Victor Hedman

Victor Hedman (born Victor Erik Olof Hedman on December 18, 1990) is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenceman who currently plays for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League (NHL).

He was drafted second overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.

Victor has drawn comparisons to Chris Pronger, who has a similar physique and was also drafted second overall.

Playing Career in Sweden
Victor began his junior hockey career in the Swedish J20 SuperElit with the Modo Hockey organization.

He recorded 25 points in 34 games during his first full season in the league in 2006–07.

Victor then turned pro and joined the Elitserien with Modo when he was 16 years old.

At the beginning of the 2008–09 season, Victor was ranked first overall among all draft-eligible skaters in the International Scouting Services' preliminary rankings.

In the same season, he was nominated as the SHL Rookie of the Year.

Following Victor's performance at the 2009 World Junior Championships, he was listed atop the rankings of European skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau.

Despite the unlikelihood of Hedman playing in Russia, he was drafted 83rd overall by the Kontinental Hockey League's Spartak Moscow on June 1, 2009.

Going into the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, Victor was listed as the number two ranked player and top European player which led to him being selected second overall by the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Tampa Bay Lightning
On October 3, 2009, Victor made his NHL debut for the Lightning against the Atlanta Thrashers where he registered his first point as an assist on a Martin St. Louis goal.

On December 5, 2009, he scored his first NHL goal against Dwayne Roloson of the New York Islanders.

On January 5, 2011, Victor checked Sidney Crosby from behind and received a minor boarding penalty.

The hit was one of two that were blamed for causing a severe concussion on Crosby that kept him out of play for over a year.

On November 29, 2011, he signed a 5-year, $20 million contract extension.

On September 25, 2012, it was announced that Victor signed a contract with Barys Astana of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) for the remainder of the 2012–13 NHL lockout.

Sweden Hockey Awards

 * Sweden's Junior of the Year (2009)
 * Elitserien Rookie of the Year	(2009)

International Hockey Awards

 * World U18 All-Star Team (2007 and 2008)
 * World Junior All-Star Team (2008)

International Play
Victor played for Sweden at the 2008 World Junior Championships, where he helped the team to a silver medal, losing to Team Canada 3–2 in the final and was selected to the tournament All-Star Team.

He later became one of the youngest players to play for Sweden's national men's team when he made his debut when he was 17 years old in an exhibition game against Norway.

Once again, Victor would play for Sweden's national junior team at the 2009 World Junior Championships in Ottawa where he met Canada for the second consecutive year in the gold medal game, earning another silver medal in a 5–1 loss.

Personal Life
Victor has two older brothers: Oscar and Johan. Oscar plays for Modo Hockey in the Swedish Hockey League, but Johan doesn't play at professional level.