Former NHL defenseman Oscar Klefbom announces retirement

A former NHL blueliner is officially hanging up his skates.

On Thursday, former Edmonton Oilers defenseman Oscar Klefbom revealed that he is retiring from hockey at the age of 31.

In an interview with Nya Wermlands Tidningen of NWT, Klefbom stated, “Now it’s over.”

Klefbom’s last game came back on August 7, 2020, when the Oilers were knocked out by the Chicago Blackhawks in the qualifying round of the bubble playoffs, in Edmonton.

Following the premature exit, the Karlstad, Sweden native underwent surgery to fix a shoulder injury that had been nagging him prior to joining the Oilers organization in 2013. The surgery kept him out for the entire 2020-21 season, and would also lead to him sitting out the 2021-22 campaign as well.

Klefbom played parts of seven seasons with the Oilers, only playing a full season in 20167-17, when he had a career-year, scoring 12 goals and 26 assists for 38 points, posting a plus/minus of +7, in 82 games. That spring, he notched five points as the Oilers advanced to the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

In 378 NHL games, Klefbom scored 34 goals and 122 assists for 156 points, with a -64 rating. He appeared in 16 postseason games, registering seven points.

The former Färjestad BK product also spent time with the Oilers’ American Hockey League affiliate when they were known as the Oklahoma City Barons, scoring 19 points in 59 games. Klefbom also won some hardware on the international stage. Having played for Sweden since he was 15, he helped Tre Kronor win bronze in the 2009 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, taking home silver at the 2011 IIHF Men’s Under-18 World Championship. Then, at the 2012 IIHF World Junior Championship, Klefbom and Sweden won the gold medal, in which Klefbom was also named to the all-tournament team.

Klefbom is reportedly interested in returning to hockey in some capacity in the future.