How Erik Karlsson, once destined to do odd jobs like carpentry, forklifting became a three-time Norris winner

By Cole Shelton

Modified Feb 07, 2024 18:04 GMT

Erik Karlsson is a future NHL Hall of Famer but he was never supposed to be this good.

Karlsson was drafted 15th overall in 2008 by the Ottawa Senators and had success early on in Ottawa. However, where Karlsson is from, not many people become professional players.

Karlsson grew up in Landsbro, a village outside of Stockholm that didn't have much. You couldn't get to the town by train, while the kids didn't have much growing up.

“I think back then, you gave us a ball and a stick or something and we could play with that for weeks because there wasn’t much else,” Karlsson said to The Athletic. “We didn’t have many toys. We didn’t have a toy store or anything like that."

"It’s not like we were completely isolated, but we didn’t really have anything (else) and obviously when you were younger you couldn’t really go anywhere on your own until you got a driver’s license. You were kinda confined to where you were.”

With the town not having much, Erik Karlsson's younger brother, Pelle, says kids just grew up wanting to be a carpenter or something in the trades.

“But you always knew you probably would end up a carpenter or a forklift guy,” Pelle says.

Despite having success in hockey, due to where he grew up, Erik Karlsson admits he didn't think he would be a hockey player for most of his life.

Instead, he thought hockey was something he did for fun and he would end up having to work a normal job.

“I didn’t dedicate myself to hockey fully until I was 16, 17,” Karlsson says. “Hockey was just my occupation, or what I did, from October to March. Once I became a teenager and started learning about the various options in life, there was a period of my time where I wasn’t really sure if hockey was what I wanted to pursue full time. Obviously, I’m lucky and I’m happy that I ended up choosing that path, but at the time, it wasn’t a given.”

Luckily, Karlsson stayed with hockey and has become one of the best Swedes to ever roam the ice.

Erik Karlsson's NHL career

After being drafted in the first round of the 2008 NHL Draft, Erik Karlsson made his debut the following year.

Karlsson played in Ottawa for nine seasons before being traded to San Jose. The Swede then spent five years in San Jose before being dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins this summer.

In his legendary career, Karlsson has won the Norris Trophy - which is awarded to the best defenseman in the NHL - in 2012, 2015 and 2023, while he is a seven-time NHL All-Star.

In his career, Karlsson has played in 967 games, recording 185 goals and 611 assists for 796 points.