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Photo of William Karlsson

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 2019-20. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Dominik Kubalik CHI · 46 P in 68 GP Pavel Buchnevich NYR · 46 P in 68 GP Zach Parise MIN · 46 P in 69 GP Chris Kreider NYR · 45 P in 63 GP Evander Kane SJS · 47 P in 64 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

2019-20 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
63 15 31 46 11 16 138 40 0.73 10.9 18:52

Contract

$5.9MCap hitends in 2027, then UFA
$128KCap dollars per point46 points in 63 games
$613KCap dollars per goal above replacement9.6 goals above replacement
$8.7MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
+$2.8MValueworth 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 668 ranked skaters whose contract is known. How value is worked out.

The contract

Signed by the Vegas Golden Knights on Jun 24, 2019, as an extension of the contract he was on: 8 years and $47.2M, beginning in 2019-20. It runs through 2026-27, with 7 seasons left after this one, and he is then an unrestricted free agent.

Season Cap hit Base salary Signing bonus Performance bonuses Paid in all Clause
2019-20 $5.9M $3.9M $2M $5.9M
2020-21 $5.9M $5.9M $0 $5.9M M-NTC
2021-22 $5.9M $7.1M $0 $7.1M M-NTC
2022-23 $5.9M $5.9M $0 $5.9M M-NTC
2023-24 $5.9M $5.6M $0 $5.6M M-NTC
2024-25 $5.9M $5.6M $0 $5.6M M-NTC
2025-26 $5.9M $5.6M $0 $5.6M M-NTC
2026-27 $5.9M $5.6M $0 $5.6M M-NTC

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 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 2019-20 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.

2019-20 analytics

Regular season Playoffs

Rating

+9.6Goals above replacement58th of 670 skaters, 44th of 439 forwards
+1.6Wins 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 439 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+4.2 87th percentileEven-strength defence+1.3 78th percentilePower play-0.2 30th percentilePenalty kill+0.4 89th percentilePenalties+0.6 64th 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

55.3Corsi for %946 attempts for, 764 against
+1.2CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
58.1Expected goals for %46.6 expected for, 33.6 against
+2.0xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
55.5Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
53.1Goals for %43 for, 38 against
99.6PDO8.6% shooting + 91.0% saves
192Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 583 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 Marchessault45426:4755.559.220-22
Max Pacioretty · Mark Stone · William Karlsson29101:1460.967.94-2
Max Pacioretty · Reilly Smith · William Karlsson2183:4142.645.46-4
Max Pacioretty · William Karlsson · Nicolas Roy658:0575.277.72-1

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.

14Goalsnot counting empty-netters
18.5Expected goalsfrom 192 unblocked attempts
-4.5Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.93 expected goals per 60 minutes76th
Shot quality 9.6% chance per attempt90th
Finishing -4.5 goals above expected7thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of forwards he is ahead of, among the 410 who played 300 minutes or more this season.

