Penguins reserve goaltender Magnus Hellberg used to being on the move
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After spending half a decade playing in Russia’s Kontinental Hockey League, Magnus Hellberg had a base expectation when he returned to North America in 2022.
Spend the entire 2022-23 campaign in the NHL.
It was a pretty simple pursuit on the surface.
And he definitely accomplished it.
But it was through uncommon means.
“My goal was always to be in the NHL for the whole season, which I did,” the Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender said. “Just with three different teams.”
In July 2022, Hellberg signed with the Seattle Kraken, agreeing to a one-year, one-way contract worth a then-league minimum $750,000. By October, the Kraken wanted to assign him to the Coachella Valley Firebirds of the American Hockey League but had to put him through waivers and hope he cleared.
Those hopes were dashed by the Ottawa Senators, who claimed him one day later and kept him on their NHL roster for a little more than five weeks.
By mid-November, the Senators wanted to send him to their AHL affiliate, the Belleville Senators, but had to go through the entire rigmarole with waivers, only to see the Kraken reclaim him Nov. 10.
A mere 12 days later, the Kraken waived him again, losing him again, this time to the Detroit Red Wings, the team that brought him back to North America in April 2022.
Aside from an 11-day conditioning loan in December with the Red Wings’ AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins, Hellberg spent the remainder of the season in Detroit. (With conditioning assignments, players are still officially considered part of a franchise’s NHL roster.)
Broken down, Hellberg appeared in 17 games with the Red Wings, one with the Senators and none with the Kraken (despite being the team he originally signed with in summer 2022).
In total, he had a 5-8-1 record, 3.20 goals-against average and an .888 save percentage.
“Obviously, it was quite the roller coaster, to be honest with you,” Hellberg said during training camp in September. “I knew playing overseas for a bit, it’s always tough to get a shot in the NHL when you’ve been away for so long. … So, in that aspect, obviously I was really happy to be up in the NHL and play games there.
“Of course, it shows the other part of the hockey life as well. I had a pregnant fiance (Emma Andersson) last year, as well, (who) was moving with me. She was really great in everything, changing doctors. There’s more to life than hockey.”
Hellberg, 32, has had quite a life because of hockey.
A native of Uppsala, Sweden, Hellberg has played for 19 teams in seven leagues, five countries and three continents since he appeared in his first professional games playing in the Division 1 league in his home country.
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A second-round pick of the Nashville Predators in the 2011 NHL Draft — he was the first goaltender chosen at No. 38 overall, one selection ahead of Whitehall native John Gibson, a three-time All-Star with the Ducks — Hellberg has also suited up in games of consequence for the New York Rangers, Red Wings, Senators and the Penguins as an NHLer.
This season, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Pittsburgh Penguins became the 18th and 19th professional teams he has played for.
“Every hockey journey is different,” Hellberg said. “I’ve always been wanting to play at the highest level that I can. I actually had this conversation with my fiance (recently) about all the places we’ve had the pleasure of living and seeing different countries. I started out five years in the (United) States, getting drafted by Nashville. Traded to (the New York) Rangers, moving over to China for one year, then playing in Russia for four years and now I’m back in the (United) States.
“Looking back, obviously when I’m older, done playing, I think it’s going to be a pretty cool experience to be able to do what you love and play the game of hockey and live in all these cool places.”
Perhaps the most remarkable stop on his journey came with the Kunlun Red Star, a team based in Beijing that competes in Russia’s KHL.
Moving to North America or Russia is a considerable adjustment for a Swede. But China was a whole other type of adventure.
“It was,” Hellberg said. “I had no idea really what to expect when I went there. Now, looking back, we had such a great time. We had a great team. It was a lot of European players, Canadian players, American players. We had (longtime former NHL coach) Mike Keenan as our coach. Had a Finnish goalie coach. It was fun. It was a cool experience for the entire team. Obviously, we had some Chinese players and staff members as well. It was a cool experience. Their food over there is unbelievable. They have so many good Michelin (Guide) restaurants. We had a great time.
“We got a dog (Rupert) that we’ve had now for six years. We got him when I played in China. He was a street dog there. That was pretty cool to have him from (China), and now he’s been traveling with us. That was probably the most fun that I’ve had in my career.”
Hellberg appears to be enjoying his time with his current employer. Signed to a one-year, one-way contract worth $785,000 on July 2 (his daughter, Freja, was born three days later), Hellberg was on the outside looking in with regard to the Penguins’ goaltending situation. Incumbent starter Tristan Jarry and new backup Alex Nedeljkovic were virtual locks to claim the only two spots in net on the NHL roster.
That meant Hellberg would need to clear waivers for the team to send him to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Those transactions took place Oct. 10, and Hellberg remained with the organization.
Given his transient 2022-23 campaign, Hellberg knew the possibility of getting claimed and moving to another unfamiliar local was a very real possibility.
“I kind of felt last year, I had one foot in, one foot out,” Hellberg said. “I had to prove myself a little bit. Obviously, when teams are picking you on waivers every time, that means I did something good. If not, they just pass on you and let you go down in the minors. I see it as a good thing. It was a special season for sure.”
After Nedeljkovic suffered an undisclosed injury and landed on long-term injured reserve Oct. 25, Hellberg was recalled to the NHL roster under emergency roster conditions. He made his debut with Pittsburgh on Oct. 28 when he replaced a struggling Jarry during a 5-2 home loss to the Ottawa Senators.
As if Hellberg’s travels in life don’t make him a contender for the Most Interesting Man in the World, he also happens to be the biggest goaltender in Penguins history.
At 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, he surpassed the previous record-holders for height (Matt Murray and Dany Sabourin shared the mark at 6-foot-4) and weight (Thomas Greiss held down that mark at 219 pounds).
“He is a monster,” Penguins forward Matt Nieto said. “There’s not a lot of net when you’re coming in on him.”
Is there any necessary adjustment for shooting on a larger goaltender?
“It’s tough when you’re just coming in and trying to shoot, especially if they have good angles, you really see like you’re not seeing much there,” Nieto said. “If you can change the angle or throw a fake, that’s probably your best chance.”
Hellberg’s immediate future is uncertain. But it always is.
During a 2-0 road win against the Anaheim Ducks on Tuesday, Hellberg replaced injured starter Tristan Jarry and made 11 saves in the combined shutout. There is no timetable for Jarry’s return at the moment.
As for Nedeljkovic, he is eligible to return to the active roster Nov. 19, and the probability of Hellberg returning to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at some point in the near future is real.
Having already cleared waivers, Hellberg won’t need to go through that procedure any time soon. But given his history, he is seemingly always prepared to be on the move.
That doesn’t mean he dwells on the possibility.
“I signed here to be a part of this great organization,” Hellberg said. “I feel I have a good spot here to prove what I can do. I want to be in this organization and grow with them. If you look back at last year, everything can happen. I know stuff can happen, but it’s not something that I focus on.
“I just try to showcase myself here every day, be a good teammate and compete for a spot on the team. Then, I’ll just go from there. That’s all I can do.”
Note: The Penguins placed minor-league forward Andreas Johnsson on waivers for the purposes of terminating his contract.