67’s Ekberg swiftly adjusting to North American lifestyle

From Ottawa67s.com

Filip Ekberg says that early life with the Ottawa 67’s is quite similar to what he experienced while playing with Almtuna IS in HockeyAllsvenskan in Sweden.

As it turns out, Ottawa and Uppsala aren’t all that different.

The Ottawa/Gatineau region is the sixth most populated region in Canada, while Uppsala is the fourth in Sweden – though they differ by nearly one million people – and both are cut by a body of water, with the canal waving near TD Place, and the Fyris River creating a picturesque backdrop for the Uppsala Cathedral.

Parallels aside, Ekberg will be adjusting to the OHL lifestyle. Sometimes, that means long road trips on the bus, and this season, it’ll mean a long stint away from TD Place, as the World Juniors move in.

His first game experience brought a little sense of normalcy for the 17-year-old, however, boarding the bus for a turn-and-burn trip to North Bay. He played on a line with Nathan Amidovski and Kimi Körbler, resulting in a pair of goals for the group, though Ekberg was held off the scoresheet.

“They are two really good players,” Ekberg said. “I think we had good chemistry on the ice, we found one another, so it was nice.”

In his first real bonding opportunity with his new teammates, the 67’s brought a 5-0 preseason win back to the nation’s capital, making the nearly four-hour bus ride back far more bearable.

“It was a bit late, but it was really nice,” Ekberg said. “It was the last night with my Dad, as well, so we just had a good time.”

Ekberg’s father made the trip to Canada with him, which he says was important for his ability to find his footing in his new surroundings. Early in his time in Ottawa, the youngster fell ill, and leaned on his father for virtually everything, giving him enough time to get healthy, and find close friends to turn to in any future shortcomings, or celebrate the good times with.

It took only a handful of days of being back on the ice for Ekberg to make those new connections, spending plenty of time with Luca Pinelli, Chase Yanni, and Nic Whitehead to learn the ropes of the league, but a friendship has bloomed like May flowers between the Swede and Körbler, his fellow import forward.

Without much spare time this early in the season, Ekberg is yet to see many of the landmarks that make Ottawa special, but that will come. Körbler has plans to take Ekberg to the mall and around the national capital region during the week, truly integrating him into the team and the city he’ll call home.

“The Euros always come together,” Körbler said. “It’s not easy when you leave your country like this, I know that, I was in the same situation last year. Making a new friend is nice, I love to do it.”

What 67’s fans are tingling with excitement for, of course, is what Ekberg does on the ice. At the Hlinka Gretzky Tournament over the summer, he scored three points, including a pair of goals in three games, flashing his special talent.

He hasn’t had much time to really show much of what’s in his bag of tricks, but already, he’s impressed the coaching staff, and his teammates.

“He missed almost two weeks where he wasn’t skating, but he looks good out there,” said Assistant Coach Norm Milley. “He looks in great shape, he’s got great hands, and good hockey IQ from what I have seen so far. From watching tape, he’s a smart player, now it’s just getting him up to speed with our system and comfortable with his teammates. We drafted him for a reason.”

Previously playing professional hockey, Ekberg has one big reason for coming to Ottawa: he thinks it will help him take the next step in his hockey career.

“It’s more like the NHL here,” he explained. “My biggest goal in life is to play hockey in the NHL, so to come here and get to play on the small ice helps me be more ready for that. They have coaches for everything here, it’s so good.”

“I’m really glad to be in this organization. They welcomed me, and I’m happy to be here.”