John Klingberg has come a long way from being drafted by the Dallas Stars in the fifth round of the 2010 NHL Draft. The Norris caliber defenseman sat down with The Athletic’s Scott Burnside recently to talk hockey, his career path, and just life in general in a recent interview.
For instance, when Jim Nill took over as General Manager in 2013, he and his scouts wanted Klingberg to come over to the AHL that year. But Klingberg didn’t feel that he was ready, and convinced Nill it was best to stay another year:
Klingberg endured a miserable season in Finland in 2011-12 – “I was too young to move away,” he recalled.