1
Brian Lawton (C)
CenterInactive
Swedes in the NHL DraftSwedes in the 1983 NHL Draft
Cohort: 1965
Highest selection
#61
HFDLeif Karlsson
Swedes selected
10
of 242 picks
In round 1
0
of 10 Swedes
Share of the draft
4 %
of all picks
The 1983 NHL Draft took place on June 8, 1983 in Montreal, QC, Canada. 10 Swedes were selected, including 0 in the first round. Leif Karlsson was the first Swede selected, at number 61 in round 3.
5 of the 10 Swedes (50%) have played at least one NHL game since the draft. The class leaders in NHL games played are Tommy Albelin (952 GP, 255 P), Pelle Eklund (594 GP, 455 P), and Bo Berglund (130 GP, 67 P).
Across the draft archive, the year ranks 19 in Swedes selected and 7 in Swedish first-round selections. The Swedish draft class has combined for 730 points in 1725 NHL regular-season games. That ranks as the 28th best Swedish draft class of all time by total points. None are still active in the NHL today.
The draft's top picks
The first 10 selections
Every drafted Swede
10 Swedes were drafted
10
Swedes
7
Teams
6
Rounds
Round 3
1 PICKS
61
Leif Karlsson (D)Defenseman
Round 4
1 PICKS
73
Round 8
2 PICKS
152
161
Round 10
3 PICKS
187
Thomas Ahlen (D)Defenseman
193
Reine Karlsson (C)Center
198
Round 11
1 PICKS
216
Anders Huss (R)Right wing
Round 12
2 PICKS
232
233
Ulf Nilsson (G)Goaltender
The draft class in the NHL
Best Swedish players from the 1983 Draft
NHL regular-season statistics: games played, goals, assists, points, plus save percentage, wins, and shutouts for goalies.
Skaters · most points
Pelle Eklund (C)
Drafted #161PHI
GP
594
G
120
A
335
P
455
Tommy Albelin (D)
Drafted #152QUE
GP
952
G
44
A
211
P
255
Bo Berglund (L)
Drafted #232QUE
GP
130
G
28
A
39
P
67
Peter Andersson (D)
Drafted #73NYR
GP
47
G
6
A
13
P
19
Thomas Rundqvist (C)
Drafted #198MTL
GP
2
G
0
A
1
P
1
Drafting teams
Teams that drafted Swedish players
Sorted by the number of Swedish players selected.
The road to the NHL
The draft class's NHL debuts
5 of the class's Swedes have made their NHL debuts, the first in 1983-1984. Pick a season to see every debutant.
More about the NHL Draft and the Swedes
Explore Swedish Draft history
Best draft classes→The best Swedish draft classes by NHL career output.First round→Every Swedish first-round selection, ordered by pick number.Teams→Which NHL teams have drafted the most Swedes?
From draft pick to NHL contract – what an entry-level contract means and how salary, bonuses and AAV work.