Rubuta ci gaba ga wannan sakin layi - Ekman ya shafe shekarunsa na wasa a Sweden. A cikin kakar wasa ta 1993-94, bayan da ya zira kwallaye hudu da kwallaye biyar a wasanni goma sha ɗaya na Hammarby IF a cikin Junior League na Sweden, an kira Ekman zuwa ƙungiyar iyaye a cikin rukunin HockeyAllsvenskan na Sweden, inda ya zira kwallaye tara a wasanni 18. Da yake kama ido na Calgary Flames, kungiyar ta zana shi a cikin NHL Entry Draft na 1994
a zagaye na biyar a matsayin na 107th overall. A cikin kakar wasa ta 1994-95, bayan takaitaccen wasa biyu a gasar matasa ta Sweden, ya zira kwallaye 10 da taimakawa 7 a wasanni 29 don kungiyar mahaifa. Bayan wata shekara a Hammarby, inda ya zira kwallaye 9 kuma ya zira kwallaye 7 a wasanni 26, ya tafi Finland.