FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Monday, May 24, 2010

Ekman-Larsson

GLENDALE, ARIZONA --- Phoenix Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney announced today that the Coyotes have signed defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson to an entry level contract. As per club policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Ekman-Larsson, 18, was drafted by the Coyotes with the sixth overall pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. In 42 games this season with Leksand of Sweden’s second-highest professional league, Ekman-Larsson recorded 9-18-27 and 98 penalty minutes (PIM). A native of Karlskrona, Sweden, Ekman-Larsson helped lead Sweden to the bronze medal at the 2010 World Championship in Germany, recording 1-2-3 in nine games. He also represented Sweden in the 2010 World Junior Championship and won a bronze medal, collecting 2-3-5 and a +5 rating in six games. His five points ranked T-5th among all defensemen in the tournament and 1st among Swedish defensemen.

Last season, Ekman-Larsson appeared in 39 games with Leksand as a 17-year-old, where he recorded 3-14-17 and 32 PIM. The youngest player on his team, Ekman-Larsson also led the league with a +44 rating. The 6-foot-2, 176-pound defenseman represented Team Sweden at the 2009 Under-18 World Championship, collecting 2-6-8 in six games, helping Sweden to a fifth place finish.