Hedman made a quick impact upon being selected by the Tampa Bay Lightning with the No. 2 pick in the 2009 NHL Draft.

Coming out of the Swedish Elite League, where he earned Rookie of the Year honors as an 18-year-old, Hedman joined the Lightning for the 2009-10 season and had an assist in his first NHL game, a 6-3 loss to the Atlanta Thrashers on Oct. 3. On Dec. 5, 2009, Hedman scored his first NHL goal in a 4-0 victory against the New York Islanders.

He honed his defensive game early and has since become a standout at both ends of the ice with his blend of size (6-foot-6, 229 pounds) and speed.

Hedman's play during the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs helped Tampa Bay advance to the Final against Chicago. He would have been a candidate for the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the MVP of the playoffs, had the Lightning won the series.

He was named an NHL Second-Team All-Star in 2017, then won the Norris Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman in 2018 after helping the Lightning win the Atlantic Division and finish first in the Eastern Conference. Despite missing 12 games with injury in 2018-19, Hedman was again named a Second-Team NHL All-Star, and he was named to the NHL All-Star Game for the second time in 2020.

Hedman hails from Ornskoldsvik, Sweden, which has produced NHL stars Markus Naslund, Peter Forsberg and Henrik and Daniel Sedin. Many high-level players have spent time with Modo, the local club team where Hedman's father, Olle, served as an equipment manager.

Hedman joined the senior-league team at 16. In his two seasons playing in the men's league he had nine goals and 25 points in 82 games.

NOTES & TRANSACTIONS

• NHL Second All-Star Team (2017)
• NHL First All-Star Team (2018)
• Played in NHL All-Star Game (2017, 2020)
• Signed as a free agent by Astana (KHL), September 25, 2012.