‘I’m trying to recruit him a little bit’: Leafs’ Ekman-Larsson impressed by Ivar Stenberg
This story originally appeared on hockeysverige.se and has been translated from Swedish to English.
On Tuesday, the NHL held its lottery to determine which club would receive the first overall pick in the upcoming NHL Draft. The last-place Vancouver Canucks entered the lottery with the best odds of landing the top selection but instead will have to settle for the third overall pick.
Surprisingly, the first overall pick went to the Toronto Maple Leafs. Toronto missed the playoffs this season for the first time since 2016 — the same year the franchise won the draft lottery and selected Auston Matthews first overall. Now, the Maple Leafs will once again have the opportunity to make the opening selection.
The news was warmly welcomed by Toronto’s Swedish defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, who is currently in Sweden participating in the Beijer Hockey Games with Tre Kronor ahead of next week’s IIHF World Championship in Switzerland.
“You probably didn’t expect that the night before,” ‘OEL’ told hockeysverige.se. “It was only a nine percent chance, so it was a fun piece of news to wake up to. It’s obviously great for the city and the fans, but also for us as a team.”
Whom Toronto will ultimately select remains to be seen, but many experts believe the decision could come down to Canadian phenom Gavin McKenna and Swedish top prospect Ivar Stenberg.
Stenberg is also representing Sweden at the Beijer Hockey Games. Last week, the 18-year-old enjoyed a breakout performance at the Fortuna Hockey Games, recording five points in three games, including a goal in his debut.
When Sweden faced Czechia on Thursday night, Stenberg continued skating alongside fellow prospect Viggo Björck and Vancouver forward Linus Karlsson. This time, however, Stenberg was held scoreless as Sweden fell 3–1.
“Maybe it was a little step backward,” Stenberg told hockeysverige.se. “It was probably my worst game so far out of these four with the national team. I need to step it up for the next game,.”
For Stenberg, the experience of playing with the senior national team has been an important learning process.
“It’s gone well. I feel like I’m learning new things all the time. It feels good, and it’s just fun to be here and play,” the 18-year-old said. “I’ve had great guys around me, and we’ve supported each other a lot as well. It feels good that I’ve been able to play freely and continue playing my game here too.”
Stenberg is one of several junior players on Sweden’s roster competing for a spot at next week’s IIHF World Championship.
“That’s why you’re here, and you dream about the World Championship every day,” he said. “You just have to keep battling and play as well as you can, then we’ll see what happens.”
Ekman-Larsson joined Team Sweden earlier this week when the squad gathered in Ängelholm. There, he met Stenberg for the first time, and throughout the week the two have practised together and even spent time on the same unit during Thursday’s game against Czechia.
The veteran defenseman, who has played 1,137 NHL games, has been highly impressed by the teenager.
“He’s a fantastic player. He really showed that at the World Juniors, which I watched, but also here with the national team,” said Ekman-Larsson, who serves as captain for Tre Kronor. “He’s not here just to be here — he’s here because he belongs at this level and wants to contribute. I feel the same way about all the junior players here. They don’t play like juniors; they just go out there and play. They contribute so much. It’s really fun getting to know them, being around them, and seeing them up close. It’s fantastic.”
Even though McKenna is widely considered the favorite to go first overall, Ekman-Larsson admitted he would not mind seeing his young countryman end up in Toronto.
“Yeah, I’m trying to recruit him a little bit,” Ekman-Larsson said with a smile as Stenberg walked by in the arena corridors.
Stenberg himself, however, said he did not pay much attention to the NHL Draft Lottery.
“No, I was asleep. Of course I saw it afterward, but it’s not really something I follow that closely,” the top European prospect said.
He also downplayed any speculation surrounding the teams currently holding the top picks — Toronto, the San Jose Sharks, and Vancouver.
“I honestly don’t know how it’ll turn out. We’ll see.”
According to Stenberg, thoughts about the NHL Draft can wait. Right now, he only has one goal in mind.
“I want to play in the World Championship for Sweden right now, and I’m not thinking about the draft at all,” he said. “It’s only the World Championship and continuing to stay here and play that’s on my mind.”