The Detroit Red Wings have called up defenseman William Lagesson from the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League (AHL).
At 28 years old, Lagesson has had an impressive start to the 2024-25 season, recording five points (2 goals, 3 assists), a plus-10 rating, and 12 penalty minutes in 11 games with the Griffins. The 6-foot-2, 213-pound defenseman spent much of the 2023-24 season with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Anaheim Ducks. He posted four assists, a plus-five rating, and 19 penalty minutes in 30 games with the Maple Leafs, before accumulating 13 penalty minutes in 10 games with the Ducks. Additionally, Lagesson earned one assist in five appearances with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies.
Originally drafted by the Edmonton Oilers in the fourth round (91st overall) of the 2014 NHL Draft, Lagesson has played 100 NHL games, recording 11 assists, a plus-two rating, and 54 penalty minutes across stints with the Oilers, Montreal Canadiens, Maple Leafs, and Ducks since 2019-20. In the AHL, he has accumulated 77 points (23 goals, 54 assists), a plus-43 rating, and 130 penalty minutes in 184 games with various teams including the Bakersfield Condors, Chicago Wolves, Marlies, and Griffins.
Lagesson’s career also includes a successful stint in Sweden’s HockeyAllsvenskan in the 2020-21 season, where he posted 12 points (3 goals, 9 assists) and a plus-six rating in 14 games with HC Vita Hästen and Kristianstads IK. Before turning professional, he played for Djurgårdens IF in the Swedish Hockey League during the 2017-18 season, earning 13 points (1 goal, 12 assists) and a plus-13 rating in 49 regular-season games.
Lagesson began his North American career at the University of Massachusetts, where he played two seasons from 2015-17, totaling 15 points (4 goals, 11 assists) in 63 games. Prior to that, he spent the 2014-15 season with the Dubuque Fighting Saints in the USHL, registering 16 points (2 goals, 14 assists) in 52 games, as well as 2 points (1 goal, 1 assist) in eight playoff games.
A native of Gothenburg, Sweden, Lagesson developed through the Frölunda HC system before making his mark in North America. Internationally, he represented Sweden at two IIHF World Junior Championships (2015, 2016), scoring four points (2 goals, 2 assists) in 14 games. He also competed at the 2014 IIHF World U18 Championship, recording three goals and a plus-five rating in seven games, and participated in the 2013 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, where he posted two points (2 goals, 2 assists) in four appearances. Additionally, Lagesson won a gold medal with Sweden at the 2013 World Under-17 Hockey Challenge, contributing one assist and 12 penalty minutes in six games.
