Detroit Red Wings claim Magnus Hellberg off waivers from Kraken

The Detroit Red Wings have announced that they have claimed Swedish goaltender Magnus Hellberg off waivers from the Seattle Kraken. This will be Hellberg’s second stint with the Original Six club, following one game played last season after he and the Red Wings agreed to a one-year contract back in April.

Hellberg was taken 38th overall in the 2011 NHL Draft by the Nashville Predators. He made his NHL debut in 2013-14 but spent the majority of his time with the Predators franchise in their farm system with the Milwaukee Admirals. On July 1st, 2015, the New York Rangers acquired Hellberg in exchange for a sixth-round draft pick. In two seasons with the Rangers, Hellberg played just three games and once again found himself in the AHL, this time with the Hartford Wolf Pack. In his first season with the Wolf Pack in 2015-16, he posted a record of 30-20-3 along with a 2.40 goals-against-average (GAA) and a .918 save percentage (SV%).

The following season, Hellberg played just 36 games, posting a 12-15-7 record. He then left for Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) and signed a deal with the Kunlun Red Star. Over the past four seasons, Hellberg has bounced around in the KHL but primarily spent his time with SKA St. Petersburg. Last season though, Hellberg spent the year with HK Sochi, and the 6-foot-6 netminder posted a 2.42 GAA, and .917 SV% in 37 games. In total, he recorded an 81-64-14 record through 169 starts in the KHL. Hellberg also represented Sweden at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games where he posted a 2.46 GAA and .927 SV% in two games. He also donned the Swedish sweater at the 2017-18 IIHF World Championships where he captured a Gold Medal.