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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 2024-25. Pick one to see the two side by side, or choose someone else.

Victor Olofsson VGK · 29 P in 56 GP Joel Eriksson Ek MIN · 29 P in 46 GP Ross Colton COL · 29 P in 61 GP Jeff Skinner EDM · 29 P in 72 GP Marcus Foligno MIN · 29 P in 77 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

2024-25 season totals

GP G A P +/- PIM Shots Hits P/GP Shooting % Avg TOI
53 9 20 29 17 4 119 20 0.55 7.6 17:01

Contract

$5.9MCap hitends in 2027, then UFA
$203KCap dollars per point29 points in 53 games
$863KCap dollars per goal above replacement6.8 goals above replacement
$6.1MWorth at the going ratewhat teams paid for a season like his
+$177KValueworth 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 698 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 2 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 2024-25 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.

2024-25 analytics

Regular season Playoffs

Rating

+6.8Goals above replacement142nd of 698 skaters, 101st of 456 forwards
+1.1Wins above replacementgoals above replacement divided by six
+4.3Goals above averagethe five parts below added up

Each number is coloured by where it ranks among the 456 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 66th percentileEven-strength defence+1.6 78th percentilePower play0.0 52nd percentilePenalty kill+0.3 85th percentilePenalties+1.1 78th 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.

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

55.7Corsi for %770 attempts for, 613 against
+4.9CF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
56.7Expected goals for %32.2 expected for, 24.6 against
+3.1xGF% relative to teamagainst the team without him
55.3Fenwick for %unblocked attempts
60.0Goals for %27 for, 18 against
100.8PDO7.4% shooting + 93.5% saves
197Attempts takenhis own shot attempts

Each share is coloured by where it ranks among the 598 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 · Victor Olofsson1098:2158.969.56-0
William Karlsson · Brett Howden · Pavel Dorofeyev1580:1954.851.70-3
William Karlsson · Tanner Pearson · Alexander Holtz1169:0751.756.64-2
William Karlsson · Tomas Hertl · Keegan Kolesar1058:5461.462.53-3

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.

8Goalsnot counting empty-netters
12.7Expected goalsfrom 179 unblocked attempts
-4.7Goals above expectedgoals minus expected goals
Chances created 0.84 expected goals per 60 minutes67th
Shot quality 7.1% chance per attempt29th
Finishing -4.7 goals above expected7thOne season of finishing is mostly luck.

Each bar shows the share of forwards he is ahead of, among the 428 who played 300 minutes or more this season.

0510Game 20Game 40Expected 12.7Goals 8

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 16, 2025 @ VAN W 4-1 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 15:26
Apr 15, 2025 @ CGY L 4-5 (SO) 0 0 0 0 2 4 0 16:28
Apr 12, 2025 vs NSH W 5-3 0 1 1 0 0 3 0 16:08
Apr 10, 2025 vs SEA W 2-1 1 0 1 0 0 2 0 15:31
Apr 8, 2025 @ COL L 2-3 (SO) 1 0 1 2 0 2 0 22:01
Apr 6, 2025 @ VAN W 3-2 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 16:54
Apr 5, 2025 @ CGY W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 16:39
Apr 3, 2025 vs WPG L 0-4 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 16:05
Apr 1, 2025 vs EDM L 2-3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 17:57
Mar 29, 2025 @ NSH W 3-1 0 0 0 1 2 4 1 14:59
Mar 28, 2025 @ CHI W 5-3 0 3 3 2 0 0 1 16:42
Mar 25, 2025 @ MIN W 5-1 0 1 1 0 0 3 0 13:37
Mar 23, 2025 vs TBL W 4-2 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 18:46
Mar 22, 2025 vs DET W 6-3 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 15:41
Mar 20, 2025 vs BOS W 5-1 0 1 1 1 0 2 0 15:54
Jan 20, 2025 vs STL L 4-5 (SO) 0 0 0 2 0 4 2 17:46
Jan 18, 2025 @ CHI L 3-5 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 17:55
Jan 17, 2025 @ CAR L 2-3 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 16:50
Jan 14, 2025 @ NSH L 3-5 0 0 0 -2 0 0 1 14:48
Jan 12, 2025 vs MIN W 4-1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 20:04
Jan 11, 2025 vs NYR L 1-2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 17:11
Jan 9, 2025 vs NYI L 0-4 0 0 0 -1 0 2 0 13:05
Jan 7, 2025 @ SJS W 4-2 0 1 1 0 0 0 1 15:46
Jan 4, 2025 vs BUF W 3-1 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 20:24
Jan 2, 2025 vs PHI W 5-2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 18:31
Dec 31, 2024 vs MTL L 2-3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 14:57
Dec 29, 2024 vs CGY W 3-0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 18:33
Dec 27, 2024 @ SJS W 6-3 0 1 1 1 0 5 0 18:43
Dec 23, 2024 vs ANA W 3-1 0 1 1 0 0 2 0 20:27
Dec 21, 2024 vs SEA W 6-2 1 0 1 1 0 4 0 17:16
Dec 19, 2024 vs VAN W 3-1 1 0 1 2 0 2 0 18:48
Dec 15, 2024 @ MIN W 3-2 0 1 1 1 0 5 0 17:08
Dec 14, 2024 @ EDM L 3-6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 15:40
Dec 12, 2024 @ WPG W 3-2 (OT) 0 0 0 -1 0 4 1 16:02
Dec 6, 2024 vs DAL W 3-2 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 20:36
Dec 4, 2024 @ ANA W 4-1 1 0 1 1 0 4 1 16:51
Dec 3, 2024 vs EDM W 1-0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 18:56
Nov 30, 2024 vs UTA L 0-6 0 0 0 -1 0 1 0 18:36
Nov 29, 2024 vs WPG W 4-3 0 1 1 2 0 3 0 19:20
Nov 27, 2024 @ COL L 1-2 (SO) 0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 20:28
Nov 23, 2024 @ MTL W 6-2 0 0 0 -1 0 1 2 15:40
Nov 21, 2024 @ OTT W 3-2 0 1 1 2 0 1 0 19:30
Nov 20, 2024 @ TOR L 0-3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 14:11
Nov 17, 2024 vs WSH L 2-5 0 0 0 -1 0 2 1 13:01
Nov 15, 2024 @ UTA W 4-2 2 1 3 2 0 4 0 19:43
Nov 13, 2024 @ ANA W 3-2 0 0 0 -1 0 3 0 19:22
Nov 11, 2024 vs CAR L 2-5 0 0 0 -1 0 6 1 14:15
Nov 8, 2024 @ SEA L 3-4 (OT) 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 17:22
Nov 6, 2024 @ EDM W 4-2 0 1 1 -1 0 1 1 16:40
Nov 2, 2024 vs UTA W 4-3 (OT) 1 0 1 1 0 3 0 15:37
Oct 30, 2024 @ LAK L 3-6 0 1 1 1 0 2 0 14:36
Oct 28, 2024 vs CGY W 5-0 0 1 1 1 0 3 1 14:21
Oct 26, 2024 vs SJS W 7-3 1 1 2 2 0 3 0 13:58