Erik Karlsson to have his Jersey Retired... in Sweden
Karlsson will be honoured by his hometown hockey club.
Erik Karlsson is one of the best players in the NHL, having won the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the league's best defenceman twice in his young career. However, it's easy to forget that he had made quite a name for himself before even being drafted by the Senators (2008, 1st Round, 15th overall).
His team from his hometown of Landsbro, Sweden, Boro/Vetlanda HC, will retire his jersey today. It's a big honour for what approximates to bantam-level hockey in Canada. Stats from his time with Boro/Vetlanda are hard to come by, but Elite Prospects does list him as having six points in four games with their Division 2 Junior 20 team. In 2005-06, when he was just 15 years old. It isn't hard to guess that even back then, Karlsson was showing signs of promise that would make him a first-round pick a couple years later.
Karlsson will join fellow Swedish NHLer Johan Franzen as the players to have their jerseys retired by Boro/Vetlanda. I think it's safe to say that Karlsson will end up with more jersey retirements in his career.
(s/t to Patrik B for pointing this out on Twitter)
