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Oliver Ekman-Larsson

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Oliver Ekman-Larsson
Ekman-Larsson with the Vancouver Canucks in October 2021
Born (1991-07-17) 17 July 1991 (age 33)
Karlskrona, Sweden
Height 6 ft 2 in (188 cm)
Weight 191 lb (87 kg; 13 st 9 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams		 Toronto Maple Leafs
Arizona Coyotes
Vancouver Canucks
Florida Panthers
National team  Sweden
NHL draft 6th overall, 2009
Phoenix Coyotes
Playing career 2010–present

Oliver Oscar Emanuel Ekman-Larsson (pronounced [ˈɔ̌lːɪvɛr ˈěːkman ˈlɑ̌ːʂɔn]; born 17 July 1991) is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenceman for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League (NHL).[1] Known by his initials "OEL", Ekman-Larsson was selected sixth overall by the Phoenix Coyotes in the 2009 NHL entry draft. Previously seen as one of the NHL's top offensive defencemen, Ekman-Larsson led the Coyotes in scoring in both the 2014–15 and 2015–16 seasons. After 11 seasons with Arizona, Ekman-Larsson was traded to the Vancouver Canucks in 2021, where he spent two seasons before signing with the Florida Panthers. In his only season with the Panthers, Ekman-Larsson won the Stanley Cup in 2024.

Playing career

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Ekman-Larsson began his career at Tingsryds AIF club of the HockeyAllsvenskan during the 2007–08 season, recording 8 points in 27 games. He continued his career with Leksands IF, where he scored 44 points in two seasons in 2008–09 and 2009–10 in a total of 81 games. This season would be his last, as he would he drafted by the National Hockey League's Phoenix Coyotes.

Phoenix / Arizona Coyotes (2010–2021)

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Ekman-Larsson (right foreground) defending against opposing forward Daniel Sedin in February 2012

Ekman-Larsson was selected sixth overall by Phoenix in the 2009 NHL entry draft. On 24 May 2010, it was announced the Coyotes had signed Ekman-Larsson to an entry-level contract.[2] In the season following his draft selection, Ekman-Larsson produced the second-most points among junior players in the Allsvenskan,[3] despite missing several games while competing in the 2010 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships for Sweden.

Ekman-Larsson recorded his first career NHL point through an assist on a Kyle Turris goal on 23 October 2010.[4] He scored his first career NHL goal on 17 January 2011, against goaltender Antti Niemi of the San Jose Sharks.[5]

Ekman-Larsson played all 82 games during the 2011–12 season with 13 goals and 19 assists for 32 points as the Coyotes finished as the third seed in the West. On 12 April 2012, Ekman Larsson made his Stanley Cup playoff debut against the Chicago Blackhawks as the Coyotes would go on to win the first game of the series 3–2 in overtime for a 1–0 series lead. Two days later, he then recorded his first career playoff assist and point on a goal by Antoine Vermette as the Coyotes would lose to the Blackhawks 4–3 to even the series. On 23 April, in the sixth game of the series, Ekman-Larsson would eventually record his first career playoff goal on Corey Crawford as the Coyotes would shutout the sixth-seeded Blackhawks 4–0 for a 4–2 series defeat for the first playoff series win in franchise history.[6]The Coyotes would go on to defeat the fourth-seeded Nashville Predators in five games in the second round before falling in five games to the eighth-seeded and eventual Stanley Cup champion Los Angeles Kings in in the Western Conference Finals. He ended the 2012 playoffs with a goal and three assists for four points in all 16 games.

Ekman-Larsson with the Phoenix Coyotes in January 2014

For the duration of the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Ekman-Larsson (on the last year of his entry-level contract) was assigned to Phoenix's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Portland Pirates. After the lockout ended, he would go on to play all 48 games for the Coyotes in the abbreviated season as the Coyotes failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2009 and the first time in Ekman-Larsson's tenure.

