Oliver Ekman-Larsson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Oliver Ekman-Larsson |
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Ekman-Larsson with the Vancouver Canucks in October 2021
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| Born | 17 July 1991 Karlskrona, Sweden |
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| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 210 lb (95 kg; 15 st 0 lb) | ||
| Position | Defence | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team Former teams |
Toronto Maple Leafs Arizona Coyotes Vancouver Canucks Florida Panthers |
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| National team |  Sweden |
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| NHL Draft | 6th overall, 2009 Phoenix Coyotes |
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| Playing career | 2010–present | ||
Oliver Ekman-Larsson (born 17 July 1991) is a professional ice hockey player from Sweden. He plays as a defenceman for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the National Hockey League (NHL). People often call him "OEL" for short.
Oliver was picked sixth overall by the Phoenix Coyotes in the 2009 NHL draft. He was known as one of the best offensive defencemen in the NHL. He even led the Coyotes in scoring for two seasons. After playing 11 seasons with Arizona, Oliver moved to the Vancouver Canucks in 2021. He played there for two seasons before joining the Florida Panthers. With the Panthers, he achieved a huge goal: winning the Stanley Cup in 2024!
Contents
Oliver's Hockey Journey
Oliver Ekman-Larsson started his hockey career in Sweden. He played for the Tingsryds AIF club in the 2007–08 season. Then, he moved to Leksands IF, where he played for two seasons.
Playing for the Coyotes (2010–2021)
The Phoenix Coyotes chose Oliver as their sixth pick in the 2009 NHL draft. This was a big moment for his career. In May 2010, he signed his first contract with the Coyotes.
Oliver got his first NHL point on 23 October 2010. It was an assist on a goal that helped his team win in overtime. He scored his first NHL goal on 17 January 2011.
During the 2011–12 season, Oliver played in all 82 games. He scored 13 goals and made 19 assists, totaling 32 points. The Coyotes made it to the Stanley Cup playoffs that year. Oliver played his first playoff game on 12 April 2012. He scored his first playoff goal on 23 April, helping the Coyotes win their first playoff series ever! They went on to defeat the Nashville Predators but lost to the Los Angeles Kings. Oliver finished the 2012 playoffs with one goal and three assists in 16 games.
During the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Oliver played for the Portland Pirates. After the lockout, he played all 48 games for the Coyotes.
On 6 March 2014, Oliver reached 100 NHL points. This was a great achievement in his career. At the end of the 2013–14 season, he was ranked seventh for the James Norris Memorial Trophy. This award goes to the NHL's best defenceman.
On 16 December 2014, Oliver tied a team record. He scored his third overtime-winning goal of the season with only 0.03 seconds left! He was also chosen to play in the 2015 NHL All-Star Game. On 29 January 2015, he scored the fastest shorthanded goal to start a period in NHL history. It happened just five seconds into the third period!
Oliver finished the 2014–15 season with 23 goals and 20 assists. He broke a record by becoming the first Swedish defenceman in NHL history to score more than 20 goals in one season. His 23 goals were the most by any NHL defenceman that season.
On 19 December 2015, Oliver scored the only goal in a game against the New York Islanders. This goal was his 20th game-winning goal, setting a new franchise record for defencemen. On 12 January 2016, he helped rookie Max Domi score his first hat-trick. Oliver then scored the overtime-winning goal himself, making it a four-point night.
On 24 March, Oliver scored the game-winning goal against the Dallas Stars. This goal set an NHL record for the most game-winning goals by a defenceman in a single season, with eight. He was also the second defenceman in team history to score 20 or more goals in two seasons in a row.
In the 2016–17 season, Oliver scored his 40th career powerplay goal. This tied a franchise record for defencemen. On 3 April, Oliver took a leave of absence from the team. He returned to Sweden due to a family matter.
On 14 October 2017, Oliver scored his 41st powerplay goal. This made him the franchise leader for powerplay goals by a defenceman. He was also chosen to represent the Coyotes at the 2018 NHL All-Star Game. After the season, he was nominated for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy. This award recognizes players who show leadership and give back to their community.
