Adam Larsson
Nils Erik Adam Larsson (born 12 November 1992) is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenceman and alternate captain for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected fourth overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. The youngest player on the Skellefteå AIK squad at the time of his draft, Larsson was the first defenceman and first European-trained player to be drafted in 2011. Professional career Skellefteå AIK (2009–2011) The 2009–10 Elitserien season turned out to be a spectacular breakthrough season for Larsson. He scored two goals in an Elitserien game against Timrå IK on 15 October 2009. By the end of the season, Larsson had tied the single-season record for the number of points in Elitserien among defencemen under age 18 with 17 points, a record that was set by Tomas Jonsson in 1977–78, who compiled 8 goals and 9 assists in 35 games. Larsson fought Timrå IK forward Daniel Corso in a game on 2 November 2010, receiving a cut eyebrow during the altercation. Larsson commented that he kept his gloves on because removing them during a fight in the Elitserien leads to an automatic one-game suspension. Although Larsson did not remove his gloves, both he and Corso were suspended for two games and received fines as a result of the fight. Larsson's play in the 2010–11 season earned him a nomination for the Elitserien Rookie of the Year award, which Mattias Ekholm would eventually win. New Jersey Devils (2011–2016) Larsson was selected in the first round, fourth overall, by the New Jersey Devils in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. Seen as a move towards rebuilding the Devils defence corps, Larsson was rated by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau as the top European-based prospect available in the draft. Larsson signed a three-year, entry-level contract with no bonuses at the NHL maximum of US$925,000 per year with the Devils on 15 July 2011, due to general manager Lou Lamoriello's disapproval of performance bonuses. Larsson’s agent J.P. Barry said this was unusual for a top-10 draft pick. After making the team following the Devils training camp, Larsson became the first 18-year-old defenceman to dress for the Devils since Petr Sykora in the 1995-96 season. He also became the sixth under-20 defenceman to play for the Devils, and the first 18-year-old defenceman in the NHL since 2008, when Drew Doughty, Zach Bogosian and Luke Schenn all made their NHL debuts. Upon making his NHL debut, Larsson averaged 24 minutes per game alongside defensemen Andy Greene and Henrik Tallinder. Despite failing to tally a point through his first nine games, Larsson was praised by Greene for his puck handling and poise. Shortly after his 19th birthday, Larsson scored his first career NHL goal in the first period of an eventual 3–1 loss to the Washington Capitals on 11 November. By mid-November, Larsson had accumulated six points while playing 22:49 per game as one of the Devils' top defencemen. At the same time, he also