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Swedish NHL players 1980–81

22 Swedish players played in the NHL in 1980–81. Together they scored 926 points, the third most of any country, and Sweden finished first of 3 in the nations league. Kent Nilsson scored the most, 131 points.

22
NHL players
926
Points
1st
Nations league
6
Goalie wins
1980–81Active season80/82 games
1979–801981–82

SWEDISH LEADERS

In the nations league

1st
of 3 ranked nations
12
league points
Rate1stTop trio2ndBlue line1stGoalies2ndPer million2nd

Sweden accounts for 3.4% of the NHL's players and 5.5% of its points.

The full nations league

Swedish goalies

Regular season. Most games first.
GoalieGPW-L-OTLSV%GAASO
Hardy ÅströmCLR
306-15-0.8693.770

Every Swedish player in the NHL, team by team

22 players across 13 teams.
NYINew York Islanders3 players
Anders KallurINACTIVE
C · 78 GP · 36G 28A64P
Stefan PerssonINACTIVE
D · 80 GP · 9G 52A61P
Robert NyströmINACTIVE
RW · 79 GP · 14G 30A44P
NYRNew York Rangers3 players
Anders HedbergINACTIVE
RW · 80 GP · 30G 40A70P
Ulf NilssonINACTIVE
C · 51 GP · 14G 25A39P
Peter WallinINACTIVE
RW · 12 GP · 1G 5A6P
VANVancouver Canucks3 players
Thomas GradinINACTIVE
C · 79 GP · 21G 48A69P
Per-Olov BrasarINACTIVE
C · 80 GP · 22G 41A63P
Lars LindgrenINACTIVE
D · 52 GP · 4G 18A22P
MNSMinnesota North Stars2 players
Kent-Erik AnderssonINACTIVE
RW · 77 GP · 17G 24A41P
Roger MelinINACTIVE
C · 1 GP · 0G 0A0P
WSHWashington Capitals2 players
Bengt-Åke GustafssonINACTIVE
LW · 72 GP · 21G 34A55P
Rolf EdbergINACTIVE
C · 45 GP · 8G 8A16P
WINWinnipeg Jets2 players
Willy LindströmINACTIVE
RW · 72 GP · 22G 13A35P
Anders SteenINACTIVE
C · 42 GP · 5G 11A16P
CGYCalgary Flames1 player
Kent NilssonINACTIVE
C · 80 GP · 49G 82A131P
CLRColorado Rockies1 player
Hardy ÅströmINACTIVE
G · 30 GP · 6 W · .8696W
Show all 13 teams
DETDetroit Red Wings1 player
Dan LabraatenINACTIVE
LW · 71 GP · 12G 15A27P
HFDHartford Whalers1 player
Thommy AbrahamssonINACTIVE
D · 32 GP · 6G 11A17P
PHIPhiladelphia Flyers1 player
Thomas ErikssonINACTIVE
D · 24 GP · 1G 10A11P
STLSt. Louis Blues1 player
Jörgen PetterssonINACTIVE
LW · 62 GP · 37G 36A73P
TORToronto Maple Leafs1 player
Börje SalmingINACTIVE
D · 72 GP · 5G 61A66P

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
1st in the league
2–5
Canada
Canada
2nd in the league

Canada wins 5–2 against Sweden.

0.71Points per game0.60
274Best trio418
0.54Defencemen's points per game0.40
.874Goalies' save percentage.877
2.1NHL players per million inhabitants13.0
926Total points13 706
22Players in the NHL523
Sweden against Canada season by season
Pick a rivalCanadaCanadaUSAUSA
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Continue reading

Top scorer
Kent Nilsson
Sweden's top scorer in 1980–81.
The team
Calgary Flames
Where Kent Nilsson 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 1980–81
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.