Top 5 Pittsburgh Penguins From Sweden

Only 27 Swedish-born players have skated with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 57 seasons.

Even though Erik Karlsson may be one of the biggest names from the Nordic country to wear black and gold, he’s only got one season on his resume, which means he’s got some work to do to climb this list.

As Penguins fans spend the week discussing the first anniversary of the Karlsson deal, we felt it was time to figure out the best Sweden players in team history.

5. Marcus Pettersson

Marcus Pettersson came to Pittsburgh in December 2018 in exchange for Daniel Sprong. In six seasons, he’s scored 13 goals and 123 points in 395 games.

As one of the team’s top defensemen, Pettersson has compiled a plus-70 rating, just six shy of the best mark by a Swedish-born player, held by Ulf Samuelsson at plus-76.

Heading into the 2024-25 season, he is the third-highest-scoring Swede in Penguins history, and if he duplicates his career-best 30-point season from 2023-24, he has a chance to move into second place. In 12 games, he’ll overtake Patric Hörnqvist for the top spot in most games played by Swedish skater.

4. Johan Hedberg

Johan “The Moose” Hedberg was like lightning in a bottle for the Penguins when he debuted in 2000-01. He posted a 7-1-1 record in his first nine games, then became the undisputed number one goalie, setting the franchise record for most losses (34) in 2001-02.

Outside of guiding Pittsburgh to the Eastern Conference Final in 2001, the honeymoon was short-lived, as he underperformed again in 2002-03 with a 14-22-4 record.

Initially acquired for Jeff Norton and traded for a draft pick that turned into Alex Goligoski, Hedberg was the only Swedish netminder in team history until Marcus Hellberg in 2023-24. Despite a 46-57-12 record in 116 games, he did have a memorable run during his rookie season, the deepest the Penguins would play before the Sidney Crosby era.

3. Tomas Sandström

Tomas Sandström may have been born in Finland but grew up in Sweden, representing the country on the international stage. By the time he came to Pittsburgh in 1993-94, he was a two-time 40-goal scorer and played in the Stanley Cup Final.

Although he missed out on the Penguins’ early decade success, he still scored 155 points in 172 games and netted 35 goals in 1995-96. Interestingly, Sandström’s plus/minus in the regular season was plus-14, but in 36 playoff games, he was minus-16.

Pittsburgh dealt him in January 1997 to the Detroit Red Wings, where he would go on to hoist the Stanley Cup in June.

2. Ulf Samuelsson

Samuelsson is a player who was an integral part of the Penguins first two Stanley Cup title wins, most famously remembered for a low hit on Boston Bruins forward Cam Neely, whose career was never the same.

After coming to the Penguins from the Hartford Whalers, he was one of the many key additions that changed the franchise’s direction. Although not an offensive defenseman, with 94 points in 277 games, he was an agitator who spent 804 minutes in the penalty box.

Samuelsson’s best playoff performances came in black and gold, where he skated in 66 postseason games from 1990 to 1995. Ultimately, there’s no way to talk about the club’s early title wins without mentioning the Swede’s contributions.

1. Patric Hörnqvist

Samuelsson was undoubtedly the best Swedish player in Penguins history for many years until Hörnqvist relocated to Steel City in 2014 for James Neal.

The 15-year veteran had his best seasons in a Penguins uniform, scoring 264 points, an even 132-132 split, in 407 games, winning the Stanley Cup in 2016 and 2017.

Hörnqvist has scored 20 goals seven times, four of those campaigns in Pittsburgh. During the team’s back-to-back championships, Hörnqvist scored 22 points in 43 games.

Do you agree with these picks? Did we miss someone? Let us know in the comments.

5. Marcus Pettersson

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