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William Karlsson

#71 · Centre · Vegas Golden Knights

Born Jan 8, 1993 in Marsta, SWE (age 33) · 6'0", 190 lb · Shoots left · Drafted 53rd overall in 2011 by ANA (round 2)

Trophy case

Stanley Cup NHL Champion 2022-23
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy Sportsmanship and Gentlemanly Conduct 2017-18

Compare with a similar player

The forwards closest to him in points in 2018-19. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Josh Bailey NYI · 56 P in 82 GP Kevin Labanc SJS · 56 P in 82 GP Ryan Dzingel CBJ · 56 P in 78 GP Evander Kane SJS · 56 P in 75 GP Brock Boeser VAN · 56 P in 69 GP

Career

Regular season games only. Pick a season to see its game log below. Cap hit is what he counted against the salary cap that season, where it is known.

02040602014-15: 5 points514-152015-16: 20 points2015-162016-17: 25 points2516-172017-18: 78 points7817-182018-19: 56 points5618-192019-20: 46 points4619-202020-21: 39 points3920-212021-22: 35 points3521-222022-23: 53 points5322-232023-24: 60 points6023-242024-25: 29 points2924-252025-26: 7 points725-262026-27: 1 points126-27

Points by season. The darker bar is the season shown below.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Cap hit
2014-15 ANA 18 2 1 3 1 2 24 14 0.17 $831K
2014-15 CBJ 3 1 1 2 2 0 5 4 0.67
2015-16 CBJ 81 9 11 20 -9 6 108 40 0.25 $831K
2016-17 CBJ 81 6 19 25 10 10 96 35 0.31 $1M
2017-18 VGK 82 43 35 78 49 12 184 48 0.95 $1M
2018-19 VGK 82 24 32 56 1 16 169 51 0.68 $5.25M
2019-20 VGK 63 15 31 46 11 16 138 40 0.73 $5.9M
2020-21 VGK 56 14 25 39 19 4 111 29 0.70 $5.9M
2021-22 VGK 67 12 23 35 3 10 135 42 0.52 $5.9M
2022-23 VGK 82 14 39 53 14 10 161 50 0.65 $5.9M
2023-24 VGK 70 30 30 60 15 22 175 43 0.86 $5.9M
2024-25 VGK 53 9 20 29 17 4 119 20 0.55 $5.9M
2025-26 VGK 14 4 3 7 -1 4 30 3 0.50 $5.9M
2026-27 VGK 6 0 1 1 -2 0 10 0 0.17 $5.9M
13 seasons Career 758 183 271 454 130 116 1465 419 0.60

Playoffs

Playoff games only. Pick a season to see that year's bracket.

Season Team GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP
2016-17 CBJ 5 2 1 3 4 0 12 4 0.60
2017-18 VGK 20 7 8 15 8 2 50 30 0.75
2018-19 VGK 7 2 3 5 1 2 17 9 0.71
2019-20 VGK 17 3 4 7 -1 0 45 24 0.41
2020-21 VGK 19 4 12 16 10 2 34 25 0.84
2022-23 VGK 22 11 6 17 11 2 45 15 0.77
2023-24 VGK 7 0 2 2 4 0 9 8 0.29
2024-25 VGK 11 3 3 6 5 0 17 2 0.55
2025-26 VGK 15 3 6 9 10 4 24 6 0.60
9 seasons Playoffs 123 35 45 80 52 12 253 123 0.65

2018-19 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
82 24 32 56 1 16 169 51 0.68 14.2 18:51

Contract

$5.25MCap hitends in 2019, then extended to 2027
$94KCap dollars per point56 points in 82 games
$497KCap dollars per goal above replacement10.6 goals above replacement
$7.9MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
+$2.6MValueworth minus cap hit; below zero is overpaid

His cap hit for the whole season, set against what he did in the regular season. Lower is better value. In a season still being played the cost per point starts high and falls as the games add up. Value is coloured by where it ranks among the 696 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Signed by the Vegas Golden Knights on Aug 4, 2018, as a new contract: 1 year and $5.25M, beginning in 2018-19. It runs through 2018-19, so this is its last season, and his extension takes over. His next contract is already signed: an extension with the Vegas Golden Knights on Jun 24, 2019, 8 years and $47.2M at $5.9M a season, beginning in 2019-20.

