Ekman-Larsson Thankful, Proud to be Named Team Captain

GLENDALE -- Oliver Ekman-Larsson is the new captain of the Coyotes.
The 27-year-old defenseman, who has played his entire, 576-game NHL career for the Arizona/Phoenix franchise, officially accepted the job on Thursday, a day before the Coyotes are slated to begin training camp practices for the 2018-19 season.
"It's going to be very hard to be the next captain after Shane Doan, but at the same time I think I learned a lot from him and how he treats everybody around him with respect," Ekman-Larsson said. "I'm super excited and proud. I'm very proud and I know my family is very proud of me to sit here today and be a captain of the Arizona Coyotes. I never dreamed about that growing up so it feels weird, I'm not going to lie ... My feelings are all over the map right now. It's a big honor for me to be the captain of the Arizona Coyotes and I'm really thankful for the opportunity. I think it's going to be great."

Rick Tocchet, of course, did not name a captain last season, his first as head coach of the Coyotes. Instead, he appointed Ekman-Larsson and four others to serve as alternate captains.
"I just needed that year to get to know people and, quite frankly, they had to get to know me, too," Tocchet said. "I think it was a two-way street. Whether it's Oliver or some other guys on the team, that process, I wanted to go through that. I think it was a good process to go through ... I knew as the season went on that Oliver was going to be our captain."
Tocchet said he hopes Ekman-Larsson doesn't change who he is as captain because the players on the team "gravitate" towards him as is.
"I just want him to be himself," Tocchet said.

Clayton Keller, who finished third in the Calder Trophy voting last season, said naming Ekman-Larsson team captain is a significant move.
"It's huge," Keller said. "He's our leader. He's been here for a long time (and) to see him commit to this organization really means a lot. He's a star player. All of us young guys, and everyone else on the team, follows what he does and how he acts. I think you can learn a lot from him. He's easy to talk to, and he's going to be great in that position."
The Coyotes drafted Ekman-Larsson sixth overall in 2009 and he has been a key member of the team since breaking into the NHL in the 2010-11 season. The two-time NHL All-Star is the last remaining player from the Coyotes team that reached the 2012 Western Conference Finals. His dedication to the franchise was punctuated when he signed an eight-year contract extension this summer.

"We've gone through a few years of transition here," General Manager John Chayka said. "At some point you have to pick your cornerstone and you've got to put your pieces in place and get some stability. You can't just continually be a team in transition. As a manager, you always want to put your bets on the best people possible and that's a big part of what we've done here and that's why I feel so fortunate and so excited about the future … Between 'Toc' and Oliver, and the whole group's leadership, I think we're in a good place."
Ekman-Larsson is just the fourth player in Coyotes history to be named captain. He follows Keith Tkachuk (1996-2000), Teppo Numminen (2001-03) and Doan (2003-17). Ed Jovanovski wore the 'C' for five games in 2010-11 while Doan was sidelined by injury.

Doan, who mentored Ekman-Larsson during his final years as captain before retiring after the 2016-17 season, said Ekman-Larsson is the right person to take his place.
"I think it's a no-brainer," Doan said. "There's only 31 captains in the whole league. It's a very select group and I'm confident Oliver will be absolutely amazing as team captain. He's somebody who exemplifies what you want your captain to be and leads by example. I'm happy for him. He deserves this huge honor."

Ekman-Larsson can't wait to wear his new sweater with the 'C' on it.
"I'm probably going to be running around a little bit out on the ice for the first couple of games to get used to it, but I know we have a really good team and I know that we're going to need everybody to be successful, and I also know that we have a lot of good leaders in the room who's going to help me to realize our goals," Ekman-Larsson said.