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The fourth overall pick of the 2011 draft, defenseman Adam Larsson seemed to be making strides in 20 games with the Devils this season until a November knee injury led to six weeks of no hockey and then an assignment to the AHL that is ongoing.

(Joe Camporeale/USA TODAY Sports)

The Albany Devils, American Hockey League affiliate for the New Jersey Devils, played a home game in Atlantic City last weekend, and NJ.com was there to conduct interviews for a series of articles this week on Devils' prospects.

ATLANTIC CITY - Playing the right point on an Albany Devils' power play the other night, Adam Larsson wristed a shot that missed the net, banged off the end boards and caromed all the way to the neutral zone on the left-wing side.

It looked like a Hershey Bears penalty killer had a clear shot at racing forward to pick up the puck and speed in for a breakaway … but then, seemingly out of nowhere, Larsson was right there with his stick extended to retrieve the puck just in the nick of time.

This was a saved scoring opportunity not many defenseman at any level can pull off, but Larsson's speed, skill, size and ability to read plays allowed him to make it look easy.

Yet at the end of his shift, Larsson returned to the Albany bench with a headshake and look that showed disgust because he didn't do more to help his team score on the power play.

There were several more shifts ending the same way for Larsson last Friday night when the 6-foot-3, 220-pounder was solid but not spectacular in the A-Devils' 3-2 shootout loss at Boardwalk Hall.

"I think Adam's his own worst enemy sometimes," Albany coach Rick Kowalsky said. "He wants to be an impact, and sometimes he wants to make an impact every shift. He doesn't have to make a play that leads to a scoring chance. Sometimes he's got to make the simple play, and he's done that at times, but he has a tendency to get away from it.

"There's obviously a ton of talent there. We've seen some signs of that. When he lets his instincts take over, I think that's when he's at his best."

Three years into his pro career, the 21-year-old Swede, who was drafted by the Devils fourth overall in 2011, is a perfectionist on a personal mission to fulfill expectations. He wants to be something special playing defense in the NHL, just like his childhood hero Nicklas Lidstrom was for so many years for the Detroit Red Wings, yet for the time being he's a minor leaguer working on his game.

"Of course this is not the situation I want to be in," Larsson said. "They do what they think is the best for the team up there. I try to do my best wherever I'm playing."

Larsson felt he was making big strides earlier this season playing 20 of the Devils' first 23 games, the last 14 as a plus-1 with three points while paired with rookie Eric Gelinas. But a knee injury suffered in a Nov. 23 game at San Jose led to six weeks of missed games, then an assignment on Jan. 9 back to the AHL for conditioning.

More than a month and 17 minor-league games later, Larsson is still with the A-Devils hoping for a quick return to the big club.

"He's certainly had some bumps in the road, but how he handled it and how he's continued to play down here is going to help," Kowalsky said. "I think everybody's got to be patient, including himself."

Yes, Larsson's frustrated going through growing pains that almost every young NHL defenseman experiences. He's played 122 NHL games in three seasons, but the occasional healthy scratches – three this season after 11 last season - sting every time. And it hasn't been easy for him trying to put more defense and less risk into a style of play that he grew up on in Sweden.

"Defensively, when I came from Sweden it was a lot of offense, so it was kind of an adjustment for me to start doing all defense," Larsson said. "So it's been a bumpy road for me so far, but in the long run it's probably good to learn both sides. You can sit here and say it’s not my job or not what I wanted to do, but you have to face it and do what the coaches ask you to do."

Larsson says he's trying to remain patient while knowing fans want him to be an instant star.

"Of course I want to be up there and do as well as I can, but I can't sit there and think what everybody else is thinking about me," he said. "I'm focusing on immediate type of things."

Naturally, this seemingly slow progression has led media types, bloggers and fans to drum up trade rumors involving Larsson, and more probably will be forthcoming with the NHL's March 5 trade deadline arriving soon and the Devils badly in need of a couple forwards who can score consistently.

What's Larsson think of this? Well, when asked about trade rumors on Friday night, he said that he avoids reading them at all costs.

"I don't look at that," he said with a smile. "It would kill you right away, so I wouldn't do that."

Larsson was told Chicago Blackhawks defenseman/Swedish Olympian Johnny Oduya recently said playing his early days in Jersey helped him grow into a respected NHL player and that the Devils organization is probably better than any for the development of young blueliners. Larsson then was asked if he feels the same way and if he's still happy being part of the Devils organization.

"Yeah," he said with a sincere look and tone. “If I wouldn't be happy, I would ask for a trade or something."

"Or something" is a quick return to the NHL, and Larsson wants that next chance as soon as possible, but he's not completely satisfied with his game, which he feels still is showing rust from the time he missed from his knee injury.