Season Cap hit Base salary Signing bonus Performance bonuses Paid in all Clause
2018-19 $5.25M $4.75M $500K $5.25M

Each season of the contract, with this one marked. The cap hit is the same every year; what he is paid is not. The pay is as written when the contract was recorded in October 2024, so a later change, such as the rise in the lowest salary for 2026-27, is not shown.

Contracts he has signed

Signed Signed by Kind Seasons Years In all Cap hit
Sep 30, 2026 Vegas Golden Knights Extension 2027-28 to 2028-29 2 $13.5M $6.75M
Jun 24, 2019 Vegas Golden Knights Extension not begun 2019-20 to 2026-27 8 $47.2M $5.9M
Aug 4, 2018 Vegas Golden Knights New contract 2018-19 to 2018-19 1 $5.25M $5.25M
Jun 23, 2016 Columbus Blue Jackets Extension 2016-17 to 2017-18 2 $2M $1M
May 19, 2013 Anaheim Ducks Entry-level 2013-14 to 2015-16 3 $2.775M $831K

Every contract on record for him, newest first, with the team that signed him to it and the day it was signed. The one covering 2018-19 is marked. An extension is signed while the contract before it is still running, often a year ahead. A row with no team or date is a contract known only by its cap hit, most often one signed since October 2024.

2018-19 analytics

Regular season Playoffs

Rating

+10.6Goals above replacement53rd of 699 skaters, 47th of 455 forwards
+1.8Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
+6.3Goals above averagethe five parts below added up

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 455 ranked forwards: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile.

Even-strength offence+1.4 67th percentileEven-strength defence+1.5 74th percentilePower play+0.8 87th percentilePenalty kill+1.1 99th percentilePenalties+1.5 84th percentile

The goals he added to his team's goal difference, compared with a spare-part player given the same ice time. Each part is measured against the league, so zero is an average skater, and the rank beside it is among forwards. A full season is about two-thirds the player and one-third chance. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

051015202014-152016-172018-192020-212022-232024-252026-27Goals above replacementGoals above replacement, by season

On the ice

What happened at five-on-five while he was on the ice. What these numbers mean

53.3Corsi for %1195 attempts for, 1049 against
-1.6CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
53.9Expected goals for %54.0 expected for, 46.3 against
-1.3xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
54.1Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
50.0Goals for %55 for, 55 against
98.6PDO8.5% shooting + 90.1% saves
228Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 591 skaters who played enough to be ranked: green is in the top fifth and red the bottom fifth, with paler shades in between and amber for the middle. Hover over a tile for its percentile. PDO and attempts taken are left plain, since neither is good or bad on its own.

Who he played with

Forward lineGPTimeCF%xGF%Goals
Reilly Smith · William Karlsson · Jonathan Marchessault73818:0854.054.639-38
Brandon Pirri · William Karlsson · Jonathan Marchessault653:1362.063.53-4
William Karlsson · Jonathan Marchessault · Alex Tuch3448:5442.945.22-4
William Karlsson · Jonathan Marchessault · Valentin Zykov744:4462.851.82-3

The lines he spent the most time in at five-on-five, with the team's share of the shot attempts and expected goals, and the goals for and against, while they were out. The two shares are coloured as above, against the league's lines that played a fair amount together. Hover over one for its percentile.

Chances and finishing

Expected goals adds up how likely each of his shots was to go in, judged by where it came from, what kind of shot it was and whether it was a rebound. All situations, leaving out shots at an empty net. Before 2023-24 the NHL timed events less exactly, and differently from rink to rink, so expected goals for this season are rougher than for recent ones.

