Carl Gunnarsson

Carl Gunnarsson earned appreciation for his defensive playArticle in HockeysverigeRead the sourceArticle in HockeysverigeRead the sourceArticle in SportbladetRead the sourceClose in St. Louis, where he filled a relatively low-profile role. Carl GunnarssonArticle in SvenskaFansRead the sourceClose grew up in Örebro, and in a July 2019 interview with SvenskaFans he recalled attending skating school at Toyotahallen at around age 5. He then played hockey on the outdoor rink at TrängenArticle in SvenskaFansRead the sourceClose. His father coached him until roughly the under-14 level, he recalled in the same interviewArticle in SvenskaFansRead the sourceClose.

In the 2019Article in SvenskaFansRead the sourceClose interview, Gunnarsson linked his choice to play defence to disliking conceding goals as a child and preferring to backcheck. Asked about his idols by The Hockey NewsArticle in The Hockey NewsRead the sourceClose in 2011, he named both Nicklas Lidström and local junior players.

In that same interview with The Hockey NewsArticle in The Hockey NewsRead the sourceClose, Gunnarsson said he had considered working in education and had taken university courses. While playing in the minors, he had also volunteered to teach physical education twice a weekArticle in The Hockey NewsRead the sourceClose.

In 2019, Gunnarsson recalled how Jonas Frögren had helped him settle in during their time together with the Toronto MarliesArticle in SvenskaFansRead the sourceClose. In a February 2016 interview with Sportsnet, Colton Parayko described receiving valuable help during his rookie season from Gunnarsson’s detailed briefings on opponents and their forecheckingArticle in SportsnetRead the sourceClose.

In JuneArticle in SVTRead the sourceClose 2019, Robert Bergh of Örebro’s youth hockey organisation told SVTSVTSVT stands for Sveriges Television, Sweden’s public service television broadcaster.Close about Gunnarsson’s visits to its summer hockey school and his help in establishing a gym at Trängen. Bergh also described the player scholarship bearing Gunnarsson’s name, Calles spelarstipendie, which at the time was awarded annually to a boy and a girlArticle in SVTRead the sourceClose.