051015Game 20Game 40Game 60Expected 18.5Goals 14

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
Mar 9, 2020 @ EDM W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 1 0 6 1 21:33
Mar 8, 2020 @ CGY W 5-3 0 2 2 1 0 2 0 17:28
Mar 6, 2020 @ WPG L 0-4 0 0 0 -1 0 1 2 19:35
Mar 3, 2020 vs NJD W 3-0 1 1 2 2 0 2 0 15:01
Mar 1, 2020 vs LAK L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 0 3 0 19:46
Feb 28, 2020 vs BUF W 4-2 1 0 1 1 0 5 1 19:08
Feb 26, 2020 vs EDM W 3-0 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 16:50
Feb 23, 2020 @ ANA W 6-5 (OT) 3 0 3 3 0 3 1 19:35
Feb 22, 2020 vs FLA W 5-3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 17:26
Feb 20, 2020 vs TBL W 5-3 0 0 0 -1 2 0 0 17:40
Feb 17, 2020 vs WSH W 3-2 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 17:51
Feb 15, 2020 vs NYI W 1-0 0 0 0 0 0 5 0 18:57
Feb 13, 2020 vs STL W 6-5 (OT) 0 2 2 0 0 2 1 17:04
Feb 11, 2020 @ MIN L 0-4 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 16:15
Jan 14, 2020 @ BUF L 2-4 0 1 1 -2 0 1 0 18:43
Jan 11, 2020 vs CBJ L 0-3 0 0 0 -1 0 1 1 19:18
Jan 9, 2020 vs LAK L 2-5 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 17:09
Jan 7, 2020 vs PIT L 3-4 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 15:39
Jan 4, 2020 vs STL W 5-4 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 19:35
Jan 2, 2020 vs PHI W 5-4 0 0 0 -2 0 3 1 20:31
Dec 31, 2019 vs ANA W 5-2 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 15:18
Dec 28, 2019 vs ARI W 4-1 0 0 0 -1 0 3 0 20:11
Dec 27, 2019 @ ANA L 3-4 0 1 1 2 0 3 0 19:09
Dec 23, 2019 vs COL L 3-7 0 0 0 -2 0 2 0 19:58
Dec 22, 2019 @ SJS W 3-1 0 2 2 1 0 1 0 18:45
Dec 19, 2019 @ VAN L 4-5 (OT) 0 2 2 2 0 4 1 20:09
Dec 17, 2019 vs MIN W 3-2 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 21:25
Dec 15, 2019 vs VAN W 6-3 0 1 1 0 0 1 2 18:31
Dec 13, 2019 @ DAL W 3-2 (OT) 1 0 1 0 0 3 0 19:06
Dec 12, 2019 @ STL L 2-4 0 0 0 -2 0 0 0 18:21
Dec 10, 2019 vs CHI W 5-1 1 0 1 1 0 2 0 18:29
Dec 8, 2019 vs NYR L 0-5 0 0 0 -2 0 2 1 19:44
Dec 5, 2019 @ NYI L 2-3 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18:28
Dec 3, 2019 @ NJD W 4-3 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 19:24
Dec 2, 2019 @ NYR W 4-1 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 19:24
Nov 29, 2019 vs ARI W 2-1 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 2 1 1 20:33
Nov 27, 2019 @ NSH W 4-3 (OT) 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 19:26
Nov 25, 2019 @ DAL L 2-4 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 19:32
Nov 23, 2019 vs EDM L 2-4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 18:55
Nov 21, 2019 vs SJS L 1-2 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 21:26
Nov 19, 2019 vs TOR W 4-2 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 17:23
Nov 17, 2019 vs CGY W 6-0 2 1 3 3 0 4 2 18:40
Nov 16, 2019 @ LAK L 3-4 1 1 2 2 0 2 0 20:32
Nov 13, 2019 vs CHI L 3-5 1 1 2 -2 0 5 1 19:57
Nov 10, 2019 @ DET L 2-3 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 18:20
Nov 9, 2019 @ WSH L 2-5 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 19:55
Nov 7, 2019 @ TOR L 1-2 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 2 3 21:51
Nov 5, 2019 @ CBJ W 2-1 0 2 2 2 0 4 1 19:15
Nov 2, 2019 vs WPG L 3-4 (OT) 0 2 2 0 0 2 0 21:42
Oct 31, 2019 vs MTL L 4-5 (OT) 1 0 1 1 0 2 3 19:08
Oct 27, 2019 vs ANA W 5-2 1 0 1 -1 0 4 2 18:18
Oct 25, 2019 vs COL L 1-6 1 0 1 0 0 3 0 17:38
Oct 22, 2019 @ CHI W 2-1 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 0 2 1 21:20
Oct 21, 2019 @ PHI L 2-6 0 1 1 0 0 3 0 19:30
Oct 19, 2019 @ PIT W 3-0 1 0 1 1 0 3 1 20:53
Oct 17, 2019 vs OTT W 3-2 (SO) 0 0 0 1 0 4 0 19:44
Oct 15, 2019 vs NSH L 2-5 0 1 1 1 0 1 1 19:25
Oct 13, 2019 @ LAK W 5-2 0 1 1 1 0 1 2 16:56
Oct 12, 2019 vs CGY W 6-2 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 18:54
Oct 10, 2019 @ ARI L 1-4 0 0 0 -1 0 4 1 16:07
Oct 8, 2019 vs BOS L 3-4 0 1 1 0 0 2 4 20:46
Oct 4, 2019 @ SJS W 5-1 0 1 1 1 12 1 0 14:58
Oct 2, 2019 vs SJS W 4-1 0 2 2 2 0 6 0 16:03