When the Calgary Hitmen opened their 2026-27 regular season Friday night against the Red Deer Rebels, the big Swedish defender on the back end looked familiar for all the wrong reasons if you were expecting Axel Hurtig.
Instead, it was Jakob Leander taking that spot.
Leander, a seventh-round pick by the Flames in the 2025 NHL Draft, skated in a 3-2 shootout win and brought a very similar profile to the one Hurtig had established with the Hitmen. He’s listed at 6-foot-4 and 196 pounds, shoots right, and plays the kind of heavy, stay-at-home game that wears opponents down.
Like Hurtig, he wears No. 6.
And like Hurtig, he’s staying with the same billets that hosted the older Flames prospect for two seasons.
There are a couple of clear differences, too. Leander is a right-shot defender, while Hurtig shoots left, and Hurtig had more international experience, which likely left his game a bit more polished coming in.
Leander spent the opening weekend of the WHL season on Calgary’s top pairing with Hunter Aura, and the two were matched up together on the penalty kill as well. The first weekend also brought Leander’s first WHL point: an assist in Sunday’s win in Edmonton. He had already come close on Friday, ringing a post against Red Deer.
After his debut, Leander described the jump from Swedish hockey to the WHL as a major shift in pace and style.
“It’s pretty fast,” said Leander. “It’s different compared to Swedish hockey.
More like to ship the puck out and not clean play. It’s more harder.
It’s feeling good.”
He also pointed to the smaller North American ice surface as a big reason the game feels faster than it does in Sweden.
Hitmen coach Dustin Friesen came away encouraged by what he saw from Leander in his first regular season outing.
“Yeah, I’ve been really happy the way he’s been throughout training camp and pre-season,” said Friesen. “You know, I think there’s always an adjustment period coming from overseas.
But I like his habits. I like his attitude.
I like his work ethic. The other parts are going to come just with time, understanding how we practice, just our structure, and different things like that.
But, you know, he’s just going to keep on getting better. But, you know, he’s a really positive addition to our group.”
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