Landeskog never wanted to be seen as the "typical" European finesse player, so he set out to be the exact opposite. His father, Tony, a one-time Swedish Elite League defenseman, encouraged his son to play a physical game as a teenager.
A solid 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds, the Stockholm native has a strong two-way game and a willingness to shoot and dish out hits.
The Colorado Avalanche selected Landeskog with the No. 2 pick in the 2011 NHL Draft, and the forward made the team at age 18 following his first pro training camp.
And the impact was immediate. In 2011-12, Landeskog became the third Sweden-born player to win the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie (Peter Forsberg of Colorado in 1994-95, and Daniel Alfredsson of the Ottawa Senators in 1995-96 were the others). He also became the second NHL rookie to score 20 goals and record 200 hits in a season, joining Dion Phaneuf of the Calgary Flames (2005-06).
On Sept. 4, 2012, the Avalanche made Landeskog the youngest captain in NHL history at 19 years and 286 days, 11 days younger than Sidney Crosby when he became the Pittsburgh Penguins captain in 2007.
Landeskog scored at least 30 goals for the first time in an NHL season in 2018-19 when he finished with 34. He also was tied for second in the League with nine game-winning goals (David Perron, St. Louis Blues) that season and played in his first NHL All-Star Game.
He scored 30 goals again in 2021-22 and had seven multipoint games during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, three since Game 4 of the Western Conference Final, one behind Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar for the Avalanche lead. He was handed the Stanley Cup by NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly after a 2-1 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final that gave the Avalanche their first NHL championship since 2001.
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