How Swede It Is: An OHL Success Story

Most NHL fans know his name now, even moreso after he recently won this year’s Calder Trophy as the top rookie in the league. Just over a year after the Colorado Avalanche drafted him, Gabriel Landeskog has become a well-known player in the NHL – and his development through the Ontario Hockey League helped him to reach this point.

Landeskog is perhaps one of the best definitions of the term ‘how Swede it is,’ because well – he is certainly Swede, and also sweet (on the ice.) The 19-year-0ld Stockholm native began his North American career just three seasons ago, and has come quite far since then.

After playing for Djurgardens IF Stockholm at the U-18, junior and major levels, his CHL rights were traded to the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League on August 4, 2009. (His rights had previously been owned by the Plymouth Whalers.)

It would be in Kitchener that he would then make his North American debut, on September 18 against the Kingston Frontenacs. Landeskog scored his first OHL goal in his next game – September 25, in a 3-2 win over the Owen Sound Attack. He’d score against just two days later, and also add an assist, for his first multi-point game.

His first multi-goal game just a few months later that season, as Landeskog scored twice in a November 8 match-up against the Guelph Storm (Kitchener won 3-1). His best game that season would be a four-point night on January 1, 2010 against the none other than the Plymouth Whalers. Way to show them what they passed up on, eh?

In his first OHL season, the youngster had 24 goals and 22 assists in 61 games. He also ended the season with a 0 in plus-minus. As Kitchener continued to the playoffs, Landeskog had an impressive postseason run: 8 goals and 15 assists in 20 games, including a hat trick against the London Knights.

Landeskog’s second OHL season was another productive one with the Rangers: 36 goals and 30 assists in 53 games.

Highlights of that season include a hat trick in the first game of the season, a September 24 contest against the Saginaw Spirit, a four-point night in November against Belville, and a three-point night against Owen Sound in December.

After that successful season, he added six goals and four assists in the playoffs (seven games) and was soon after drafted by the Colorado Avalanche.

This season with the NHL’s Avs, Landeskog played in all 82 games and had 22 goals and 30 assists en route to winning the Calder Cup – and he’s still just 19 years of age.

Yes, yes, yes… how Swede it is, indeed.