Henrik Karlsson

Henrik Bjorn Karlsson (born on November 27, 1983 in Stockholm, Sweden) is a Kazakh-Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for Barys Nur-Sultan of the KHL.

Playing career
His first performance in senior hockey came in 2002. In 2002 - 2004, Karlsson played for Botkyrka HC of the Division 1. Karlsson spent the 2004-05 season with IK Oskarshamn of the Allsvenskan and with Olofströms IK of the Division 1. Next season played Karlsson also for the IK Oskarshamn and instead of Olofströms, Karlsson played for MB Hockey of the Division 1. In 2006 - 2008, Karlsson played with Hammarby IF of the Allsvenskan, but the end of the 2007-08 season spent Karlsson with Malmö Redhawks playing the same league. He spent the majority of the 2008-09 season in the Allsvenskan with the Malmö Redhawks, but appeared in seven games in the SHL with Södertälje SK.

He was signed as a free agent by the San Jose Sharks of the NHL prior to the 2009-10 season, but was returned to Sweden and took up starting duties with Färjestad BK of the SHL. Karlsson appeared in 34 games, posting three shutouts and a 2.45 goals against average. He suffered an injury late in the season that prevented him from playing in the playoffs as Färjestads was eliminated in the first round.

Facing bleak prospects of playing with the Sharks in 2010-11, he contemplated signing with a team in the Kontinental Hockey League before his NHL rights were dealt by the Sharks to the Calgary Flames for a sixth round pick at the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. The Flames quickly signed Karlsson to a new one-year contract, and was expected to compete for the backup role to starter Miikka Kiprusoff. He described the chance to play in the NHL as "a dream come true".

Karlsson made his NHL debut on October 22, 2010, a 6–2 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. He became only the third goaltender in Flames' franchise history (after Jim Craig and Tyler Moss) to win his first game. He appeared in 17 games as the Flames' backup, finishing with a 4–5–6 record and a goals against average of 2.38. Following the season, he re-signed with the team, agreeing to a two-year deal worth $1.725 million. Karlsson struggled early in the 2011-12 NHL season, failing to win his first five decisions before suffering a torn medial collateral ligament in a game against the Vancouver Canucks on December 4 that caused him to miss two months of play. When he returned to action, he was often passed over for third goaltender Leland Irving when the team wanted to rest Kiprusoff, and consequently appeared in only nine games during the season. In that season, Karlsson also played few games for Flames' AHL affiliate, Abbotsford Heat. He started the final game of the year, a 5–2 victory over the Anaheim Ducks. It was his only win of the season, and his first since January 21, 2011

On January 21, 2013, Karlsson was traded by the Flames to the Chicago Blackhawks for a seventh round pick in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. The Blackhawks immediately assigned him to their AHL affiliate, the Rockford IceHogs. He was recalled that season during the playoffs. The Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup that season, but he did not qualify to have his name on the Stanley Cup.

On June 25, 2013, Karlsson left North America and returned to Sweden signing a one-year contract with Skellefteå AIK of the SHL. However, he left during the 2013-14 season and accepted an offer from Avangard Omsk of the KHL, where he stayed for the remainder of the campaign. Karlsson then embarked on a two-year stint with fellow KHL side Jokerit of Helsinki, Finland. After the conclusion of the 2015-16 season, he moved on to Barys Astana (now Barys Nur-Sultan), also competing in the KHL.

International career
Karlsson played few games for Swedish National Team at some minor international tournaments. In 2017, Karlsson gained the Kazakh citizenship, he started playing for Kazakhstani National Team and he competed as a member of this team at the 2018 and 2019 World Championships Division IA.