrew Ladd Andrew Joseph Ladd (born December 12, 1985) is a Canadian professional ice hockey winger for the Arizona Coyotes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for the Carolina Hurricanes, Chicago Blackhawks, Atlanta Thrashers, Winn ...

, to keep his traditional number 16. On 9 March, The Blackhawks signed Krüger to a three-year, $9.25 million contract extension that runs through the 2018–19 season.

Carolina Hurricanes

After completing his seventh season with the Blackhawks, Krüger was long rumored as a candidate to be traded away due to considerable salary cap constraints. With a reported deal to the

Vegas Golden Knights The Vegas Golden Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference. Founded in 2017 as an expa ...

pre-dating the

2017 NHL Expansion Draft Seventeen or 17 may refer to: *17 (number), the natural number following 16 and preceding 18 * one of the years 17 BC, AD 17, 1917, 2017 Literature Magazines * ''Seventeen'' (American magazine), an American magazine * ''Seventeen'' (Japanese m ...

for draft considerations, Krüger surprisingly remained with Chicago through to the opening of free agency. On 2 July 2017, Krüger was dealt by the Blackhawks to the Golden Knights in exchange for future considerations. On 4 July 2017, Krüger was then moved on by the Golden Knights in a trade to the

Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ...

for a 5th-round pick in the

2018 NHL Entry Draft The 2018 NHL Entry Draft was the 56th NHL Entry Draft. The draft was held on June 22–23, 2018, at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. The 2018 NHL Entry Draft was the second of two professional sports drafts to be held in the Dalla ...

. Krüger was placed on injured reserve by the Hurricanes on 3 January 2018, and was placed on waivers on 8 February.

Return to Chicago

On 3 May, Krüger was initially traded by the Hurricanes to the

Arizona Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Coyotes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and currently play at the Mul ...

along with a third-round pick in the

, in exchange for forward Jordan Martinook and a fourth-round pick in the

. On 12 July 2018, Krüger was then traded by the Coyotes back to the Blackhawks along with prospect MacKenzie Entwistle, Jordan Maletta, and Andrew Campbell in a deal that sent the contract of

Marián Hossa Marián Hossa (; born 12 January 1979) is a Slovak former professional ice hockey right winger. Hossa was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the first round, 12th overall, of the 1997 NHL Entry Draft. After spending his first seven NHL seasons wi ...

to the Coyotes, along with Vinnie Hinostroza, Jordan Oesterle and a third-round pick in the

2019 NHL Entry Draft The 2019 NHL Entry Draft was the 57th NHL Entry Draft. The draft was held on June 21–22, 2019 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia. The first three selections were Jack Hughes going to the New Jersey Devils, Kaapo Kakko being sel ...

ZSC Lions

Following the 2018–19 season, Krüger ended his nine-year career in the NHL, returning to Europe as a free agent in signing a two-year contract with Swiss club ZSC Lions of the NL on 5 July 2019. On 17 February 2021, Krüger was signed to an early one-year contract extension through to the end of the 2021–22 season.

International play

Krüger has represented Sweden three times in international play. At the junior level, he helped his country capture a bronze medal at the 2010 World Junior Championships. After graduating to the senior level, Krüger has played for Sweden twice, in 2011 (finishing with a silver medal) and

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. He also represented Sweden in the 2014 Winter Olympics. After several injuries to the team's centremen, Krüger played on Sweden's first line in the tournament final against

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

, which the Swedes lost 3–0.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kruger, Marcus 1990 births Living people Carolina Hurricanes players Charlotte Checkers (2010–) players Chicago Blackhawks draft picks Chicago Blackhawks players Djurgårdens IF Hockey players Ice hockey players at the 2014 Winter Olympics Ice hockey players at the 2022 Winter Olympics Medalists at the 2014 Winter Olympics Olympic ice hockey players of Sweden Olympic medalists in ice hockey Olympic silver medalists for Sweden Rockford IceHogs (AHL) players Ice hockey people from Stockholm Stanley Cup champions Swedish expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Swedish ice hockey centres Swedish people of German descent ZSC Lions players