Oscar Klefbom has officially retired from hockey due to a shoulder injury.
He hasn’t played since August 2020, and now he’s finally announced his retirement. “It is as it is. I wasn’t quite done with hockey as a sport. But now it’s over,” he said. Klefbom shared that he’s happy with his career and grateful for the games he played, even though injuries cut it short.
Throughout almost all of his seven-year NHL career, Klefbom battled the shoulder injury that eventually ended his time on the ice . He chose to delay announcing his retirement because talking about it was tough. “I talked to Edmonton that I wanted to lay very low with what was going to happen and what the situation is. They were perfectly ‘fine’ with that,” he explained.
Career Highlights:
Klefbom was once one of the league’s top two-way defenders. Drafted 19th overall in 2011, he stayed in Sweden for two more seasons before moving to North America in 2013-14. His first season mostly saw him in the AHL, playing 48 games for Oklahoma City Barons but also making 17 NHL appearances.
Fans might think it’s sad how injuries can end such promising careers so early.
In total, Klefbom played 378 games for Edmonton, scoring 34 goals and assisting on 122 others, totaling 156 points (0.41 per game). Despite a career -64 rating due to heavy minutes on an often-struggling team, his possession numbers were positive: a relative CF percentage of 1.4 and an xGF percentage of 50.1 at even strength according to Hockey Reference.
His role grew towards the end of his career; he became crucial on both power play and penalty kill units until injuries sidelined him completely during the last three years of his contract.
Klefbom’s contract expired in 2023 after spending its final years on long-term injured reserve as an unrestricted free agent (UFA). He expressed interest in returning to hockey somehow but didn’t specify whether he’d aim for roles within the NHL or back home in Sweden.
What do you think about players retiring early due to injuries?
