Capitals rookie center Nicklas Backstrom is 4,100 miles away from his hometown of Gavle, Sweden, for the first time in his life.
A new country, a new city, a new team. Not to mention the hard lessons doled out nightly by the best hockey players in the world. It’s enough to make a teenager yearn for home, right?
“Actually, I like the U.S. I don’t even want to go back — at least not right now,” said Backstrom, the fourth overall pick in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft and a key piece of the Caps’ rebuilding project. “This is a place I want to be for a long time.”
But for at least a few hours on Monday afternoon, the 19-year-old had a taste of home as he and teammate Michael Nylander were invited to tour the new Swedish Embassy, a striking complex that opened last November on the banks of the Potomac River in Georgetown.
Dozens of embassy staffers, including Swedish Ambassador Jonas Hafstrom, had lunch with Backstrom and Nylander followed by an informal 45-minute chat and then the tour. It’s about as close as he will come to Sweden for a while, where hockey is a national passion.
That’s just fine for the Caps, who began the season with Backstrom playing right wing so he could learn the team’s systems and adjust to the NHL’s tighter style of play. But his early performances — and some lineup changes due to injury — have Backstrom back at center, his natural position. His first NHL goal was the game-winner last Thursday against Ottawa and he stands fourth among NHL rookies in scoring with eight points in 17 games.
“Nicklas has played with the national team in Sweden. He’s played in really important games, tough games,” said Nylander, a free-agent center signed in part to help mentor his young countryman. “He’s the type of player that fits into whatever role you give him. He adjusts to the game.”
Backstrom playedin both the World Junior Championships and the World Championships last season and spent a third year with Brynas of the Swedish Elite League. The Caps believed Backstrom was ready to play in the NHL last season. But, like a college athlete returning for his senior year, Backstrom chose to stay home with Brynas and get better.
“I feel comfortable right now, more than I thought I would,” he said. “I’ve played hockey a little bit. I know what to do on the ice. But this is still a new level and I wanted to be ready for it.”
Home away from home
» Other than the Swedish Embassy, Caps rookie Nicklas Backstrom has another place in mind if he does feel homesick — Ikea. “I really want to go there. It makes you feel like you’re in Sweden.”
» Backstrom’s father, Anders, was a professional hockey player in Sweden and a 10th round draft pick by the New York Rangers in 1980.
» Backstrom will celebrate his 20th birthday in Philadelphia on Nov. 23 when the Caps play the Flyers.