On 6 March 2014, Ekman-Larsson scored his 100th NHL career point in a 5–2 victory over the Montreal Canadiens. With Ekman-Larsson's contribution, it was the first time since 9 December 1998 the Coyotes had defeated Montreal.[7] At the conclusion of the 2013–14 season, Ekman-Larsson finished seventh in balloting for the James Norris Memorial Trophy, awarded annually to the NHL's top defenceman during the regular season. His votes included three first-place votes, one second-place vote and two third-place votes.[8]

On 16 December 2014, Ekman-Larsson tied the Coyotes' franchise record for overtime-winning goals by a player in a single season after scoring his third of the season with 0.03 seconds left in overtime in a 2–1 win over the Edmonton Oilers.[9] Ekman-Larsson represented Arizona in the 2015 NHL All-Star Game, assisting on a goal by Bobby Ryan.[10] On 29 January 2015, during a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ekman-Larsson scored the fastest shorthanded goal to start a period in NHL history, against Jonathan Bernier five seconds into the third period.[11] Ekman-Larsson finished the 2014–15 season with 23 goals and 20 assists. With this career milestone, Ekman-Larsson broke Nicklas Lidström's NHL record, becoming the first Swedish-born defenceman in NHL history to score more than 20 goals in one season.[12] Ekman-Larsson's 23 goals were the most scored by an NHL defenceman that season and tied Phil Housley's franchise record for most goals scored by a defenceman in a season.[13]

On 19 December 2015, during a game against the New York Islanders, Ekman-Larsson scored the lone goal of the game, which proved to be the game-winning goal. With this goal, Ekman-Larsson surpassed Teppo Numminen's franchise record for the most game-winning goals by a defenceman with the 20th in his career.[14] On 12 January 2016, Ekman-Larsson assisted on all three goals of rookie Max Domi's first career hat-trick, and would later go on to set a career-high four-point night by scoring the overtime-winning goal against the Edmonton Oilers.[15] On 24 March, Ekman-Larsson inadvertently scored the game-winning goal in a 3–1 win over the Dallas Stars. Initially credited to teammate Martin Hanzal, after further review the goal was shown to bounce off a Dallas player and into the net. With this game-winning goal, Ekman-Larsson set an NHL record for the most game-winning goals by a defenceman in a single season with eight, surpassing Tim Horton, Al MacInnis, Ray Bourque, Derek Morris and Dion Phaneuf.[16] He became just the second defenceman in franchise history to record 20 or more goals in consecutive seasons, after Phil Housley.[17] Ekman-Larsson finished the 2015–16 season ninth in balloting for the James Norris Memorial Trophy.[18]

In the 2016–17 season, on 18 March 2017, during a game against the Nashville Predators, Ekman-Larsson scored his 40th career powerplay goal (against Pekka Rinne), tying Fredrik Olausson for the most by a defenceman in Arizona Coyotes/Winnipeg Jets history.[19] On 3 April, with the Coyotes out of playoff contention, Ekman-Larsson was granted a leave of absence for the remaining three regular seasons games in order to return to his native Sweden due to the death of his mother, following a prolonged battle with cancer.[20]

On 14 October 2017, in a game against the Boston Bruins, Ekman-Larsson scored his first powerplay goal of the season against Anton Khudobin and moved ahead of Fredrik Olausson for the franchise record for powerplay goals scored by a defenceman with his 41st.[21] On 10 January 2018, Ekman-Larsson was selected as the lone Coyotes representative at the 2018 NHL All-Star Game.[22] On 10 March, Ekman-Larsson was fined $5,000 for slashing Sven Andrighetto.[23] After the regular season concluded and the Coyotes again failed to make the playoffs, Ekman-Larsson was nominated for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, awarded to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and gives back to his community, ultimately ceding the award to both Henrik and Daniel Sedin of the Vancouver Canucks.[24]

On 1 July 2018, Ekman-Larsson signed an eight-year, $66 million contract extension with the Coyotes; he was set to become a free agent the following season.[25] He was later named captain of the Coyotes.[26][27]

Vancouver Canucks (2021–2023)

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On 23 July 2021, Ekman-Larsson waived his no-movement clause and was traded, along with Conor Garland, to the Vancouver Canucks in exchange for Jay Beagle, Loui Eriksson, Antoine Roussel, a 2021 first-round pick (Dylan Guenther), a 2022 second-round pick and a 2023 seventh-round pick.[28] Arizona retained 12 percent of Ekman-Larsson's salary as part of the transaction. He scored his first goal as a Canuck on 13 October 2021, in a 3–2 shootout loss to the Edmonton Oilers.[29] On 7 April 2022, Ekman-Larsson played his first game against the Arizona Coyotes as a Canuck and got an assist in a 5–1 win on a goal by Alex Chiasson.[30][31]

On 16 June 2023, the Canucks bought out the final four years of his contract, making him an unrestricted free agent.[32][33]

Florida Panthers (2023–2024)

[edit]

