Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Golden Knights’ Karlsson working to be key contributor

William Karlsson

Jay LaPrete / AP FILE

Vegas Golden Knights’ William Karlsson plays against the Washington Capitals as a member of the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2016, in Columbus, Ohio.

Following a 14-hour, 5,000-mile trip from Sweden to Las Vegas, William Karlsson still climbed out of his hotel bed at 5 a.m. to attend a voluntary practice with the Vegas Golden Knights Tuesday morning.

Karlsson has had a roller coaster of an offseason but intends to use his new opportunity to take the next step in his NHL career.

The Golden Knights selected the 24-year-old from the Columbus Blue Jackets in June’s expansion draft in a deal that also sent David Clarkson and two draft picks to Vegas.

“I had mixed feelings,” Karlsson said. “It was a good team and a fun team with a lot of young guys in Columbus, but on the other hand I’m excited to be here and hopefully it’s a good chance for me to take the next step in my career.”

Columbus finished with a strong 50-24-8 record, but Karlsson was buried beneath a wealth of talent at the forward position. His 25 points ranked 12th on the team despite averaging only 13:23 of ice time per game.

Now with the Golden Knights, Karlsson is in position to impress the coaches and earn a much larger role this year.

“I can’t be satisfied with being a fourth- or third-line player,” Karlsson said. “I need to look up and I want to take that step. It’s really up to me. There are a lot of good guys here in Vegas too so it’s going to be tough.”

Vegas has an abundance of centers on the roster with eight healthy players currently listed at the position. Jonathan Marchessault has already hinted he will be playing on the wing, so that drops the total to seven, and a few others will likely slide over as well.

Vadim Shipachyov has the inside track to be the top-line center for the Golden Knights, so that likely leaves Karlsson, Oscar Lindberg and Cody Eakin vying for the other three center spots — assuming none of them move to wing.

Karlsson’s hometown of Marsta, Sweden, is home to only slightly more people than will pack T-Mobile Arena next month to watch him play. He was drafted 53rd overall in the 2011 draft by the Anaheim Ducks, and was traded to Columbus in 2015.

After spending time with the Springfield Falcons of the American Hockey League, Karlsson finally became an NHL regular in the 2015-16 season, playing 81 games for the Blue Jackets. But in 183 NHL games, the Swede has only 18 career goals.

“I’ve always been a two-way guy,” Karlsson said. “Since I’ve come over (to the U.S.) I’ve always been more on the defensive side, so hopefully I can get my offense going too.”

At only 190 pounds, Karlsson has learned to be physical on the defensive end despite being undersized. This offseason he is trying to change that.

“Every year I try to get a little bit stronger,” he said. “I’ve always been a bit skinny, so I got stronger and added a few pounds.”

The lefty helped Sweden win the gold medal at this year’s International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships in Europe. Karlsson scored a goal and added two assists in 10 games in the tournament.

His work toward becoming a top-line center for the Golden Knights is just in its infancy. Training camp starts Sept. 14 but he is already joining nearly 20 teammates in voluntary workouts this week at City National Arena.

After a long, exhausting trip he got to Las Vegas about 9 p.m. Monday. He got a few hours of sleep in his temporary home at Red Rock Resort, and was up at 5 a.m. for practice.

“It was a bit of a struggle,” Karlsson said. “I was a bit tired, but other than that it was good to get out there with my teammates.”

Karlsson’s aspirations are to play for one of top lines for the Golden Knights, and he’s willing to put in the work now to reap the benefits later.

“I have to aim for that. I’m not aiming to be a third or fourth line,” he said. “If I don’t end up there in the beginning of the year I have to play well and show coach that I want to be a top-(line) guy.”

Jesse Granger can be reached at 702-259-8814 or [email protected]. Follow Jesse on Twitter at twitter.com/JesseGranger_.

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