Who is Oliver Ekman-Larsson's grandfather, Kenneth? Know more about the family of Swedish star

Oliver Ekman-Larsson is the proud grandson of the former hockey legend Kenneth Ekman. Swedish-born retired hockey defenseman Karl-Axel Kennert Ekman, also known as Kenneth Ekman, played professionally for many years. Ekman was born on May 5, 1945, and had a distinguished career, including representing his nation abroad.

Notably, Kenneth Ekman had the honor of participating in the 1972 Winter Olympics in Japan as a member of the Sweden men's national ice hockey team.

The 78-year-old former hockey star keeps his life private and off social media. Thus, there is not much information available on him at present.

Besides his grandfather, Ekman-Larsson has other athletes in his family as well. Oliver Ekman-Larsson's cousin, Amanda Ilestedt, is a well-known Swedish international player. Kevin Ekman-Larsson, the younger brother of Ekman-Larsson, also played for the Tucson Roadrunners, the Coyotes' AHL affiliate, before switching to the Swedish second-tier team BIK Karlskoga.

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Oliver Ekman-Larsson’s professional hockey career

The Phoenix Coyotes selected Oliver Ekman-Larsson with the 6th overall pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. The young hockey star Ekman-Larsson showed great skill in the Allsvenskan league, finishing second in points among junior players the following season despite missing several games while playing for Sweden at the 2010 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.

Ekman-Larsson achieved a big milestone in his NHL career when he earned his first-ever point by assisting Kyle Turris on a goal on October 23, 2010. Building off this accomplishment, he scored his first NHL goal on January 17, 2011, beating Antti Niemi of the San Jose Sharks.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson was transferred from the Arizona Coyotes to the Vancouver Canucks along with Conor Garland on July 23, 2021. The Canucks traded with the Coyotes for Jay Beagle, Loui Eriksson, Antoine Roussel, and Dylan Guenther, a 2021 first-round selection, a 2022 second-round pick, and a 2023 seventh-round pick. Arizona retained twelve percent of Ekman-Larsson's pay as part of the deal.

In a game against the Edmonton Oilers on October 13, 2021, Ekman-Larsson scored his first goal for the Vancouver Canucks, leaving a lasting impression despite the team's disappointing 3-2 shootout loss. Later, on April 7, 2022, he played against the Arizona Coyotes for the first game as a Canuck, and helped the team with an assist in a resounding 5-1 victory.