On the opening day of free agency, Ekman-Larsson was signed to a one-year, $2.25 million contract with the Florida Panthers for the 2023–24 season on 1 July 2023.[34] Injuries to Brandon Montour and Aaron Ekblad led to increased ice time, which along with chemistry with Gustav Forsling promoted Ekman-Larsson to the Panthers' top power play unit.[35] He won the Stanley Cup with the Panthers on 24 June 2024 as the Panthers defeated the Edmonton Oilers in game seven of the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals.[36]

Toronto Maple Leafs (2024–present)

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One year to the day after signing as a free agent with the Panthers, Ekman-Larsson signed a four-year, $14 million contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs.[37]

International play

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Medal record
Representing  Sweden
Ice hockey
Winter Olympics
Silver medal – second place 2014 Sochi
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2017 Germany/France
Gold medal – first place 2018 Denmark
Silver medal – second place 2011 Slovakia
Bronze medal – third place 2010 Germany
World Junior Championships
Bronze medal – third place 2010 Canada

Ekman-Larsson represented Sweden at the 2010 World Junior Championships, where he was the highest-scoring defenceman on the team,[38] scoring five points in six games.

At the 2010 World Championships, Ekman-Larsson played in nine games for the bronze medalists and was deemed to be Sweden's best player in the game against Norway.[39]

In 2019, at the 2019 World Championships, Ekman-Larsson was named captain of Sweden's international team.[40]

Personal life

[edit]

Ekman-Larsson's maternal grandfather, Kenneth Ekman,[41] also a defenceman, was selected to represent Sweden at the 1972 Winter Olympics. Amanda Ilestedt who is Swedish international footballer is Ekman-Larsson's cousin.[42] Their first cousins, twice removed are professional cyclists the Fåglum brothers.[43] Ekman-Larsson's younger brother, Kevin, was previously signed with the Coyotes' AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners. He now plays in Sweden with second-tier club BIK Karlskoga.[44]

In 2013, Ekman-Larsson founded OEL, a luxury clothing line based in Sweden.[45] Ekman-Larsson donates a lot of his free time as well as free tickets to Arizona Coyote games to various charities like Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Arizona Burn Foundation, the Wounded Warrior Project and Best Buddies.[46] In 2017 Ekman-Larsson lost his mom to cancer mid-season.[47] In 2019 Ekman-Larsson and fellow Arizona Coyotes welcomed a terminal cancer patient Leighton Arcardo into the organization, with Ekman-Larsson insisting she do the team's face-off.[48] In 2021, he sold his $6.5 million house in North Scottsdale to Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Christian Yelich.[49]

Ekman-Larsson has a son, Leo Phoenix Ekman-Larsson, with Leo derived from the initialism OEL, and Phoenix homaging the capital of Arizona, where he started his NHL career.[35]

Records

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  • Most game-winning goals by a defenceman in a single NHL season – 8 goals[50]
  • First Swedish-born defenceman in NHL history to score more than 20 goals in a single season – 23 goals[51]
  • Fastest shorthanded goal to begin a period in NHL history – 5 seconds[52]
  • Most powerplay goals by a defenceman in Arizona Coyotes franchise history – 41 goals[21]
  • Most goals by a defenceman in Arizona Coyotes franchise history – 128 goals

Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2006–07 Tingsryds AIF J18 12 0 1 1 8 — — — — —
2006–07 Tingsryds AIF J18 Allsv 11 0 2 2 20 — — — — —
2007–08 Tingsryds AIF J18 6 1 1 2 20 — — — — —
2007–08 Tingsryds AIF J18 Allsv 6 1 2 3 37 — — — — —
2007–08 Tingsryds AIF Div.1 27 3 5 8 10 — — — — —
2008–09 Leksands IF Allsv 39 3 14 17 32 8 2 2 4 6
2009–10 Leksands IF Allsv 42 9 18 27 98 10 2 4 6 8
2010–11 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 48 1 10 11 24 — — — — —
2010–11 San Antonio Rampage AHL 15 3 7 10 16 — — — — —
2011–12 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 82 13 19 32 32 16 1 3 4 8
2012–13 Portland Pirates AHL 20 7 14 21 28 — — — — —
2012–13 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 48 3 21 24 26 — — — — —
2013–14 Phoenix Coyotes NHL 80 15 29 44 50 — — — — —
2014–15 Arizona Coyotes NHL 82 23 20 43 40 — — — — —
2015–16 Arizona Coyotes NHL 75 21 34 55 96 — — — — —
2016–17 Arizona Coyotes NHL 79 12 27 39 48 — — — — —
2017–18 Arizona Coyotes NHL 82 14 28 42 44 — — — — —
2018–19 Arizona Coyotes NHL 81 14 30 44 52 — — — — —
2019–20 Arizona Coyotes NHL 66 9 21 30 38 9 1 3 4 8
2020–21 Arizona Coyotes NHL 46 3 21 24 32 — — — — —
2021–22 Vancouver Canucks NHL 79 5 24 29 52 — — — — —
2022–23 Vancouver Canucks NHL 54 2 20 22 22 — — — — —
2023–24 Florida Panthers NHL 80 9 23 32 76 24 2 4 6 24
NHL totals 982 144 327 471 632 49 4 10 14 40

