Introduction
Carl Gunnarsson (born 9 November 1986) is a Swedish professional ice hockey player currently playing for the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played in the NHL for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the organization which originally selected him in the seventh round, 194th overall, of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. Prior to playing in North America, Gunnarsson played for Linköpings HC of the Swedish Elite League. Gunnarsson plays internationally for Sweden and has participated in three IIHF World Championships, capturing one silver and two bronze medals. Gunnarsson won the Stanley Cup in 2019 with the Blues.
Playing career
Gunnarsson was selected in the seventh round, 194th overall, of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs.Before joining the Maple Leafs in the NHL, Gunnarsson played in the Swedish Elite League for Linköpings HC.
On 3 June 2009, he was signed by the Maple Leafs to an entry-level contract. He made his NHL debut in the 2009–10 season, initially splitting time between the Maple Leafs and their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Toronto Marlies. He scored his first NHL goal on 29 January 2010 against Martin Brodeur of the New Jersey Devils.After his rookie season, he led the team in plus-minus.
On 28 June 2014, Gunnarsson was traded to the St. Louis Blues (along with a fourth-round draft pick in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft) in exchange for defenceman Roman Polák.
During the 2019 Stanley Cup Finals, Gunnarsson scored the overtime game-winning goal in Game 2 to even the series against the Boston Bruins at one. This was the first time that the Blues had won a game in the Stanley Cup Finals. The Blues defeated the Bruins in seven games to win their first Stanley Cup in franchise history, ending a 52-year drought.
On June 27, 2019, Gunnarsson was signed to a two-year $3.5 million contract extension to remain with the Blues.
International play
Gunnarsson made his international debut for Sweden at the 2004 IIHF World Under-18 Championships. He played in six games, recorded 24 penalty minutes and zero points. Later in his career, he has played for Sweden at three separate World Championships, helping his team capture a medal each time (one silver and two bronze).
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2005–06 | Arboga IFK | Allsv | 12 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Linköpings HC | SEL | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | VIK Västerås HK | Allsv | 15 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Linköpings HC | SEL | 30 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Linköpings HC | SEL | 53 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 26 | 16 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 10 | ||
| 2008–09 | Linköpings HC | SEL | 53 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 26 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2009–10 | Toronto Marlies | AHL | 12 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 43 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 68 | 4 | 16 | 20 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 76 | 4 | 15 | 19 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Örebro HK | Allsv | 10 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 37 | 1 | 14 | 15 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2013–14 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 80 | 3 | 14 | 17 | 34 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 61 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 2 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2015–16 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 72 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 31 | 19 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | ||
| 2016–17 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 56 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2017–18 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 63 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 25 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 6 | 19 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 2018–19 | San Antonio Rampage | AHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| SHL totals | 150 | 10 | 19 | 29 | 60 | 23 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 12 | ||||
| NHL totals | 581 | 28 | 101 | 129 | 157 | 62 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 13 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Sweden | WJC18 | 5th | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | |
| 2009 | Sweden | WC | 
|
6 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | |
| 2010 | Sweden | WC |
|
9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
| 2011 | Sweden | WC | 
|
9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| Junior totals | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 24 | ||||
| Senior totals | 24 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 8 | ||||
Awards and honors
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| NHL | ||
| Stanley Cup (St. Louis Blues) | 2019 | |