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SwedenNations in the NHL

Swedish NHL players 1978–79

16 Swedish players played in the NHL in 1978–79. Together they scored 627 points, the third most of any country, and Sweden finished second of 3 in the nations league. Anders Hedberg scored the most, 78 points.

16
NHL players
627
Points
2nd
Nations league
0
Goalie wins
1978–79Active season80/82 games
1977–781979–80

SWEDISH LEADERS

In the nations league

2nd
of 3 ranked nations
11
league points
Rate1stTop trio2ndBlue line1stGoalies3rdPer million2nd

Sweden accounts for 3.2% of the NHL's players and 5.0% of its points.

The full nations league

Every Swedish player in the NHL, team by team

16 players across 8 teams.
VANVancouver Canucks4 players
Thomas GradinINACTIVE
C · 76 GP · 20G 31A51P
Lars LindgrenINACTIVE
D · 64 GP · 2G 19A21P
Roland ErikssonINACTIVE
C · 35 GP · 2G 12A14P
Lars ZetterströmINACTIVE
D · 14 GP · 0G 1A1P
DETDetroit Red Wings2 players
Dan LabraatenINACTIVE
LW · 78 GP · 19G 19A38P
Thommie BergmanINACTIVE
D · 68 GP · 10G 17A27P
MNSMinnesota North Stars2 players
Per-Olov BrasarINACTIVE
C · 68 GP · 6G 28A34P
Kent-Erik AnderssonINACTIVE
RW · 41 GP · 9G 4A13P
NYINew York Islanders2 players
Stefan PerssonINACTIVE
D · 78 GP · 10G 56A66P
Robert NyströmINACTIVE
RW · 78 GP · 19G 20A39P
NYRNew York Rangers2 players
Anders HedbergINACTIVE
RW · 80 GP · 33G 45A78P
Ulf NilssonINACTIVE
C · 59 GP · 27G 39A66P
WSHWashington Capitals2 players
Rolf EdbergINACTIVE
C · 76 GP · 14G 27A41P
Leif SvenssonINACTIVE
D · 74 GP · 2G 29A31P
STLSt. Louis Blues1 player
Inge HammarströmINACTIVE
LW · 65 GP · 12G 22A34P
TORToronto Maple Leafs1 player
Börje SalmingINACTIVE
D · 78 GP · 17G 56A73P

Season by season

Sweden had 17 players in the NHL in 1990–91 and 103 in 2025–26. The peak was 2019–20, with 111. Under each bar is the nations league placing, in gold for the 6 seasons Sweden won.
2
2
2
428
194
4
4
2
346
399
3
2
5
546
405
6
3
3
163
210
2
2
2
285
115
1
4
3
296
320
1
1
3
3103
225

In the NHL Draft

25 Swedish players were picked in the 2026 NHL Draft, seven of them in the first round. Ivar Stenberg went first, at number 2 to the San Jose Sharks.

Every pick in 2026 →The draft through the years →

Swedish NHL players all time

Regular season, whole careers. The record seasons count completed seasons only.

Sweden against Canada

The nations league's five categories plus raw points and player count. The higher value takes the round.
Sweden
Sweden
2nd in the league
2–5
Canada
Canada
1st in the league

Canada wins 5–2 against Sweden.

0.59Points per game0.56
217Best trio393
0.50Defencemen's points per game0.38
–Goalies' save percentage.883
1.5NHL players per million inhabitants10.6
627Total points10 751
16Players in the NHL426
Sweden against Canada season by season
Pick a rivalCanadaCanadaUSAUSA
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Continue reading

Top scorer
Anders Hedberg
Sweden's top scorer in 1978–79.
The team
New York Rangers
Where Anders Hedberg plays.
Nations in the NHL
Every nation in the NHL
How many players each country has in the NHL, with a page for each.
Nations league
NHL battle of the nations 1978–79
The countries compared per player rather than in raw totals.
Home
The Swedes in the NHL today
The rest of the site follows the Swedes in the NHL.
The Swedes
Every Swede in the NHL
Team by team, with position and stats.