After 12 seasons in the NHL split across six different franchise, defenseman John Klingberg has officially announced his retirement from hockey.
John Klingberg has announced his retirement from professional hockey after 700 regular-season games and 12 seasons in the NHL, the NHLPA revealed on social media.
Klingberg played for six teams in his career, five of which came in the final four years of his tenure.
The right-handed defenseman was drafted by the Dallas Stars in 2010 with the 131st pick in the fifth round. He went on to play eight seasons for the Stars, putting together his best years as an offensive blueliner.
Klingberg's most productive season came in 2017-18, his fourth year in the NHL. In 82 games, the Swede notched eight goals and a career-high 67 points. The most goals he scored in a season was one year before that, when he recorded 13 goals.
After his final year in Dallas, he signed with the Anaheim Ducks ahead of 2022-23. Later that year, he was traded to the Minnesota Wild. For the next two seasons, with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2023-24 and the Edmonton Oilers in 2024-25, he only played a combined 25 regular-season contests due to injuries.
His final season in the NHL, this past year, was with the San Jose Sharks. The 34-year-old played 56 games for San Jose, registering 10 goals and 27 points from the back end, while averaging 20:28 of ice time per game.
Regarding his post-season history, Klingberg played 82 games across six different campaigns. He saw two Stanley Cup finals, one with the Stars in 2019-20 - scoring 21 points in 26 games - and the other with the Oilers in 2024-25.
He had quite the send-off in terms of his performance in what is now his final NHL game. On April 16, Klingberg provided three assists in a three-point outing against the Winnipeg Jets, pushing his team to a 6-1 victory.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free.
See more of The Hockey News on Google and save us as a preferred source. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
