Red Wings agree to 7-year deal for Niklas Kronwall

Detroit Red Wings Executive Vice President and General Manager Ken Holland announced that the club has agreed to terms with defenseman Niklas Kronwall on a seven-year contract. In accordance with team policy, additional terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Kronwall, 30, is currently in his eighth season with the Red Wings. The Stockholm, Sweden, native has appeared in 394 career games for Detroit, registering 183 points on 25 goals and 148 assists. Through nine games this season, Kronwall has notched two points (1-1-2), leads the team with 21 blocked shots and ranks third among Detroit skaters in averaging 22:54 of ice time per game. He was recently named an assistant captain prior to the start of the 2011-12 campaign, joining captain Nicklas Lidstrom and fellow assistants Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk as Detroit’s on-ice leaders. Last season, Kronwall set new career highs in goals (11), power-play goals (5), game-winning goals (3) and shots on goal (131). He also led the Red Wings with 129 blocked shots and finished sixth on the team with 113 hits.

Kronwall was an integral part of Detroit’s run to the 2008 Stanley Cup championship, the 11th in team history and the first of his career. He led all NHL defensemen in postseason scoring that year with 15 points (0-15-15) and finished tied for the league lead with a +16 rating (along with teammate Henrik Zetterberg). Kronwall also delivered numerous memorable hits to opponents along the way. He has appeared in 74 career postseason contests for the Red Wings, posting 38 points (4-34-38) and 69 PIM.

During the NHL lockout in 2004-05, Kronwall played the entire season for the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League. He posted 53 points (13-40-53) in 76 games and won the Eddie Shore Award as the AHL’s top defenseman.

Kronwall also has a decorated international playing career. Representing his native Sweden, the

6’-0”, 192 lb. rearguard collected gold medals at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin, Italy, and the 2006 IIHF World Championships in Latvia, where he was named the tournament’s best defender. Kronwall is a member of hockey’s exclusive Triple Gold Club, having captured a Stanley Cup championship and gold medals at both the Winter Olympic Games and IIHF World Championships.


Niklas Kronwall, Defense

Born Jan 12 1981 -- Stockholm, Sweden

Height 6.00 -- Weight 192 -- Shoots L



Selected by Detroit in the first round (#29 overall) of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft



--- Regular Season --- ---- Playoffs ----

Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM

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2003-04 Grand Rapids Griffins AHL 25 2 11 13 20 -- -- -- -- --

2003-04 Detroit Red Wings NHL 20 1 4 5 16 -- -- -- -- --

2004-05 Grand Rapids Griffins AHL 76 13 40 53 53 -- -- -- -- --

2005-06 Detroit Red Wings NHL 27 1 8 9 28 6 0 3 3 2

2005-06 Grand Rapids Griffins AHL 1 0 0 0 0 -- -- -- -- --

2006-07 Detroit Red Wings NHL 68 1 21 22 54 -- -- -- -- --

2007-08 Detroit Red Wings NHL 65 7 28 35 44 22 0 15 15 18

2008-09 Detroit Red Wings NHL 80 6 45 51 50 23 2 7 9 33

2009-10 Detroit Red Wings NHL 48 7 15 22 32 12 0 5 5 12

2010-11 Detroit Red Wings NHL 77 11 26 37 36 11 2 4 6 4

2011-12 Detroit Red Wings NHL 9 1 1 2 2

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NHL Totals 394 35 148 183 262 74 4 34 38 69