On Jan. 8, 2009, Swedish hockey prospect Mikael Backlund made his National Hockey League debut for the Calgary Flames against the New York Islanders. Roughly 13 years (and a month) later, he’ll enter the upper echelon of the franchise’s games-played ranks when he suits up against the Seattle Kraken on Saturday night.
It’s a big achievement for someone who’s quietly become one of the organization’s best players ever.
A product of Vasteras, in central Sweden, Backlund came up through the local junior squad and was drafted by the Flames in the first round of the 2007 NHL Draft.