Robert Hägg

Robert Hägg (born 8 February 1995) is a Swedish professional ice hockey player for the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted in the second round, 41st overall, by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft.

Junior
Hägg started his hockey career at age 13 playing for Gimo IF in Gimo, Uppland. In his second season, at age 14, Hägg recorded 16 points in 32 games played for Gimo. In the 2010–11 season, now on MODO U16, Hägg had a breakout year leading the U16 SM league in assists and points by a defenseman. Additionally, he won the U16 SM defenseman of the year award.

Professional
Hägg was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League (NHL) in the second round, 41st overall, in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. On 21 March 2014, the Philadelphia Flyers signed Hägg to a three-year entry-level contract. Following the end of the 2013–14 season in the SHL, Hägg played the final ten games of the Flyers' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Adirondack Phantoms, season. For the 2014–15 season, he was assigned to the Flyers' new AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, to develop. Hägg made his NHL debut on 9 April 2017 against the Carolina Hurricanes in the last game of the Flyers regular season.

During the 2017–18 season Hägg recorded his first NHL goal in a 4–3 win over the Detroit Red Wings on 21 December 2017. Hägg led the NHL in hits with 232 and rookies in blocked shots before being pulled out of the lineup with a lower body injury on 10 March 2018. In the following 2018–19 season, Hägg played in all 82 games. However, in the 2019–20 season Hägg was a healthy scratch in 20 of Philadelphia's first 69 games. He finished the season appearing in 49 games, scoring three goals and 13 points. On 28 September 2020, Hägg signed a two-year $3.2 million contract extension with the Flyers. He appeared in 34 games during the 2020–21 season scoring two goals and five points. On 18 March 2021, Hägg suffered a shoulder injury in a 9–0 loss to the New York Rangers that kept him out of the lineup for two weeks.

On 23 July 2021, Hägg was traded by the Flyers to the Buffalo Sabres, along with a 2021 first-round pick and a 2023 second-round pick, in exchange for Rasmus Ristolainen. In the season, Hägg continued his role as a physical third-pairing defensemen for the Sabres. He was leading the team in hits and short-handed time on ice while collecting 8 points through 48 regular season games. Hägg was dealt by the Sabres approaching the NHL trade deadline to the Florida Panthers in exchange for a 2022 sixth-round pick on 20 March 2022. After joining the Panthers, Hägg was slotted into the third pairing alongside Brandon Montour. He made his Panthers debut against the Montreal Canadiens on 24 March 2022 alongside fellow debutants Claude Giroux and Ben Chiarot and assisted on Aleksander Barkov's game tying goal in a 4–3 win.

On 25 July 2022, Hägg signed to a one-year, $800,000 contract with the Detroit Red Wings. He was signed by Detroit after it was announced fellow new signing Mark Pysyk would miss the first half of the season due to an injury. Hägg missed part of training camp after being struck in the head by a puck. He made his Red Wings debut in 3–0 shutout of the Montreal Canadiens on opening night, taking a minor penalty for slashing. Hägg was placed on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury on 13 December after registering two points in 13 games with Detroit. He returned to action on 16 January 2023. Hägg scored his first goal for Detroit on 22 February against Darcy Kuemper in a 3–1 win over the Washington Capitals. He appeared in 38 games with Detroit, scoring two goals and seven points.

As an unrestricted free agent from the Red Wings, Hägg joined his fifth NHL team in signing a one-year, $775,000 contract with the Anaheim Ducks for the season on 4 July 2023. Hägg was assigned to Anaheim's AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls to start the season. He was recalled in October, but was scratched for all five games he was with the team for before being returned to the AHL on 5 November. He was recalled again on 9 January 2024. He made his season and team debut with Anaheim on 11 January versus the Carolina Hurricanes. Hägg was returned to San Diego on 28 January after appearing in five games, registering no points.

Following the 2023–24 season, Hägg signed a one-year contract with the Vegas Golden Knights on 2 July 2024.

International play
Hägg played throughout his junior career at the International stage for Sweden. He played for Sweden at the 2012 U-17 junior tournament, leading all defensemen in scoring during the event with six points. He won a bronze medal at the 2012 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament and a silver medal at the 2013 World Junior Championships in Ufa, Russia. Hägg won a second silver medal at the 2014 World Junior Championship in Malmö, Sweden. Hägg appeared at a third World Junior Championship in 2015 but Sweden was defeated in the bronze medal game and finished fourth.

On 9 May 2019, Hägg was named to make his senior international debut with Sweden at the 2019 World Championships held in Bratislava, Slovakia. Sweden was defeated in the semifinals by Finland.