24Goalsnot counting empty-netters
20.3Expected goalsfrom 241 unblocked attempts
+3.7Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.79 expected goals per 60 minutes57th
Shot quality 8.4% chance per attempt68th
Finishing +3.7 goals above expected82ndOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of forwards he is ahead of, among the 426 who played 300 minutes or more this season.

05101520Game 20Game 40Game 60Game 80Goals 24Expected 20.3

His goals and his expected goals as the season went on. When the goals line pulls away above, he is scoring more than his chances were worth; below, less.

Where he shot from

Every attempt he took this season, in all situations, attacking the net on the right. Darker red means more attempts from that spot, and each dot is a goal. "Show every shot" switches to a dot for each attempt, bigger for a better chance. Click a goal for its details.

Game log

Date Opponent Result G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits TOI
Apr 6, 2019 @ LAK L 2-5 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 16:53
Apr 4, 2019 vs ARI L 1-4 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 15:02
Apr 1, 2019 vs EDM W 3-1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 18:52
Mar 30, 2019 @ SJS L 3-4 (OT) 1 1 2 1 0 1 1 17:30
Mar 29, 2019 vs MIN L 2-3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18:08
Mar 27, 2019 @ COL L 3-4 0 1 1 1 0 2 0 21:24
Mar 25, 2019 @ STL L 1-3 1 0 1 -1 0 2 0 18:18
Mar 23, 2019 vs DET L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 18:12
Mar 21, 2019 vs WPG W 5-0 2 1 3 3 0 2 2 15:59
Mar 18, 2019 @ SJS W 7-3 1 1 2 3 0 3 1 14:56
Mar 17, 2019 vs EDM W 6-3 0 2 2 1 0 1 1 19:07
Mar 15, 2019 @ DAL W 2-1 0 0 0 -1 2 3 0 17:42
Mar 10, 2019 @ CGY L 3-6 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 18:54
Mar 9, 2019 @ VAN W 6-2 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 16:11
Mar 6, 2019 vs CGY W 2-1 0 2 2 0 0 5 0 17:15
Mar 3, 2019 vs VAN W 3-0 0 1 1 1 0 2 1 16:57
Mar 1, 2019 @ ANA W 3-0 1 0 1 0 0 4 0 14:24
Feb 28, 2019 vs FLA W 6-5 (SO) 0 0 0 1 2 3 2 17:54
Feb 26, 2019 vs DAL W 4-1 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 18:18
Feb 22, 2019 vs WPG L 3-6 0 1 1 -1 0 2 2 18:48
Feb 20, 2019 vs BOS L 2-3 (SO) 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 18:48
Feb 18, 2019 @ COL L 0-3 0 0 0 0 0 4 2 19:37
Feb 16, 2019 vs NSH W 5-1 0 1 1 -1 0 0 1 19:20
Feb 14, 2019 vs TOR L 3-6 1 0 1 0 0 2 1 18:07
Feb 12, 2019 vs ARI L 2-5 0 0 0 -2 0 2 0 21:23
Feb 9, 2019 vs CBJ L 3-4 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 20:20
Feb 7, 2019 @ DET W 4-3 1 1 2 2 0 3 0 16:10
Feb 5, 2019 @ TBL W 3-2 (SO) 0 1 1 1 2 2 0 22:11
Feb 2, 2019 @ FLA L 1-3 0 0 0 -1 0 3 1 18:21
Feb 1, 2019 @ CAR L 2-5 0 0 0 -3 0 3 0 18:17
Jan 23, 2019 vs NSH L 1-2 0 0 0 -2 0 2 0 17:39
Jan 21, 2019 vs MIN L 2-4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 17:53
Jan 19, 2019 vs PIT W 7-3 1 1 2 1 2 2 0 15:46
Jan 15, 2019 @ WPG L 1-4 0 0 0 -2 0 0 1 19:21
Jan 12, 2019 @ CHI W 4-3 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 19:45
