After a one-season return to the Swedish league, following a sixteen year NHL career, journeyman defender Anton Strålman today confirmed his retirement from hockey at age 38, surprisingly announcing a shift to coaching women’s football, following a two-decade plus career across twelve clubs in Canada, the United States and his native Sweden.

After coming up in the junior system of Skövde and senior club of Timrå of the Swedish League, Strålman made the move to North America in 2007, debuting for Toronto, who drafted him 216th overall two years prior. A 2009 trade to Columbus would be the start of a nomadic NHL career for Strålman, with a two-year stint in Columbus, followed by three years with the New York Rangers. Strålman would end up in Tampa Bay in 2014 for the longest stint of his career, five seasons, followed by two years in Florida, and one year each in Arizona in Boston, before returning to Sweden in 2023 to join HV71 in Jönköping. Over his 20 pro seasons between the NHL, AHL, Allsvenkan and SHL, Strålman would combine for 384 points in 1,199 games, with 938 of those coming in the NHL, along with 113 NHL playoff games in eight seasons.

A native of Tibro, Strålman first joined the Juniorkronorna‘s under-19 squad in 2004, making his under-20 debut at the 2005 World Juniors, returning again in 2006. He debuted for the senior Tre Kronor squad at the 2007 World Championships, his first of four (2007-09, 2017) appearances, where he would capture a Bronze medal in 2009 and a Gold in 2017, in what would be his final national team game. He also was on the third-place 2016 World Cup of Hockey squad, and was on Sweden during three Euro Hockey Tour circuits, part of the winning squad in 2006-07.

Over his long career, Strålman surprisingly only won the IHLC three times, his first two wins in exhibition friendlies in 2006 and 2007, and, just like his recently retired fellow countryman Alex Edler, the final coming in the 2017 Worlds final in Cologne. We wish Anton and his family the very best for his retirement and the things to come!

Photo Credit: IIHF Worlds 2017 – IIHF – HHOF – IOC