Who is Nils Lundkvist? Here’s everything to know about the Dallas Stars defenseman.
Nils Lundkvist was born on July 27, 2000, in Piteå, Sweden, to Niclas and Marie Lundkvist. Niclas is an energy company employee, and Marie is a teacher. Nils has two sisters, Moa and Lisa. Nils’ uncle, Jan Sandstrom, played in the Swedish Hockey League for 21 years as a defenseman.
Standing tall at 5’11” and weighing 187 lbs, Lundkvist plays defense and shoots right. The 23-year-old idolizes Nick Lidstrom and Erik Karlsson and, as a result, started playing hockey with the SHL’s Luleå HF before making his professional hockey debut in 2017-18.
Lundkvist’s breakout season with Luleå HF was in 2019-20, recording 31 points (11 goals, 20 assists) in 45 games and finished the season with the most assists and points. Lundkvist became a top-pairing blueliner in 2020-21 after recording 32 points (14 goals, 18 assists) in 52 games. He also led all defensemen in goals and power-play goals. In addition, his 14 goals were the most recorded by any defenseman under 21 in the SHL’s history. His team was eliminated after seven postseason games, but he won the Salming Trophy as the SHL’s top defenseman.
The New York Rangers drafted Nils Lundkvist 28th overall in the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft. He signed a three-year, entry-level contract worth $5.325 million on June 3, 2021. He received the Lars-Erik Sjöberg Award on October 11, 2021, for being the Rangers’ best rookie in training camp. He scored his first NHL goal on December 8, 2021, at the Rangers’ home game in Madison Square Garden against the Colorado Avalanche.
Lundkvist was traded to the Stars on September 19, 2022, in exchange for a conditional 2023 first-round draft pick and a conditional 2025 fourth-round draft pick.
Lundkvist’s first goal in a Stars uniform was spectacular, to say the least, but there’s more to the right-handed defenseman than meets the eye.
Lundkvist’s first NHL jersey was Peter Forsberg’s Colorado Avalanche one. Lundkvist also admires Zlatan Ibrahimović and retired Henrik Lundqvist. He’d reportedly invite Forsberg, Lundqvist, and Former U.S. President Barack Obama to dinner.
Aside from golf, Lundkvist’s second favorite sport is golf — and this should explain why Lundkvist likes to eat steak and wishes he’d have the superpower to never get tired. Oh, and Lundkvist reportedly would like to practice with NBA star LeBron James if he had to practice with an athlete in another sport.
When it comes to entertainment, Lundkvist’s favorite TV show is Prison Break, his favorite movie is The Blind Side, and his favorite music artist is Ed Sheeran. Lundkvist reportedly would like to compete in the Swedish reality TV show Mästarnas mästare, which is about former athletes who all became masters in their respective sports.
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