One-time Swedish ‘Idol’ Owuya entertains hopes of reaching NHL

Known as rapper "Mark in Da Park" when he performed on his native Sweden's version of "American Idol" as a teenager, Wranglers goalie Mark Owuya is mostly recognized as a singer in his homeland.

It might not be long, though, before Owuya is recognized everywhere as an NHL player.

"NHL teams need to definitely take notice of this kid, because he's definitely going to get there," Las Vegas coach Ryan Mougenel said.

Despite only playing a little more than one season in North America - where the Toronto Maple Leafs prospect has split time between the American Hockey League and the ECHL - the low-key, self-assured Owuya is confident he'll reach the NHL.

"I will make it there," he said without a trace of cockiness.

Owuya, whose father is Ugandan and mother Russian, was born in Stockholm, where he had his sights set on the NHL since he was 8, when his friend showed him a hockey card of Dominik Hasek.

"He said, 'This is the best goalie in the world,' and I said, 'I want to be the best goalie in the world,' " he said.

Owuya, whose brother Sebastian was drafted by the Atlanta Thrashers in 2010, signed with the Maple Leafs in 2011 after leading the Swedish Elite League in save percentage (.926) in 2010-11.

The 23-year-old split time last season between the Toronto Marlies of the AHL and Reading of the ECHL, compiling an 11-5-1 record, .929 save percentage and 1.94 goals-against average for the Marlies.

Because of a numbers crunch caused by the NHL lockout, Owuya appeared in only four games for Toronto this season before joining the Wranglers in mid-December to get more playing time. The Maple Leafs no longer have an ECHL affiliate.

"He's a young kid that needs to play," said Mougenel, who has been impressed with Owuya on and off the ice.

"His commitment to the game is unbelievable, his work ethic is unbelievable and his character is unbelievable," Mougenel said. "I can't say enough about him as a kid and as a goalie. When he gets to the NHL, I'm not going to be surprised."

The 6-foot-2-inch, 207-pound Owuya is 3-2-0 with a .902 save percentage and 2.76 GAA for Las Vegas (15-14-4). Joe Fallon started for the Wranglers in Saturday night's 4-1 victory over Utah at Orleans Arena.

"He's still getting acclimated to North America. That's always a big thing," Mougenel said of Owuya. "Our game's a little bit more rough. It's like checkers, and (Europe's) more like chess."

Owuya, who plays guitar and the piano, was hired for the Swedish TV show "Idol" when he was 16 and released a single related to the show, "The S Song," which poked fun at his lisp.

"I always wanted to have my own part on a TV show," he said. "It was a lot of fun."

Owuya, pronounced "o-WOO-ya," said he got his nickname from his childhood friends, including "Nils is Da Brills" and "Hank Da Bank." Bank means bench in Swedish and brills is short for brillors, which means sunglasses in Swedish.

"We all had nicknames," Owuya said. "We just rhymed our names growing up."

While "Mark in Da Park" enjoyed his time in the spotlight, Owuya is dedicated to making his mark in hockey.

"I was doing a lot of music, but that was more of a hobby and something that was fun to do," he said. "Hockey's always been my life, and I'll do everything I can to play in the NHL."

Owuya was tutored by goaltending guru Francois Allaire, the Maple Leafs' former goaltending coach.

"He obviously had great goaltending instruction from (Allaire)," Mougenel said. "He had a lot of influence on Mark, and it shows."

While Mougenel never has watched "Mark in Da Park" perform on YouTube, he ventured a guess as to whether Owuya is better as a rapper or a goalie.

"I think he's a much better hockey player," he said, laughing.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0354.