On 1 July 2018, Oliver signed a big eight-year contract with the Coyotes. He was later named the captain of the team. He was the last captain of the Coyotes before the team became inactive in 2024.
Time with the Vancouver Canucks (2021–2023)
On 23 July 2021, Oliver agreed to a trade. He moved to the Vancouver Canucks along with Conor Garland. The Coyotes kept a part of his salary as part of the deal. He scored his first goal as a Canuck on 13 October. On 7 April 2022, he played his first game against his old team, the Arizona Coyotes.
On 16 June 2023, the Canucks ended his contract early. This made him an unrestricted free agent, meaning he could sign with any team.
Winning the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers (2023–2024)
On 1 July 2023, Oliver signed a one-year contract with the Florida Panthers. He got more ice time because of injuries to other players. He also played well with Gustav Forsling, which helped him join the Panthers' top power play unit. Oliver won the Stanley Cup with the Panthers on 24 June 2024. They defeated the Edmonton Oilers in game seven of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.
Joining the Toronto Maple Leafs (2024–present)
On 1 July 2024, Oliver signed a four-year contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs. On 13 November, he played his 1,000th NHL game. This is a huge milestone for any hockey player!
Playing for Sweden
Oliver has proudly represented Sweden in many international hockey tournaments.
He played for the Sweden junior team at the 2010 World Junior Championships. He was the highest-scoring defenceman on his team, with five points in six games.
At the 2010 World Championship, Oliver played in nine games and helped Sweden win a bronze medal. He was even named Sweden's best player in one game.
In 2019, Oliver was named captain of Sweden's team at the World Championship. He has won several medals for his country, including two gold medals at the World Championships in 2017 and 2018. He also won a silver medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Oliver's Life Outside Hockey
Oliver comes from a family of athletes. His grandfather, Kenneth Ekman, also played defenceman and represented Sweden in the 1972 Winter Olympics. His cousin, Amanda Ilestedt, is a professional soccer player for Sweden.
In 2013, Oliver started his own luxury clothing line called OEL in Sweden. He also spends a lot of his free time helping charities. He has donated tickets to Coyotes games and supported groups like Big Brothers Big Sisters and the Wounded Warrior Project.
In 2019, Oliver and his teammates welcomed a young fan named Leighton Accardo to the team. She was battling cancer, and Oliver made sure she got to do the team's face-off.
Oliver has a son named Leo Phoenix Ekman-Larsson. The name Leo comes from his initials, OEL. Phoenix is a tribute to the city where he started his NHL career.
Amazing Records Oliver Holds
- Most game-winning goals by a defenceman in a single NHL season – 8 goals
- First Swedish-born defenceman in NHL history to score more than 20 goals in a single season – 23 goals
- Fastest shorthanded goal to begin a period in NHL history – 5 seconds
- Most powerplay goals by a defenceman in Arizona Coyotes franchise history – 41 goals
- Most goals by a defenceman in Arizona Coyotes franchise history – 128 goals
Career Statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| 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 | ||
| 2024–25 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NHL | 77 | 4 | 25 | 29 | 52 | 13 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | ||
| NHL totals | 1,059 | 148 | 352 | 500 | 684 | 62 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 48 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Sweden | U18 | 5th | 6 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2010 | Sweden | WJC |  |
6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 12 | |
| 2010 | Sweden | WC | |
9 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | |
| 2011 | Sweden | WC |  |
7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | |
| 2014 | Sweden | OG | |
6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | |
| 2015 | Sweden | WC | 5th | 8 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 6 | |
| 2016 | Sweden | WCH | |
4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 2017 | Sweden | WC |  |
8 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2018 | Sweden | WC | |
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
| Award | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| NHL | ||
| NHL All-Star Game | 2015, 2018 | |
| Stanley Cup champion | 2024 | |
| International | ||
| World Championship All-Star Team | 2015, 2018 | |
Images for kids
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Oliver Ekman-Larsson playing for Sweden
