Niklas Nordgren (born June 28, 1979) is a Swedish former 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 ...

forward who began and finished his career playing for

Modo Hockey Modo Hockey (or MoDo with uppercase letters) is a professional ice hockey club in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. The team plays in Sweden's second-tier league HockeyAllsvenskan. The club was founded in 1987 and has won one SHL championships; in 2007. ...

in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).

Playing career

Nordgren was drafted by 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 ...

in Round 8, 195th overall at the

1997 NHL Entry Draft The 1997 NHL Entry Draft was the 35th NHL Entry Draft. It was held at the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on June 21, 1997. As of 2022, the only remaining active player in the NHL from the 1997 draft class is Joe Thornton. Selections ...

, but remained in Sweden and made his Swedish Elitserien debut with

in 1998–99. Nordgren became a regular in the Elite League with

Timrå IK Timrå IK is a professional Swedish ice hockey team based in Timrå, north of Sundsvall. It competes in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), which is the top-tier league in Sweden, since being promoted by winning 2021 SHL qualifiers. Previous seaso ...

in 2001–02 and played four seasons there. Nordgren made the transition to North America in 2005–06, and split time between Carolina and their AHL affiliate Lowell before being traded to the

Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...

with

Krystofer Kolanos Krystofer Stanley "Krys" Kolanos (born July 27, 1981) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He played with the Phoenix Coyotes, Edmonton Oilers, Minnesota Wild, and Calgary Flames in his National Hockey League (NHL) career. Playi ...

and a 2007 2nd-round pick at the March 9th trade deadline for forward

Mark Recchi Mark Louis Recchi (; born February 1, 1968) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former assistant coach. Recchi played 22 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, ...

. On May 10, 2006, Nordgren signed a deal with the

Rapperswil-Jona Lakers The SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers are a professional ice hockey club from Rapperswil, Switzerland and are members of the National League. History The Lakers were founded in 1945 and were known as SC Rapperswil-Jona until 2005, when the club changed ...

, based in Switzerland, where he would play the next five seasons. After a season stint in returning to the SHL with Timrå IK, Nordgren signed for his original club Modo during the 2013-14 season on November 27, 2013.

Career statistics

References

External links

* 1979 births Living people Carolina Hurricanes draft picks Carolina Hurricanes players IF Sundsvall Hockey players Lowell Lock Monsters players Modo Hockey players People from Örnsköldsvik Municipality Pittsburgh Penguins players Swedish expatriate sportspeople in Switzerland Swedish expatriate ice hockey players in the United States Swedish ice hockey right wingers Timrå IK players Ice hockey people from Västernorrland County {{Sweden-icehockey-winger-stub