Veteran NHL defenseman announces his retirement from hockey to coach women's soccer
900-game NHL veteran Anton Stralman has announced his retirement from hockey to go coach women's soccer.
Stralman played 938 regular season NHL games & 113 playoff games. After leaving the NHL in 2023 he spent last season with HV71 in the Swedish Hockey League. He had been quiet about his future in hockey but now Stralman has revealed he's taking on a new role as a coach with Skultorps IF which is a women's Division 1 soccer team in Sweden.
Stralman will help with the team's physical training with Skultorps IF expressing gratitude for his expertise. During his NHL career Stralman played for several teams including the Toronto Maple Leafs, Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, Arizona Coyotes & the Boston Bruins. He also won a gold medal with Sweden at the 2017 World Hockey Championship.
Stralman's final NHL contract was with the Boston Bruins after attending their training camp on a professional tryout (PTO) in 2022. However Stralman later said he felt betrayed by the Bruins believing the team only signed him temporarily before sending him to the AHL. Despite this Stralman's long & accomplished career makes him well suited to mentor & train other athletes in his new role.
