Dane dynamic once again

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This article was published 15/01/2016 (3556 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

St. Paul, Minn. — Much like the team he plays for, Nikolaj Ehlers is trying to find his way in the NHL. Through the first half of his rookie season, the 19-year-old Winnipeg Jets forward has already experienced the highs and lows of the professional game.

The highs came early. Just games into his pro career the Jets’ first-round pick (ninth overall) in 2014 had the city eating out of his hands; hands that were scoring with beauty and ease. He notched his first point in only his second game and his first goal just two games later. By the 12-game mark he had added three more goals and was near the team lead in scoring with nine points. Only Blake Wheeler (14) and Bryan Little (11) had more. Most importantly, the Jets were winning.

Then came the lows. In the 29 games that followed, Ehlers chipped in two goals — one an empty-netter — and just five points. Worst of all, the Jets were losing, eventually falling to the bottom of the Central Division, where they currently sit.

But things seem to be trending in the right direction again for the native of Denmark. In the last two games, Ehlers has shown some of that same flash from earlier in the year, scoring a goal in each. It’s the first time he’s recorded points in back-to-back games since late October.

“It obviously gives me a lot of confidence,” said Ehlers after a team meeting at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul prior to the Jets’ game against the Wild Friday.

“It helps me doing what I do best, to just use my speed, hold onto the puck and make some plays. It’s something that I did in the beginning of the year and then kind of lost.”

Ehlers admits the adjustment to the NHL hasn’t always been a smooth one. While with the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, he was used to the team building around him. Now, he’s a piece of a greater puzzle. He’s no longer relied upon to score like he was in junior. In the NHL, he needs to be more defensively responsible.

“When I played in Halifax last year I played around 25-30 minutes a game, and now I play around 12 to 15,” said Ehlers. “But you know what, when you come out after the game it feels like playing 30 minutes because the intensity is so high.”

Maurice has liked what he’s seen, especially of late. He knows he has something special in Ehlers, but knows consistency will come with experience.

“It’s all legs with him,” said Maurice. “When he’s skating as well as he is the last two games, all those other things open up. A guy like that just needs about six inches to a foot of ice to make a play.”

Proof of that came in Thursday’s 5-4 overtime win when Ehlers was sprung by Andrew Ladd, making no mistake with a nifty top-corner goal on Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne.

“I’m just learning from the stuff that I’ve been doing over the course of this year, trying to get better and just doing those small details better,” said Ehlers. “The last two games I’ve been doing that really well and it’s nice to see that it is getting better and not worse or just staying the same. I know that I’m doing something right, and I just got to keep going like this.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

twitter: @jeffkhamilton