International

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Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2009 Sweden U18 5th 6 2 6 8 2
2010 Sweden WJC 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 6 2 3 5 12
2010 Sweden WC 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 9 1 2 3 2
2011 Sweden WC 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 7 1 3 4 2
2014 Sweden OG 2nd place, silver medalist(s) 6 0 3 3 2
2015 Sweden WC 5th 8 2 10 12 6
2016 Sweden WCH 3rd place, bronze medalist(s) 4 0 0 0 4
2017 Sweden WC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 8 2 3 5 2
2018 Sweden WC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 10 2 5 7 4
2019 Sweden WC 5th 8 3 5 8 4
2022 Sweden WC 6th 6 0 2 2 4
Junior totals 12 4 9 13 14
Senior totals 66 11 33 44 30

Awards and honours

[edit]
Award Year Ref
NHL
NHL All-Star Game 2015, 2018
Stanley Cup champion 2024
International
World Championship All-Star Team 2015, 2018

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Oliver Ekman-Larsson". eurohockey.net. Retrieved 28 May 2009.
  2. ^ Phoenix Coyotes (24 May 2010). "Coyotes sign first round draft choice to entry level contract". coyotes.nhl.com.
  3. ^ Elite Prospects. "2009 - 2010 Allsvenskan u20". eliteprospects.com.
  4. ^ "Hurricanes vs. Coyotes". coyotes.nhl.com. 23 October 2010.
  5. ^ Brown, Jerry (18 January 2011). "Coyotes could be thin on blue line vs. Predators". NHL.com. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  6. ^ "Blackhawks Knocked Out With Coyotes' 4-0 Win In Game 6". CBS Chicago. 23 April 2012. Archived from the original on 26 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
  7. ^ "Coyotes Beat Canadiens for First Time Since '98". coyotes.nhl.com. 6 March 2014.
  8. ^ "Ekman-Larsson Places Seventh in Norris Trophy Voting; Yandle Places 12th". coyotes.nhl.com. 16 June 2013.
  9. ^ "Coyotes top Oilers in final second of OT". National Hockey League. 16 December 2014.
  10. ^ "Ekman-Larsson to represent Arizona at All-Star Game". Arizona Coyotes. 15 January 2014. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
  11. ^ "Ekman-Larsson's floating goal sparks Coyotes over Leafs 3-1". newsok.com. Toronto. 30 January 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  12. ^ "Ekman-Larsson makes history with 21st goal". todayslapshot.com. 1 April 2015. Archived from the original on 16 July 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2015.
  13. ^ Vest, Dave (5 April 2015). "Ekman-Larsson Ties Franchise Record". NHL.com. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  14. ^ "Ekman-Larsson notches milestone in win over Isles". Arizona Coyotes. 19 December 2015. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
  15. ^ "Domi notches first career hat trick". Arizona Coyotes. 12 January 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2016.
  16. ^ Brown, Jerry (26 March 2016). "Ekman-Larsson gets NHL record with scoring change". NHL.com. Retrieved 13 March 2018.
  17. ^ "Ekman-Larsson helps Coyotes past Stars". Arizona Coyotes. 24 March 2016. Retrieved 24 March 2016.
  18. ^ "Brent Burns finishes third in Norris Trophy voting". fearthefin.com. 22 June 2016. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
  19. ^ National Hockey League [@PR_NHL] (20 March 2017). "Ekman-Larsson claims another franchise record" (Tweet). Retrieved 14 November 2024 – via Twitter.
  20. ^ "Coyotes grant Ekman-Larsson leave of absence for remainder of season". Sportsnet.ca. 3 April 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  21. ^ a b Vest, Dave (14 October 2017). "'Yotes Notes: Ekman-Larsson, Kempe Reach Milestones in Humbling Loss". NHL.com. Glendale: Arizona Coyotes. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  22. ^ "Ekman-Larsson Selected to Represent Coyotes at 2018 NHL All-Star Game". NHL.com. 10 January 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  23. ^ "Ekman-Larsson fined for slashing in Coyotes game against Avalanche". NHL.com. 10 March 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  24. ^ "NHL announces 31 team nominees for King Clancy Trophy". NHL.com. 23 April 2018. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  25. ^ "Ekman-Larsson signs eight-year contract extension with Coyotes". NHL.com. 1 July 2018. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
