People are always looking for the “next one” in sports. The NBA has been looking for the next Michael Jordan since his Royal Airness decided to try to hit curveballs. When I was young, everyone was trying to figure out which young slugger would be the next guy to challenge the hallowed Aaron/Ruth/Mays home run trifecta. Hell, one of Sidney Crosby’s nicknames is actually “The Next One.” No pressure there, kid.
In the NHL, we have a highly-touted rookie who has some serious expectations accompanying him every time he takes the ice this year. Coyotes’ rookie Oliver Ekman-Larsson is said to be one of the favorites to win the Calder Trophy this year. Respected journalists say he could have an impact like Drew Doughty, Zach Bogosian, Viktor Hedman, and Tyler Myers. But the biggest compliment could also be the most accurate—and carry the most pressure. Ladies and gentleman, meet the player who many people are calling this generation’s version of Nicklas Lidstrom. Again—no pressure kid.
Biggest problem: his name is too long for the back of his jersey. So there's that...
At the 2009 draft, Ekman-Larsson was the high-riser of the first round. Going into the draft, his fellow countryman, Magnus Paajarvi, was getting a lot of hype as a potential stud. But at the draft, the hype among insiders and GMs had the superstar status going to Ekman-Larsson, not Paajarvi. Coming into the 2010-11 season, OEL seems to be justifying the hype as he’s considered the best defenseman in the world who wasn’t playing in the NHL.
This year, he’s going to get a chance to fill the void on the Phoenix roster created by Zbynek Michalek’s departure via free agency. If you’re underestimating Michalek’s importance to the Coyotes, you should go ask a Yotes fan how they feel about the type of game he brought to the ice last year.
While Ekman-Larsson won’t be asked to immediately step in and fill Michalek’s shoes (or skates, as it were), he will be asked to show progress in his development, make the team, and play dependable minutes on a nightly basis for a team aiming for a playoff spot. Let me repeat: Phoenix will depend on him to fill the biggest hole on their team to repeat their best season in team history. Sounds simple enough, right?
To give you an idea of the type of player we’re talking about, he’s currently 6’2” and about 185 lbs. Give him time and he’ll fill out into a heavier frame which will help when bigger players are leaning on him in the tough defensive areas on the ice. In fact, the biggest issue with him last season was that they thought he was too small to be able to play in the league—so he answered their questions by adding 15 pounds to his frame.
But Ekman-Larsson’s physical game isn’t the reason he signed his entry-level level deal last May. His offensive upside is one of the best of anyone outside the NHL. So many times young defensemen will be classified as a “stay at home” guy or an “offensive defenseman.” If a prospect is able to put up some numbers from the blue line, he might be put into a category because his statistics say so. But to call him a purely offensive defenseman would be doing the rest of his game an injustice.
“We have the luxury of letting players develop. I say that, but you look at Oliver Ekman-Larsson out here at 19, the way he skates and moves the puck, he may be our best power play guy next season.” –Don Maloney (AZ Central)
Let’s get one thing straight. He’s not the kind of player who is going to make you think about AC/DC or the Dropkick Murphys. He’s not going to go out of his way to lay out an opponent. But where people get confused is thinking he wouldn’t make the huge hit, not because he doesn’t deal out hits, but because he would never go chasing out of position in search of the highlight hip check. He plays a quiet defensive game that is painfully effective against the opponent. He plays angles extremely well for a guy his age. He uses his stick effectively with the poke check and eliminating passing options. None of that stuff is sexy, but it’s the stuff that will make him an effective player from the minute he puts on the disembodied Coyote head.
Just look at what Mr. Lidstrom has done in Detroit. He has a room full of Norris Trophies, multiple Stanley Cups, and even a Conn Smythe. Even casual hockey fans will tell you he’s great—but when you ask them WHY he’s great, the answers won’t come as quickly. The key is that he does everything well with stone-cold efficiency.
Obviously, Ekman-Larsson isn’t at the same level as the 6-time Norris Trophy recipient–but expectations all around the league are sky-high for talented blueliner from Sweden. But if you don’t believe me, then take one of his teammate’s word for it:
“He’s played really good. He’s just a really smart and smooth defenseman. To find a young guy with talent like that is not that easy.” –Adrian Aucoin (Coyotes.com)
The truth is the Phoenix Coyotes have a deep, bright future on the blue line. Aside from Ekman-Larsson, they have blue-chip blue-liners Brandon Gormley, Maxim Goncharov, David Schlemko, and Chris Summers all waiting in the wings to help maintain the defensive excellence we expect from a Dave Tippett team.
“I thought that the defensemen as a group are probably the best I’ve ever seen at a camp like this (prospects camp)” –Don Maloney (via AZ Republic)
Even with a pipeline chalk full of blueline blue-chippers, Ekman-Larsson still stands head and shoulders as the best prospect in Arizona. He doesn’t hesitate to jump into the offensive zone to help his teammates create scoring chances, but rarely gets caught out of position. That’s a skill that many veteran defenseman struggle with—let alone 19-year-olds. He has a good slap shot even though he doesn’t use it all that often. He’s a skilled guy in every facet of the game; but his best attribute is his intelligence that allows him to see the ice in a way that only the truly special players can understand.
Even if you take away all of the flashy adjectives, he’s just a smooth player. It’s a little easier to write about a guy who delivers the big hit, has a booming slap shot, or races down the wing. But he’s more of the quiet assassin who could end up killing the Western Conference for the next decade. He’s the kind of player you won’t exactly notice for 60 minutes—but when you look back on the game, you find that he was never out of position, he quarterbacked the power play, created chances for his teammates, and was a +2.
That’s not as easy to get excited about as a 50-goal scorer, but it might be more important when trying to build a winner.
Matt Reitz is the Editor-In-Chief here at ViewFromMySeats.com and former NHL Writer for ProHockeyTalk on NBCSports. When he’s not shoving a mic in the face of NHLers or explaining why home teams should wear white, he’s usually trying to figure out what song to play next on his iPod. It’s a never-ending job.
