BIOGRAPHY
William Karlsson was born January 8, 1993 in Märsta, Sweden. He is a centre in the National Hockey League.
Karlsson was drafted in the second round, 53rd overall, by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. On 20 May 2013, Karlsson signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the NHL's Anaheim Ducks, the team that drafted him in the second round, 53rd overall, in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. He was returned on loan to HV71 for the 2013–14 season. Karlsson made his NHL debut on 11 October 2014 and scored his first and second NHL goals on 13 October against Michal Neuvirth of the Buffalo Sabres. On 2 March 2015, Karlsson was traded to the Columbus Blue Jackets. On 21 June 2017, having been left "exposed" by Columbus for the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft, Karlsson was selected by the first year expansion team Vegas Golden Knights. Karlsson scored his first career NHL hat-trick on 31 December 2017 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, it also being the first hat-trick in Golden Knights history. He scored his second career NHL hat-trick on 18 March 2018 against the Calgary Flames. Karlsson was also named a finalist for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy for his high standard of play and sportsmanship. On 20 June, he was named the recipient of the trophy, becoming the first player since Wayne Gretzky to win an end-of-season award in their team's inaugural season in the NHL. Karlsson was also awarded the Guldpucken as the top Swedish ice hockey player in the 2017–18 season. After his career-high season, on 4 August 2018, Karlsson signed a new one-year, $5.25 million contract with Vegas for the 2018–19 season. On 24 June 2019, having produced 24 goals and 32 assists (56 points) in the 2018–19 season, Karlsson signed a new eight-year, $47.2 million contract with Vegas worth an average annual value of $5.9 million. The contract is effective from the 2019–20 season through to the end of the 2026–27 season.