Jan 10, 2019 vs SJS L 2-3 0 0 0 -2 0 3 0 23:29
Jan 8, 2019 vs NYR W 4-2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 21:18
Jan 6, 2019 vs NJD W 3-2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 17:35
Jan 4, 2019 @ ANA W 3-2 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 20:10
Jan 1, 2019 vs LAK W 2-0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 18:21
Dec 30, 2018 @ ARI W 5-1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 18:39
Dec 29, 2018 @ LAK W 4-1 1 0 1 1 0 6 0 18:07
Dec 27, 2018 vs COL W 2-1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 19:39
Dec 23, 2018 vs LAK L 3-4 (OT) 0 0 0 1 0 0 3 20:53
Dec 22, 2018 vs MTL L 3-4 (OT) 0 2 2 1 0 2 1 18:31
Dec 20, 2018 vs NYI W 4-2 1 0 1 0 0 3 0 19:46
Dec 17, 2018 @ CBJ L 0-1 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 17:55
Dec 16, 2018 @ NYR W 4-3 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 5 1 17:13
Dec 14, 2018 @ NJD L 4-5 (OT) 2 0 2 -2 2 2 0 19:09
Dec 12, 2018 @ NYI W 3-2 1 0 1 1 0 2 0 19:52
Dec 9, 2018 vs DAL W 4-2 1 0 1 1 0 2 0 18:52
Dec 8, 2018 @ LAK L 1-5 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 17:43
Dec 6, 2018 vs CHI W 4-3 0 1 1 2 0 2 2 17:51
Dec 4, 2018 vs WSH W 5-3 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 19:55
Dec 1, 2018 @ EDM L 1-2 1 0 1 1 0 5 1 20:40
Nov 29, 2018 @ VAN W 4-3 1 0 1 0 2 2 0 16:43
Nov 27, 2018 @ CHI W 8-3 1 0 1 -3 2 1 0 18:26
Nov 24, 2018 vs SJS W 6-0 1 0 1 2 0 4 0 15:03
Nov 23, 2018 vs CGY W 2-0 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 21:41
Nov 21, 2018 @ ARI W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 3 3 21:28
Nov 19, 2018 @ CGY L 2-7 0 1 1 -1 0 0 1 17:15
Nov 18, 2018 @ EDM W 6-3 1 1 2 2 0 3 1 18:55
Nov 16, 2018 vs STL L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 0 1 2 17:34
Nov 14, 2018 vs ANA W 5-0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 17:03
Nov 11, 2018 @ BOS L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 0 3 0 19:37
Nov 10, 2018 @ MTL L 4-5 1 2 3 0 0 2 0 19:11
Nov 8, 2018 @ OTT W 5-3 0 1 1 -1 0 4 1 18:59
Nov 6, 2018 @ TOR L 1-3 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 19:39
Nov 3, 2018 vs CAR W 3-0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 18:27
Nov 1, 2018 @ STL L 3-5 0 1 1 -2 0 3 0 19:08
Oct 30, 2018 @ NSH L 1-4 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 19:54
Oct 28, 2018 vs OTT W 4-3 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 0 3 24:52
Oct 26, 2018 vs TBL L 2-3 1 0 1 -1 0 1 0 19:27
Oct 24, 2018 vs VAN L 2-3 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 0 0 1 23:46
Oct 20, 2018 vs ANA W 3-1 1 0 1 0 0 2 0 18:17
Oct 16, 2018 vs BUF W 4-1 1 2 3 2 0 3 1 19:38
Oct 13, 2018 @ PHI W 1-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 21:45
Oct 11, 2018 @ PIT L 2-4 0 1 1 1 0 4 0 18:34
Oct 10, 2018 @ WSH L 2-5 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 19:47
Oct 8, 2018 @ BUF L 2-4 0 2 2 1 0 1 1 19:12
Oct 6, 2018 @ MIN W 2-1 (SO) 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 21:27
Oct 4, 2018 vs PHI L 2-5 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 20:19