Niklas Hjalmarsson

Niklas Hjalmarsson (born June 6, 1987) is a Swedish ice hockey defenseman currently playing for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League.

Playing career
Hjalmarsson was drafted 108th overall in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks. He played professionally for 3 years in the Elitserien with HV71.

In the 2007–08 season, his first in North America, Hjalmarsson made his NHL debut with the Blackhawks. After spending the majority of the season with the Rockford IceHogs, he procured a regular spot on the roster with James Wisniewski's trade to the Anaheim Ducks.

He scored his first NHL goal against Chris Osgood of the Detroit Red Wings.

Hjalmarsson became a major installment into the Blackhawks lineup late in the 2008-2009 season and coming into the 2009-2010 season. He played 77 games in the regular season and all 22 in the playoffs for the team, tallying over 19 minutes per game, switching between a position in the second and third lines of defensive pairings. Over that time, he recorded a production value (PROD) of a point roughly every 45 minutes of it, while his season PROD was 89 minutes. A slapshot of Hjalmarsson's was redirected by Andrew Ladd to take a 3-2 lead in game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals where his team won in 4-3 in overtime.

He won the Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2010.

On July 9, 2010 Hjalmarsson signed an offer sheet with the San Jose Sharks for 4 years and $14 million. On July 12 the Chicago Blackhawks announced that they would match the offer sheet. Hjalmarsson was the first defenseman in 13 years to receive an offer sheet as a restricted free agent.