Kristian Huselius

About Kristian Huselius

Kristian Huselius (born November 10, 1978 in Österhaninge, Sweden) is a professional ice hockey player who currently plays for the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Kristian's hometown is Haninge, a town near Stockholm. He entered the NHL in 2002 and was drafted 47th overall at the 1997 NHL Entry Draft by the Florida Panthers. A fast, skillful playmaker, Huselius typically plays on the wings and spent the early part of his career in the Swedish Elitserien, playing for Hammarby IF, Färjestads BK, and Frölunda. The Panthers traded him to the Calgary Flames on December 2, 2005, where he managed 39 points in 54 games, adjusting well despite fears by some analysts that he would not fit into Calgary's physical, defensive playing style.[citation needed] In the 2006-2007 NHL season, he held a point-streak of fifteen games, second-highest in the NHL that season. Huselius also garnered a career-high 77 points that season, scoring 34 goals and adding 43 assists. During the 2007-2008 season Huselius recorded his first NHL hat trick against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Signed a 4-year, $19 million dollar contract with the Columbus Blue Jackets on July 2, 2008.

In 2005, Huselius and fellow Swedish hockey players Henrik Tallinder and Andreas Lilja were investigated on suspicion of sexual exploitation. In March of 2005, all three players were suspended from the Swedish national team for one year, with Huselius and Tallinder being released by Swedish club Linköping and Lilja being suspended by Swedish club Mora for the rest of the season.