"I'm not frustrated with the organization. I would say it's more I've had some injuries and it kind of killed me a little bit," said Larsson, who as a rookie also missed three weeks of games with a bruised back. "Unfortunately for me, it was bad timing this season. Me and Gelinas were playing pretty good.

“I’ll be here (in Albany) as long as they want me to be here. It’s not my decision. I feel like I’m in good shape right now and I have to get it going a little bit. It’s everything from timing … Maybe I'm not 100 percent yet.”

Meantime, Larsson often looks out of place in the AHL. Albany Devils captain Rod Pelley was impressed with Larsson’s skills when they were NHL teammates two seasons ago and now even more so.

"I remember his first camp as an 18-year-old,” said Pelley, who played 206 games with the big Devils from 2006-07 to 2011-12. "You could see right away … the patience with the puck, the natural instincts that he was gifted with. You watch him now and his game has developed in every situation. I’m telling you, he’s a more mature player, a more confident player. He skates with the puck. It’s just a matter of time before he’s playing a major role for the Devils.”

Larsson’s best buddy in Albany is forward Mattias Tedenby, another Swede drafted in the first round by the Devils who is back in the minors after beginning the season in the NHL. Two years older than Larsson, Tedenby has been like a big brother offering motivational advice.

“Larse can be pretty tough on himself,” Tedenby said. “We came down here pretty much the same time and I just told him, ‘Go out and play your game. You’re going to be fine.’ He shows it.

“They need to give him a shot. You know? When he gets that shot, he’s going to be very good. He’s a great skater. He’s got the whole package. He’s just waiting for the chance.”

Kowalsky sees a lot of star qualities, too.

“Certainly you can see why he was a high pick,” the coach said. “He sees the ice and I think he understands the game at a high level for a young kid. Before Adam gets to the puck, he has an idea of where the pressure is coming from. He not only knows where one of his options may be, but usually he sees two if not three. That's something I always saw in him all the way going back to development camp.

“I think moving forward he’s going to be a guy that will have the ability to jump into the play offensively and kind of be that second wave in the rush. That's something at the NHL level he’s a little timid to do. It's not something he does a ton here, but there have been times where he’s jumped into the play to make a 3-on-2 a 4-on-2 or a 2-on-1 a 3-on-1 deal. That's a part of his game that can continue to develop."

Kowalsky thinks Larsson is getting to the point where staying in the AHL will do him no good.

“The next step of his development, no question, is going to be some time in the NHL where he’s going to have to continue to grow," the A-Devils coach said. “I think young defensemen in particular, we can only get them so far down here, then they’re going to have to play at the NHL level. A guy is not going to go up to the NHL from Albany and be an immediate impact. Gelinas is a prime example. He was sent back here to work on things. It takes time to play this position at a high level."

An exception is 20-year-old Dougie Hamilton, the second defenseman drafted in 2011, ninth overall by Boston. The 6-foot-5 blueliner recently was moved onto the Bruins’ top defense pair to play with future Hall of Famer Zdeno Chara.

A similar path surely is what the Devils expected when drafting Larsson five spots ahead of Hamilton. Almost three seasons later, it’s too early to tell if Larsson can become a No. 1-pair guy.

“That’s tough to say for me right now,” Kowalsky said. “For me, he’s just still so young. I think there’s so much potential. There’s still room for him to grow and there’s a lot of time to do that. I think the first step for him is to get back to the NHL and be a regular top 6 guy, then if he continues to grow, maybe a 5-6 to a 3-4. And then move forward from there.”

Talk to Larsson and what stands out is he's the anti-Cam Janssen personality wise. Unlike his loud and outgoing AHL teammate, Larsson speaks softly and doesn’t have much to say. Watch him interact with teammates and he seems to be the same way.

"Adam's a pretty quiet guy, but very intense in his own way," Pelley said. "But he plays the game on his own intensity level. He doesn't say much, but he's bringing it every night. I'm sure if you asked him, he's his own worst critic."

True, Tedenby said, but he sees a side of Larsson that Devils fans haven't.

"He's pretty funny actually. Sometimes he can be quiet for a little bit, then from nowhere comes a pretty funny joke and everyone will start laughing."

Tedenby says Larsson’s shyness is a trait many people from "up north" in Sweden possess. Larsson comes from the northeast part of country, Skelleftea, which is 480 miles north of Stockholm and on Sweden's East Coast near the Gulf of Bothnia. That's where he grew up idolizing Lidstrom, whose eight Norris Trophies as best NHL defenseman are one shy of Bobby Orr's record. Lidstrom also was a star on Sweden's 2006 Olympic team that won Gold in the Turin Games.

Watching the Sochi Games on television the last week, Larsson is envious seeing former World Juniors teammates Gabriel Landeskog, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Jakob Silfverberg playing on Team Sweden. He plans on being apart of his national team in 2016, if NHL players again participate.

"Dream big," Larsson said. "You have to dream big."