Adam Larsson
| Adam Larsson | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Born |
November 12, 1992 Skellefteå, Sweden | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
| Weight | 220 lb (100 kg; 15 st 10 lb) | ||
| Position | Defenceman | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| NHL team (P) Cur. team |
New Jersey Devils Skellefteå AIK (SEL) | ||
| NHL draft |
4th overall, 2011 New Jersey Devils | ||
| Playing career | 2009–present | ||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
Representing  Sweden
| ||
| Men's ice hockey | ||
| World Junior Championship | ||
 |
2010 Canada | Ice hockey |
| IIHF World U18 Championships | ||
 |
2010 Belarus | Ice hockey |
Adam Larsson (born November 12, 1992) is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenceman who has played for Skellefteå AIK in Elitserien (SEL) since 2009. He was selected 4th overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 2011 NHL draft.[1] The youngest player on the Skellefteå squad at the time, Larsson was the first defenceman to be drafted in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.[2] As Larsson signed an entry-level contract with the Devils in mid-July 2011, and Larsson still has one year left on his contract with Skellefteå AIK, it is not known yet whether he will play in the NHL, AHL or in his SEL team in the 2011–12 season, but Larsson is expected to play in North America.[3]
Professional career
Skellefteå AIK
The 2009–10 Elitserien season turned out to be a spectacular breakthrough season for Larsson. He scored two goals in an Elitserien game against Timrå on October 15, 2009.[4] By the end of the season, Larsson had tied the single-season record for amount of points in Elitserien among defencemen under the age of 18, 17 points, a record that was set by Tomas Jonsson in 1977–78, who compiled 8 goals and 9 assists in 35 games.
Larsson fought Timrå forward Daniel Corso in a game on November 2, 2010, receiving a cut eyebrow during the altercation. Larsson commented that he kept his gloves on because removing them during a fight in Elitserien leads to an automatic one game suspension.[5] Even though Larsson did not drop his gloves, both he and Corso were suspended for two games and received fines as a result of the fight.[6]
Adam's play in the 2010–11 season earned him a nomination for the Elitserien Rookie of the Year award,[7] but he wasn't chosen in the end.
New Jersey Devils
Larsson was selected in the first round, 4th overall,[1] by the New Jersey Devils during the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Seen as a move towards rebuilding the Devil's defence corp, Larsson was rated by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau as the top European prospect available in the 2011 draft.[8] Larsson, who has been compared to Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidström, has participated in the Devils' prospect camp and is seen as having a chance at earning a spot on the NHL roster for the 2011–12 season.[9] He signed a three-year, entry-level contract at the league maximum US$925,000 per year, plus signing bonus, with the Devils on July 15, 2011. Devils general manager and CEO Lou Lamoriello stated that Larsson is expected to play in North America during the 2011–12 season, either on the Devils or with their Albany Devils AHL affiliate.[3]
International play
Larsson represented Sweden at the 2010 World Junior Championships, held in Saskatchewan, Canada. At the 2010 World U18 Championships he was selected as the best defenceman of the tournament.[10] When Larsson played at the 2011 World Junior Championships he repeated his scoring of one goal and three assists from the previous tournament, which earned him the distinction of being Sweden's highest scoring defenceman at the tournament.[11]
Personal life
Adam's father, Robert Larsson, played 249 games with Skellefteå from 1985 to 1995. Robert was drafted in the sixth round, 112th overall, by the Los Angeles Kings during the 1988 NHL Entry Draft, but never played in North America.[12]
In 2008–09 Adam played with his older brother Hampus Larsson in the junior league J20 SuperElit.[13] In 2010 Hampus signed a one-year contract with historical Skellefteå rival Björklöven.[14]
Career statistics
- Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2007–08 | Skellefteå AIK | J20 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Skellefteå AIK | J20 | 26 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 28 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | ||
| 2008–09 | Skellefteå AIK | SEL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Skellefteå AIK | SEL | 49 | 4 | 13 | 17 | 18 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 31 | ||
| 2010–11 | Skellefteå AIK | SEL | 37 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 41 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| J20 totals | 30 | 3 | 12 | 15 | 36 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 2 | ||||
| SEL totals | 87 | 5 | 21 | 26 | 59 | 11 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 31 | ||||
- International
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Sweden | WJC U18 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 2010 | Sweden | WJC | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| 2010 | Sweden | WJC U18 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 12 |
| 2011 | Sweden | WJC | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Junior int' totals | 23 | 4 | 9 | 13 | 20 | ||
Notable awards and honours
- 2010 IIHF World U18 Championships All-Star Team[15]
References
- ^ a b Chere, Rich (June 24, 2011). "Devils pick Adam Larsson fourth overall in 2011 NHL Draft". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved June 24, 2011.
- ^ "2011 ISS Top 30 - Jan. 17". TSN. 2011-01-17.
- ^ a b Gulliotti, Tom (July 15, 2011). "Devils sign first-round pick Adam Larsson". The Bergen Record. NorthJersey.com. Retrieved July 15, 2011.
- ^ "Hockeyligan.se - Statistik". Svenska Hockeyligan AB. Retrieved 2009-10-15.
- ^ "Hockeysverige.se - "Det borde tillåtas mer"" (in Swedish). Hockeysverige.se. 2010-10-03.
- ^ "Hockeysverige.se - Två matcher för slagskämparna" (in Swedish). Hockeysverige.se. 2010-10-04.
- ^ "Svenska Ishockeyförbundet" (in Swedish). swehockey.se. 2011-01-26.
- ^ Clark, Kevin (June 25, 2011). "Devils Take Swede in First Round of NHL Draft". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved June 25, 2011.
- ^ Chere, Rich (June 24, 2011). "NHL Draft 2011: Devils are ecstatic at getting Adam Larsson". The Star-Ledger. Retrieved June 24, 2011.
- ^ "Best Players Selected By the Directorate" (PDF). IIHF. 2010-04-23.
- ^ "Player statistics by team, Sweden" (PDF). IIHF. 2011-01-05.
- ^ "Eliteprospects.com - Robert Larsson".
- ^ "Eliteprospects.com - Hampus Larsson".
- ^ "Hampus Larsson klar för Löven" (in Swedish). Björklöven. 2010-07-08.
- ^ http://www.eliteprospects.com/awards.php?award=U18%20WJC%20All-Star%20Team