Leksands IF

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Siklenka puts down new roots
TIM WHARNSBY

HOCKEY REPORTER

LEKSAND, SWEDEN — A decade ago, Mike Siklenka could not be persuaded to swap his cowboy hat, saddle, horse and his family's 2,000-acre cattle ranch for a shot at a hockey career.

Western Hockey League general managers saw potential in the giant defenceman from Meadow Lake, Sask., a town of 5,000 north of Saskatoon that also produced Calgary Flames forward Jeff Friesen. But they didn't know the shy teenager was simply content playing for the local tier II junior club.

Seattle Thunderbirds general manager Russ Farwell finally convinced Siklenka to leave the farm, where he had herded cattle on horseback, tilled soil, bailed hay and built fences, to join the WHL team for the playoffs in 1998.

Since then, he has pulled 10 team sweaters over his shoulders on two continents in five leagues — the ECHL, the American Hockey League, the National Hockey League and the Austrian and Swedish circuits.