Frederik Andersen

Lore & Background

Andersen began his professional career in Denmark with the Frederikshavn White Hawks of the Superisligaen from 2009 to 2011, where he notably scored an empty-net goal on 13 March 2010. He then played one season with Frölunda HC of the Elitserien in Sweden, setting a club record with eight regular-season shutouts and leading the league in goals against average and save percentage. He was nominated for the Elitserien Rookie of the Year award.

Andersen made his NHL debut on 20 October 2013 for the Anaheim Ducks, replacing Jonas Hiller to start the second period and earning his first win. He became the team's full-time backup after Viktor Fasth was traded in March 2014. In the 2014–15 season, Andersen assumed the starter's role and tied an NHL record as the fastest goaltender to reach 50 career wins (68 games). He led the Ducks to the Western Conference finals in 2015, where they lost in seven games to the Chicago Blackhawks.

After being traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs in June 2016, Andersen set franchise records for wins and helped the team reach the playoffs multiple times. He later signed with the Carolina Hurricanes in July 2021, where he started 8–0–0, a franchise record. He shared the William M. Jennings Trophy with Antti Raanta in 2022. Andersen missed time due to a blood clotting issue in 2023–24 and knee surgery in 2024–25, but returned to play his 500th NHL game in January 2025. He helped the Hurricanes win the Stanley Cup in 2026.

Reader's Guide

Frederik Andersen's career is notable for several milestones. He is the first Danish-born goaltender to play in the NHL, making his debut in 2013. He tied an NHL record as the fastest goaltender to reach 50 career wins, achieving it in 68 games. Andersen set a franchise record for the Carolina Hurricanes by starting a season 8–0–0 with a new team. He received the William M. Jennings Trophy in 2022 for allowing the fewest goals during the regular season. Andersen was a finalist for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy in 2024 after returning from a blood clotting issue. He became the 84th goaltender and first Danish goaltender to play 500 NHL games, and earned his 300th career win shortly after. His Stanley Cup victory with the Hurricanes in 2026 capped a career that spanned multiple teams and overcame significant health challenges.

Did You Know?

• Andersen scored an empty-net goal while playing for the Frederikshavn White Hawks on 13 March 2010.
• He set an Elitserien regular-season club record with eight shutouts in 2011–12, surpassing Henrik Lundqvist's seven.
• He is the first Danish-born goaltender to play in the NHL and the first to reach 500 NHL games.

European Foundations and a Historic NHL Debut

Before ever lacing up skates for an NHL franchise, Frederik Andersen built a formidable reputation across two of Europe's premier leagues. From 2009 to 2011, he anchored the Frederikshavn White Hawks in Denmark's Superisligaen, even finding the back of the net himself with an empty-net goal in a March 2010 quarterfinal. His 2011–12 season with Frölunda HC in Sweden's Elitserien proved transformative: he set a club record with eight shutouts, eclipsing Henrik Lundqvist's mark of seven from 2003–04, while also leading the league in goals-against average and save percentage and earning a Rookie of the Year nomination. His draft journey was unconventional—picked 187th overall by Carolina in 2010, he re-entered the pool and was selected 87th in 2012. Yet it was on 20 October 2013, stepping in for Jonas Hiller with Anaheim trailing 3–1 against Dallas, that Andersen etched his name into history. Two shutout periods and a 6–3 comeback made him the first Danish-born goaltender to play in the NHL.

Record-Breaking Pace and Playoff Heartbreak in Anaheim

Anaheim became the stage on which Andersen accelerated his career at a pace few goaltenders have matched. After splitting duty with Jonas Hiller and John Gibson during the 2014 playoffs—where he notched his postseason debut with 32 saves in a 4–3 win over Dallas—the 2014–15 season belonged squarely to him. With Hiller gone to Calgary, Andersen seized the starting role, and by 3 March 2015 he had collected his 30th win of the year. That very game also marked his 50th career NHL victory in just 68 appearances, tying a record set by Bill Durnan in 1944. The regular season was a springboard for a deep playoff run: the Ducks surrendered only one game across the first two rounds before reaching the Western Conference finals. Yet the Chicago Blackhawks delivered a cruel ending. After holding a 3–2 series lead, Anaheim dropped the final two games, including a Game 7 on home ice. Andersen allowed four or more goals in each of the last four contests, and the Ducks absorbed 19 goals over that stretch—extending a three-year streak of home Game 7 defeats after leading 3–2.

Franchise Records and a Defining Toronto Tenure

Arriving in Toronto on 20 June 2016 in a trade that sent the 30th overall pick (used on Sam Steel) and a 2017 second-rounder (Maxime Comtois) back to Anaheim, Andersen quickly became the Maple Leafs' defining goaltender. A five-year extension sealed the commitment on the same day. After a tentative first campaign, he erupted into form: a 33–16–14 record, 2.67 goals-against average, .918 save percentage, and four shutouts carried Toronto to the postseason for the first time since 2012–13. The 2017–18 season was a record-shattering march. On 28 March 2018, his 36th win against Florida also set a franchise mark of 27 home victories. Two days later he tied the single-season wins record for a Leafs netminder, and on the final day of the regular season he surpassed the all-time franchise wins benchmark with a 4–2 victory over Montreal. Despite back-to-back seven-game eliminations by Boston in 2018 and 2019, Andersen reached his 200th career win on 14 December 2019, in his 344th game, against the Edmonton Oilers.

Carolina, the All-Star Stage, and the 2026 Cup

Seeking a fresh chapter after five seasons in Toronto, Andersen signed a two-year, nine-million-dollar deal with the Carolina Hurricanes on 28 July 2021. His arrival was immediate and historic: following a 6–3 victory over Chicago on 3 November, he became the first goaltender in franchise history to open a season with a new club at 8–0–0. His standing in the league was further affirmed on 12 January 2022, when he was named to the NHL All-Star Game alongside teammate Sebastian Aho. At the 5 February All-Star event, Andersen took the crease for the first half in both matchups against the Atlantic and Pacific divisions, contributing to his team's efforts. Over the following seasons, Andersen's steady presence in net became the backbone of Carolina's goaltending, and his tenure culminated in the ultimate prize: the 2026 Stanley Cup. For a player who broke into the NHL as a trailblazer for Danish goaltenders, lifting the championship banner with the Hurricanes represented the natural capstone to a career defined by perseverance, record-breaking pace, and quiet excellence between the pipes.

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