Red Wings Central RSS
DANIEL LARSSON
Daniel Larsson
Position: Goaltender
Catches: Left
Vitals: 6'0'' / 180 lbs.
Birthdate: February 7, 1986
Hometown: Boden, Sweden
Acquired: Detroit's fourth choice (92nd overall) in the 2006 draft
CSS Ranking: Not ranked
Contract: 2010
RWC Says: No. 1 goaltender

STORIES

PHOTOS
                         

AWARDS
  • 2007-08 Swedish Elite League rookie of the year
  • 2007-08 Swedish Elite League Honken Trophy (top goaltender)
  • 2008-09 PlanetUSA all-star

HISTORY
2004-05:
  • Spent year with Boden at Sweden's second level (28 GP, 3.84 GAA, .890 SPCT).
  • Unranked by Central Scouting entering and went undrafted for a second straight year.
2005-06:
  • Carried a poor Hammarby team that finished 14th of 15 teams at Sweden's second level.
  • Despite little support, posted league's third-best save percentage at .917 and had 2.67 GAA.
  • Helped Sweden to fifth-place finish at world junior championship (4 GP, 0.96 GAA, .952 SPCT).
  • Selected in the third round (92nd overall) by Detroit in 2006 draft in Vancouver.
2006-07:
  • Joined Djurgarden for Swedish Elite League rookie year (24 GP, 3 SO, 2.53 GAA, .910 SPCT).
  • Particularly strong in first two months (10 GP, 1.68 GAA, .941 SPCT).
  • Received media attention as candidate for Swedish national team, but didn't make it.
  • Numbers dipped in second half and eventually lost starts to Teemu Lassila (35 to 24 in total).
2007-08:
  • Took over starter's job from departed Teemu Lassila with Djurgarden of Swedish Elite League.
  • Helped team surpass low expectations and earn playoff spot.
  • Third in league in save percentage (.921), third in goals against (2.29) and second in shutouts (six).
  • Posted 2.64 GAA and .920 SPCT in five-game first-round playoff loss to Linkoping.
  • Edged out by Henrik Lundqvist, Stefan Liv and Mikael Tellqvist for spot at IIHF world championship.
  • Signed two-year entry-level contract with Red Wings in May.
2008-09:
  • Allowed two goals on 19 shots in 29 minutes of NHL pre-season action.
  • Assigned to Grand Rapids (AHL) as part of Detroit's first round of cuts.
  • Played his way onto PlanetUSA all-star team with an outstanding first half.
  • Posted all five of his shutouts from Oct. 1 to end of December.
  • Went 14-4-1 with a 2.28 GAA and .925 Sv% from Oct. 1 to end of December.
  • Shelled in AHL All-Star Game (five goals on 19 shots).
  • Battled injuries, including a concussion, and saw numbers slip down stretch.
  • Finished tied for third in the AHL with five shutouts.
  • Took a backseat to Jimmy Howard in AHL playoffs and didn't play a single minute.

SCOUT COMMENTS
"He plays big in net, stands up well, challenges shooters well, has athletic ability, and is very composed in the way he plays the game. He's got the athletic ability, now it's how he learns the game and matures." — Red Wings assistant general manager Jim Nill (June 2006) ... "He's really exceeded our expectations. He's been very good for us. He plays a very simple style. He doesn't have a lot of extra movement in his game. He just gets out there and blocks the puck and he's very economical in his moves." — Griffins general manager Bob McNamara (January 2009).

STRENGTHS
Stand-up style ... Solid athleticism, though not the highlight-reel goalie ... Good glove ... Quick feed ... Excellent side-to-side quickness ... Smart and skilled with his stick ... An advisor to the Red Wings compared Larsson to New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist prior to the draft.

WEAKNESSES
A late-bloomer who was passed over in two entry drafts and is still finding his game positionally and fundamentally ... Plays stand-up style but isn't a particularly big goaltender ... Needs to show the mental toughness to shake off bad goals, bad streaks and scrutiny.

PROJECTION
Larsson showed he can play in North America in 2008-09 and was one of the best goaltenders in the AHL for a couple of months early in the season. He is behind two highly-touted goaltenders on the prospect chart — Thomas McCollum and Jimmy Howard — so his work is cut out. He is expected to battle McCollum for the AHL starting job in 2009-10 and could face a time-share.

STATISTICS
  REGULAR SEASON PLAYOFFS
SEASON TEAM LEAGUE GP W-L-T SO GAA SPCT GP W-L SO GAA SPCT
2002-03 Lulea Swe-J18 12 -- 0 4.10 .868 -- -- -- -- --
2003-04 Lulea Swe-J20 4 -- 0 3.01 .895 -- -- -- -- --
  Boden Swe-2 1 -- 0 3.00 .909 -- -- -- -- --
  Sweden W-U18 1 -- 0 4.00 .867 -- -- -- -- --
2004-05 Boden Swe-2 28 -- 1 3.84 .890 -- -- -- -- --
2005-06 Hammarby Swe-J20 9 -- 1 2.63 .927 -- -- -- -- --
    Swe-3 -- -- -- -- -- 8 -- -- 2.77 .918
    Swe-2 28 -- 0 2.67 .917 -- -- -- -- --
  Sweden W-U20 4 -- -- 0.96 .952 -- -- -- -- --
2006-07 Djurgarden Swe 24 -- 3 2.53 .910 -- -- -- -- --
2007-08 Djurgarden Swe 46 -- 4 2.29 .921 5 -- 0 2.64 .920
2008-09 Grand Rapids AHL 40 22-12-2 5 2.76 .907 -- -- -- -- --

Sponsored Links




The next wave

RWC's top 10 prospects (2009-10 preliminary)
01 F Tomas Tatar » Grand Rapids (AHL)
02 D Jakub Kindl » Grand Rapids (AHL)
03 D Brendan Smith » Wisconsin (NCAA)
04 G Thomas McCollum » Grand Rapids (AHL)
05 F Gustav Nyquist » Maine (NCAA)
06 F Landon Ferraro » Red Deer (WHL)
07 F Jan Mursak » Grand Rapids (AHL)
08 F Cory Emmerton » Grand Rapids (AHL)
09 F Joakim Andersson » Frolunda (SEL)
10 F Mattias Ritola » Grand Rapids (AHL)
» COMPLETE RANKING »