  26. ^ "Coyotes name Ekman-Larsson captain". TSN. 13 September 2018. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  27. ^ Morgan, Craig (13 September 2018). "Oliver Ekman-Larsson named Coyotes captain". The Athletic. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  28. ^ "Report: Ekman-Larsson, No. 9 Pick Involved in Blockbuster Canucks, Coyotes Trade". TSN.ca. 23 July 2021. Retrieved 23 July 2021.
  29. ^ Van Diest, Derek (13 October 2021). "Oilers rebound, defeat Canucks in shootout in season opener". NHL.com. Retrieved 11 April 2024.
  30. ^ Robinson, Alan (7 April 2022). "Horvat helps Canucks defeat Coyotes, gain in West wild card". NHL. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  31. ^ Johnston, Patrick (8 April 2022). "Canucks 5, Coyotes 1: The wins keep coming". The Province. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  32. ^ Vancouver Canucks (16 June 2023). "Canucks Buyout Defenceman Oliver Ekman-Larsson". NHL. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  33. ^ Johnston, Patrick (16 June 2023). "Canucks buy out Oliver Ekman-Larsson". The Province. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  34. ^ "Panthers agree to terms with Oliver Ekman-Larsson on a 1-year contract". Florida Panthers. 1 July 2023. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
  35. ^ a b Morgan, Craig (19 July 2024). "Oliver Ekman-Larsson talks Stanley Cup, fatherhood and his undying love for the Valley". Go Phnx.
  36. ^ Clipperton, Joshua (24 June 2024). "Oilers fall short of history as Panthers win Game 7 to capture 1st Stanley Cup title". CBC Sports. The Canadian Press. Retrieved 26 June 2024.
  37. ^ "Maple Leafs sign D Ekman-Larsson to four-year deal; sign goalies Stolarz, Murray". TSN. July 2024. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  38. ^ "IIHF WJC Championship Sweden PLAYER STATISTICS BY TEAM 2009-2010" (PDF). IIHF. 11 January 2010. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 May 2021.
  39. ^ "IIHF World Championship Best Players Per Game" (PDF). IIHF. 23 May 2010.
  40. ^ "Coyotes' Oliver Ekman-Larsson to Captain at IIHF Worlds". arizonasports.com. 1 May 2019.
  41. ^ Ronnie Johansson (23 April 2010). "Eliteprospects.com - Kenneth Ekman". eliteprospects.com.
  42. ^ Jonsson, Fredrik (29 June 2013). "Ilestedt drömmer om en medalj i hemma-EM" (in Swedish). Expressen. Retrieved 4 July 2013.
  43. ^ "Kenneth Ekman - Sveriges Olympiska Kommitté". sok.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 11 June 2024.
  44. ^ "Roadrunners Sign Kevin Ekman-Larsson To AHL Contract". Tucson Roadrunners. Retrieved 22 May 2017.
  45. ^ "OEL of Sweden". oelofsweden.se. 18 December 2014. Retrieved 7 June 2015.
  46. ^ "Coyotes' Oliver Ekman-Larsson a superstar on, off ice".
  47. ^ "Coyotes Ekman-Larsson Opens Up About the Loss of Hi Mom". 2 May 2017.
  48. ^ "Fan Leighton Accardo Died Following Battle with Cancer". 24 November 2020.
  49. ^ Gonzales, Angela (3 November 2021). "Paradise Valley home of former Arizona Coyotes star sold to pro baseball player". Phoenix Business Journal. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  50. ^ "Ekman-Larsson set record with game winning goals". National Hockey League. 3 April 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  51. ^ Cluff, Jeremy (11 January 2017). "Arizona Coyotes' NHL All-Star history". azcentral.com. Retrieved 15 February 2018.
  52. ^ "Ekman-Larsson's floating goal sparks Coyotes over Leafs 3-1". Toronto: The Oklahoman. Associated Press. 30 January 2015. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
[edit]
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Phoenix Coyotes first round draft pick
2009 		Succeeded by
Sporting positions
Preceded by Arizona Coyotes captain
2018–2021 		Succeeded by
N/A
Franchise suspended operations
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