Will King, 21, who graduated from Mars by taking online courses, signed a professional contract with Kalliknge/Ronneby IF to play professional hockey in Sweden next season.

VALENCIA — Over the past seven years, Will King’s hockey career has resembled a ping-pong ball.

But all of that bouncing around has paid off for the 21-year-old goaltender.

King, who has played for 10 teams since 2009, recently signed a professional contract with Kalliknge/Ronneby IF (KRIF) in Sweden and will play there next season.

The 47-team Sweden Hockey League is broken up into tiers, based on talent level.

KRIF is on the bottom tier, but if it wins its league, it plays in the next tier up the following season.

Or, if King plays well, he may get called up to a higher-level team on his own — which is something he’s grown accustomed to doing.

“I’ve been climbing the ladder, so to speak,” he said.

His laundry list of teams include the Cleveland Barons, Pittsburgh Junior Penguins, Shady Side Academy, La Tuque Loups, Vaudreuil-Dorion Mustangs, Woodstock Slammers, Escanola Rivermen, Nepean Raiders, Valley Wildcats and Campbellton Tigers.

King graduated from Mars through taking on-line courses. In the past three years, he’s played for two teams in the Quebec Junior league in Canada and three teams in the Maritime Junior A League north of the border.

He was named the latter league’s Goaltender of the Year this past season, sporting a 2.14 goals-against average and .932 save percentage in 24 games for the Campbellton Tigers.

Before that, he played nine games for the Valley Wildcats and had a .908 save percentage.

“I feel like I’ve turned the corner over the past couple of years,” King said. “You learn a lot playing up there. The games can be pretty physical.

“We played in some remote places. Players are moved around a lot from team to team. I know one guy who was traded for his weight in lobster.”

King figures to learn a lot more about goaltending when he heads to Sweden in early June to take part in an off-ice training program with his new team.

Victor Hedman, a Swedish defenseman with the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning, will help conduct the training. Sweden has produced a number of NHL goaltenders, most notably Henrik Lundvquist of the New York Rangers and Frederik Andersen of the Anaheim Ducks.

“Ultimately, my goal is to play in the NHL,” King said. “Making a name for myself in Sweden can help get me there. I’ll stay over there as long as I have to, but I’m hoping to play in a pro league back in the states in a couple of years or so.”

King got an early start in hockey.

He began skating at age 2 and was playing the game at age 4.

His mother used to work for the Detroit Red Wings, organizing road trips for the NHL team.

King has been a goaltender since he was 12.

One of just two American players joining the KRIF roster — Ohio State winger Matt Johnson is the other — King will report for training camp in July. The 50-game regular season begins at the end of August.

“I’m working on learning the language now,” King said. “Going over to Sweden, I know I’m going to get good coaching. It’s big-time hockey. It’s serious stuff in that country and I’m looking forward to it.”