Leafs’ Ekman-Larsson named captain for Sweden’s World Championship team

Toronto Maple Leafs’ defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson has been named the captain for his native Sweden at the 2026 World Championships.

“I feel honored by the opportunity to be captain of Tre Kronor for the third time in my career,” Ekman-Larsson told the Swedish Ice Hockey Association. “We have already now begun building a strong team spirit and we will continue to build it every day during this championship.”

Ekman-Larsson, 34, is coming off a 2025-26 campaign that saw him score eight goals and record 31 assists for 39 points in 78 regular-season games.

In two seasons with Toronto, whom Ekman-Larsson signed a four-year contract with in July 2024, the 6-foot-2 blueliner has 12 goals and 56 assists for 68 points in 155 regular-season contests.

In 1,137 career games, Ekman-Larsson has 156 goals and 383 assists for 539 points with the Leafs, Florida Panthers, Vancouver Canucks and Arizona Coyotes.

He’s also played in 62 career playoff games, where he’s recorded six goals and 12 assists for 18 points. He won the Stanley Cup with the Panthers in 2024, where he finished with two goals and four assists for six points, averaging 15:27 of ice time.

Ekman-Larsson, taken No. 6 overall in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, spent two seasons in Sweden’s top domestic league with Leksands IF between 2008 and 2010. He recorded 12 goals and 32 assists for 44 points.

Internationally, the Karlskrona, Sweden, native represented his home country several times. He won a silver medal in the 2014 Sochi Olympics, a bronze medal at the 2010 World Junior Championships, two gold medals at the 2017 and 2018 World Championships, respectively, a silver medal in the 2011 World Championships and a bronze in the 2010 World Championships.