| Marcus Kruger | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 27 May 1990 Stockholm, Sweden |
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
| Weight | 172 lb (78 kg; 12 st 4 lb) |
| Position | Centre |
| Shoots | Left |
| NHL team Former teams |
Carolina Hurricanes Djurgårdens IF Chicago Blackhawks |
| National team |  Sweden
|
| NHL Draft | 149th overall, 2009 Chicago Blackhawks |
| Playing career | 2009–present |
Marcus Kruger (born on May 27, 1990 in Stockholm, Sweden) is a Swedish professional ice hockey centreman currently playing for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL).
He was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks in the fifth round (149th overall) in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. He is a double Stanley Cup champion with the Blackhawks in 2013 and 2015.
Before joining the Blackhawks, Marcus previously played for Stockholm-based Djurgårdens IF of the Swedish Elite League.
He represents Sweden in international play, helping his country capture a bronze medal at the junior level and a silver medal in senior international play.
Playing Career
Sweden
Marcus was announced as the first of four nominees for the 2009–10 Elitserien "Rookie of the Year" on October 18, 2009 after starting the season with five goals & 11 assists in just 13 games.
Chicago Blackhawks
Marcus signed a three-year contract with the Chicago Blackhawks in June of 2010, but opted to stay with Djurgården during the first year of the contract. He was later recalled from Djurgården to Chicago on March 23, 2011.
His first full season with the Blackhawks was in the 2011–12 season when he played in 71 games with the club, scoring nine goals and adding 17 assists.
On April 9, 2013, in Game 5 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals, he scored his first career Stanley Cup playoff goal, which happened to be the game winner, against Minnesota Wild goaltender Josh Harding.
The Blackhawks eventually won the 2013 Stanley Cup with Marcus contributing three goals during the team's run. After his playoff success with the team, he signed a two-year extension with the Blackhawks on July 12, 2013.
During the 2013-14 season, he scored eight goals along with 20 assists in 81 games for Chicago.
On May 19, 2015, Marcus scored the game winning triple overtime away goal to tie the Western Conference finals 1–1 against the Anaheim Ducks
On September 11, 2015, he signed a one-year, 1.5 million dollar contract to remain with the Blackhawks for the 2015–16 season.
On December 17, 2015, Marcus dislocated his wrist in a game against the Edmonton Oilers. He was projected to miss at-least four months while recovering from the injury.
On February 27, 2016 the Blackhawks announced that Marcus would be switching his number to 22 in order for his new teammate acquired from the Winnipeg Jets, Andrew Ladd to keep his traditional number 16.
On March 9, 2016, the Blackhawks signed him to a three-year, $9.25 million contract extension that runs through the 2018–19 season.
Carolina Hurricanes
After completing his seventh season with the Blackhawks, Marcus was long rumoured as a candidate to be traded away due to considerable salary cap constraints.
With a reported deal to the Vegas Golden Knights pre-dating the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft for draft considerations, he surprisingly remained with Chicago through to the opening of free agency.
On July 2, 2017, he was dealt by the Blackhawks to the Golden Knights in exchange for future considerations.
On July 4, 2017, Marcus was then moved on by the Golden Knights in a trade to the Carolina Hurricanes for a 5th-round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.
Career Statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2007–08 | Djurgårdens IF | J20 | 22 | 3 | 13 | 16 | 16 | 7 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 0 | ||
| 2008–09 | Djurgårdens IF | SEL | 15 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Djurgårdens IF | J20 | 34 | 9 | 30 | 39 | 24 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 2009–10 | Djurgårdens IF | SEL | 38 | 11 | 20 | 31 | 14 | 16 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 6 | ||
| 2010–11 | Djurgårdens IF | SEL | 52 | 6 | 29 | 35 | 52 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2010–11 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 71 | 9 | 17 | 26 | 22 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | Rockford IceHogs | AHL | 34 | 8 | 14 | 22 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 47 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 24 | 23 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 2013–14 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 81 | 8 | 20 | 28 | 36 | 19 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 2014–15 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 81 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 32 | 23 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 2015–16 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 41 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 24 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2016–17 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 70 | 5 | 12 | 17 | 34 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| SHL totals | 105 | 19 | 51 | 70 | 68 | 19 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 6 | ||||
| NHL totals | 398 | 33 | 72 | 105 | 176 | 87 | 6 | 10 | 16 | 14 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Sweden | WJC | Template:Brca | 6 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 2 | |
| 2011 | Sweden | WC | Template:Sica | 9 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 | |
| 2012 | Sweden | WC | 6th | 8 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 6 | |
| 2014 | Sweden | OG | Template:Sica | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 2016 | Sweden | WCH | Template:Brca | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2017 | Sweden | WC | Template:Goca | 10 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | |
| Junior totals | 6 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 2 | ||||
| Senior totals | 37 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 26 | ||||
International Play
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's ice hockey | ||
Competitor for  Sweden
| ||
| Winter Olympics | ||
| Silver | 2014 Sochi | |
| World Championships | ||
| Gold | 2017 Germany/France | |
| Silver | 2011 Slovakia | |
| World Junior Championships | ||
| Bronze | 2010 Canada | |
Marcus has represented Sweden three times in international play. At the junior level, he helped his country capture a bronze medal at the 2010 World Junior Championships.
After graduating to the senior level, he has played for Sweden twice, in 2011 (finishing with a silver medal) and 2012.
Marcus also represented Sweden in the 2014 Winter Olympics. After several injuries to the team's centremen, he played on Sweden's first line in the tournament final against Canada in which the Swedes lost, 3–0.