LONDON, ONT.—For Petter Granberg, the decision to come to North America wasn’t hard.

“I want to play in the best league in the world, and that’s the NHL,” said Granberg, a six-foot-two, 200-pound defenceman from Gallivare, Sweden.

At 21 years of age, he has already accomplished much in Europe, including a Swedish league championship and a world championship.

So the next step, logically, is the NHL.

If the Maple Leafs are deep anywhere in prospects, it’s on defence. At the four-day rookie camp here, the defencemen on display have all the tools necessary to make the NHL.

For Morgan Rielly, it’s his skating and puck-carrying ability. Matt Finn has size and poise. Stuart Percy can control the pace. For Andrew MacWilliam, it’s his size and ability to deliver a big check.

But Granberg is probably the best of all worlds, and the one most likely to be ready for prime time first. Maybe even this year.

“He’s such a reliable player,” said Marlies coach Steve Spott. “His feet, his poise, his strength. He can hit you.

“He is just a well-rounded defenceman. He’s big, he’s strong. He’s a typical Swedish defenceman. It seems like it’s a factory coming out of there right now with world-class defencemen. And Petter is just one of those guys who fits that mould: safe, puck-moving defenceman, but he’s got some bite to his game as well.”

Like Carl Gunnarsson— a seventh-round pick in 2007 who became a Leaf regular in 2009 — Granberg stayed home in Sweden to hone his skills. Gunnarsson needed only a handful of games with the Marlies in the fall of 2009 — enough to prove he’d made the adjustment to the North American-style game — before his recall to the Leafs.

“I look up to Carl Gunnarsson, he’s a great player,” said Granberg, a fourth-round pick in 2010 who figures on a longer stay with the Marlies.

Dave Morrison, the Leafs’ chief amateur scout, thinks it’s unrealistic to expect Granberg to parallel Gunnarsson’s quick rise on the Leaf blue line.

“He’s got that Swedish elite league championship, he’s got that world championship senior gold,” said Morrison. “I think he’s already got that experience. He is a strong kid, a big kid. He plays a simple game.

“But it remains to be seen how he is going to play in North America and how fast this transition is going to be.”

There is no rushing Granberg, but if tea leaves are to be read, he is the only player at this camp with a number under 30. He’s got No. 8, a number available on the big club with the departure of Mike Komisarek.

Granberg said he sought out the advice of fellow Swedes who’ve made it to the NHL, such as David Runblad and Tim Erixon, on what to expect about the North American game.

“I’m still learning,” said Granberg. “We will see where things stand. It’s a more intense game and faster game over here. It’s different. I have to adjust to that.

“I’m learning every day. I try to play physical. Make a good first pass. Be hard to play against.”

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There is no rush to the Leaf blue line for any of the defencemen at this rookie camp. But it won’t be a surprise if Granberg gets the call this season.

“I think he’s an NHL player,” said Morrison. “We don’t know when. That’s the big question. We will know a lot more in the next couple of months.”

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