KITCHENER, Ontario, Canada -- A steely resolve came over Gabriel Landeskog's face when he was asked whether he did the right thing by moving to Canada in his mid-teens to play major junior hockey and possibly take a shortcut to the NHL.Landeskog (in yellow uniform in photo, right) is in his second season with the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League and the skills he used to become one of the youngest players ever in the Swedish Elite League a couple of years ago have also vaulted him to the top of the NHL's rankings of skaters in North America for the NHL Draft in June.
If selected first overall, Landeskog will be the first Swede to go that high since Mats Sundin went to the Quebec Nordiques in 1989.
"I thought it would be the best thing for my development," says Landeskog about coming to this side of the Atlantic Ocean. "I didn't want to be a guy playing five minutes a game in the Swedish Elite League. This is the junior NHL. It's the best junior league in the world and that's why I wanted to come here.
"And I also wanted to show the Swedish kids back home that this is a path you can take. It is a great life and it is a great experience. This is an experience you would never get in Sweden."
It was at the world under-18 championship in April 2009 when Landeskog first caught the attention of Kitchener coach Steve Spott, who was an assistant coach with Canada. After Landeskog scored a power-play goal, he skated by the Canadian bench and stared the Canadians down.
Spott, who is also the general manager of the Kitchener Rangers, made a mental note to himself to find out whom that kid was "because he's got a lot of moxie."
Spott met with Landeskog and then contacted his agent. Landeskog went to Kitchener for a visit shortly after and then went back to Sweden, where he sat down with his parents and they made up a list of pros and cons about moving.
The 16-year-old soon decided to pack his bags.
In Canada, major junior hockey is the highest level of hockey that's not at the pro level, and it's the main feeder system to the NHL.
Landeskog is billeted with a local family. He goes to high school in the morning and practices in the afternoon if the Rangers aren't playing that night. There are a lot of long bus trips, and a lot of routines that ultimately help prepare a player for the NHL.
Landeskog's style of play is suited to North America. He's what scouts call "a north-south player'' and he's good at it. While gifted offensively, he's also gritty, willing to block shots and plays well at both ends of the ice.
Landeskog struggled in the first half of his first season with the Rangers as he adjusted to his new team and new surroundings. But he picked up his game after Christmas two years ago and hasn't looked back.
When it became time to pick who would be captain of the Rangers this season, Spott said Landeskog was the logical candidate. Spott compares Landeskog to another former Kitchener Ranger, Mike Richards of the Philadelphia Flyers.
"He is confident and not cocky. I give him a lot of credit and when you get to know him, he is not a sheep who will follow the flock,'' said Spott about his captain. "He is his own man and he is mature beyond his years."
Landeskog was captain of a few teams when he played youth hockey in Sweden but he says it is a completely different thing being captain of the Rangers, which is one of the most storied major junior franchises in Canada. Its alumni include Scott Stevens, Larry Robinson, Paul Coffey and Al MacInnis, who are all in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
"It is more than wearing a C every night. There is more responsibility around the rink and out in the city,'' he said. "It is all about taking care of the guys and making sure the younger guys are following you, making sure they are working hard."
Landeskog missed the 2011 World Junior Championship in Buffalo because of an ankle injury that also kept him out of NHL/CHL Top Prospects Game in Toronto in mid-January. The game featured 40 of the top players eligible for the NHL Draft.
His priority for the remainder of the OHL season is to help Kitchener win the league championship and qualify for the Memorial Cup tournament, which is major junior hockey's version of the Stanley Cup Finals.
Last, but no means least on his list, is being the No. 1 pick in the draft.
"It would be a tremendous honor to go in the top 10 or be drafted in the first round but I can't think of that right now,'' said Landeskog. "A lot of people can speculate but I am here to play hockey and that is what I am going to do."
Spott said his prized player can expect to receive a lot more attention in the run to the playoffs, and how he handles that pressure will in part dictate where he goes in the draft.
"I think the big thing for him will be playoff success because teams will check him and teams will have their best defensive pairings against him and that is where he will have to separate himself as a pro and that will have a big say whether he goes one, two or three."
"I don't expect him back (playing for Kitchener next season). He will play zero games in the American Hockey League."
There is a good chance that Landeskog will be the top pick and if that doesn't happen, he will go in the top five.
At least one NHL general manager thinks Landeskog could play in the NHL today.
"I love the completeness of the player, He can score and he can check and he can play in the traffic areas and he has great determination,'' said Atlanta GM Rick Dudley.
"He is one of those players who is an absolute can't miss prospect and in fact, he is one of the players who you could say, if you asked him to play (in the NHL) now he could probably function.
"But he will play very shortly and he will be very good."
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