The NHL’s reigning rookie of the year is going to play abroad.
That’s the news out of Sweden today as second division (Allsvenskan) outfit Djugardens has signed Gabriel Landeskog to a two-month deal.
News of the signing was confirmed to ESPN by Landeskog’s agent, Peter Wallen.
With Djugardens, Landeskog will join San Jose Sharks defenseman Douglas Murray, ex-Nashville farmhand Chet Pickard and Pontus Aberg, the 37th overall pick at the 2012 NHL Entry Draft (taken by Nashville.)
The move also represents a homecoming for the 19-year-old Swede, who played his junior hockey for Djugardens and briefly represented the senior team before jumping to OHL Kitchener in 2009-10.
Landeskog scored 22G-30A-52PTS with the Avs in his freshman campaign, beating out Edmonton’s Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and New Jersey’s Adam Henrique for the Calder Trophy.
In early September, he succeeded Milan Hejduk to become the fourth captain in Colorado Avalanche history -- making him the youngest captain in NHL history (11 days younger than Sidney Crosby when he became Pittsburgh’s captain.)
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