Nikolaj Ehlers

BIOGRAPHY

Nikolaj Ehlers was born February 14, 1996 in Aalborg, Denmark. He is a left wing in the National Hockey League.

Ehlers previously played ice hockey in Switzerland, where his father Heinz was a coach, and then moved to North America in 2013 to play with the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). After one year with Halifax he was selected ninth overall by the Jets in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, and spent one more season in juniors before making the NHL in 2015. Internationally Ehlers has played for Denmark at both the junior and senior level, including at three World Championships. On 22 April 2015, Ehlers was recalled to the Winnipeg Jets post-season run which ended the same day. Ehlers returned to the Jets training camp for the 2015–16 season and started the regular season with the team, playing in his first NHL game on 8 October 2015 in Boston. He scored his first NHL goal against the New York Rangers at the Madison Square Garden on 13 October 2015. He scored his first NHL hat-trick on 26 January 2016 against the Arizona Coyotes in Winnipeg. On 4 October 2017, Ehlers signed a seven-year extension with the Jets.

Ehlers and the Jets faced off against the Minnesota Wild in the first round of the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs. He was one of eight players to make his postseason debut during Game 1. In his debut, Ehlers recorded an even-strength assist to help lift the Jets to their franchise's first playoff win. He tallied his second postseason assist the following game to extend the Jets' series lead. Although Ehlers missed Game Five against the Wild due to "general malaise," the Jets clinched their franchises first playoff series win. Ehlers eventually returned to the Jets' lineup for their second-round matchup against the Nashville Predators and reunited with Statsny and Laine. During their series against the Predators, the trio controlled 57.5 per cent of even-strength shot attempts and generated 69.2 per cent of the high-danger chances. While Ehlers continued to struggle to produce goals, he tallied two assists in Game 5 to take a 3–2 series lead. Ehlers finished the Predators series with six total assists in the postseason as the Jets met with the Vegas Golden Knights in the Western Conference Finals. He recorded three shots on goal in the Jets’ 4–2 win in Game 1 and added one more assist in Game 2 before held out due to an injury. The Jets were eliminated from playoff contention before Ehlers could return to the lineup.

During the offseason, Ehlers added more muscle and returned to the Jets' training camp weighing 172 pounds. Following training camp, Ehlers was moved to the right wing position during the Jets' preseason games although he struggled with his skating. Ehlers' struggles continued into the 2018–19 regular season as he recorded no points and four shots on goal over three games while averaging 12:07 of ice time. He continued his presence on the Jets' second line but gained Bryan Little as his new centre while Laine often shifted between the first and second lines. His first goal of the season eventually came on 16 October, the Jets' sixth game of the season, in a 5–4 loss to the Edmonton Oilers. In spite of his early season struggles, Ehlers regained his chemistry with his linemate Laine and the two began producing points at a rapid pace. On 30 November, Ehlers recorded his third career hat-trick while also combining on two other goals to lead the Jets 6–5 over the Chicago Blackhawks. His second hat-trick came the following month on 21 December to lead the Jets 5–3 over the San Jose Sharks. On 4 January, during a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins, Ehlers suffered a major lower body injury following a collision with Sidney Crosby. At the time of the injury, Ehlers had accumulated 15 goals and 12 assists through the first 39 games of the season. While he recovered, Jack Roslovic replaced him on right wing on his line with Bryan Little and Laine. After missing 20 games to recover, Ehlers scored a goal in his return against the Golden Knights on 22 February 2019. Shortly following his return, the Jets acquired Kevin Hayes who centred Ehlers and Kyle Connor on the second line. The three immediately made an impact on the Jets' lineup and quickly combined for 14 points through their first five games together. This helped the Jets qualify for the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs and make franchise history by qualifying for consecutive playoffs. Although Hayes finished the regular season with 13 points through 20 games, Ehlers and Laine both regressed in scoring and finished with low point totals. Ehlers finished with 21 goals and a career-low 16 assists for 37 points through 62 games while Laine concluded with 30 goals and 50 points. Ehlers and the Jets faced off against the St. Louis Blues in round one of the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs but fell in six games. When their postseason concluded, it was revealed that Ehlers had fractured his leg after blocking a shot at the end of Game 5.

To improve his disappointing season, Ehlers spent the 2019 offseason studying every single shift he took during the previous season to improve his scoring for the 2019–20 season. Head coach Paul Maurice praised Ehlers improved play, lauding him for competing hard. He began the season strong while playing alongside Wheeler and Scheifele. In the teams' season opener, Ehlers tied his career-high with three assists while his line accounted for 21 of Winnipeg's 47 shots on net. He also skated in his 300th career NHL game that night. Ehlers continued to find success throughout October, including four multi-point performances over 13 games. During practice on 4 November, Ehlers accidentally hit teammate Bryan Little in the face with a puck which resulted in the latter being placed on long-term injured reserve. As a result, head coach Paul Maurice had to shuffle the forward lines and Ehlers gained Blake Wheeler as his centre along with Jack Roslovic. At the time, Elers led the Jets in goals with seven and ranked second on the team in points with 14. While playing on this line, Ehlers tallied his 100th career NHL goal on 19 November to help lift the Jets to their third straight win and a 13–8–1 record. He continued to find success as the season continued and quickly tallied five points over a four game point streak in early December. The line remained together through December before being rotated in January due to various injuries in the lineup. The line continued to be broken up throughout the second half of the season and Ehlers occasionally played alongside Wheeler, Scheifele, Cody Eakin, and Laine. When reunited with Wheeler and Scheifele on 18 February, the trio combined for eight points in the Jets' win over the Los Angeles Kings. While Ehlers and Laine played alongside Cody Eaking over the final eight games of the NHL's regular season, the trio combined for 14 points. When the NHL paused play due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ehlers had hit the 20-goal plateau for the fourth straight season and finished with 52 points. When the NHL resumed play for the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs, Ehlers was reunited with Eakin and Laine on the Jets' second line. During Game 2 of their Qualifying Round series against the Calgary Flames, Ehlers recorded his first career postseason goal with 9:36 left in the third period. However, the Jets were ultimately eliminated by the Flames in the best-of-5 series.

Ehlers represented Team Denmark in the 2022 Winter Olympics qualifiers. He scored five goals and four assists in three qualifying games to help secure Denmark's first appearance at the Olympics. On 20 January 2022, Ehlers was placed on long-term injured reserve due to a sprained MCL. At the time of the injury, Ehlers ranked tied for third on the Jets with 25 points. He missed 19 games to recover and returned to the Jets' lineup on 3 March.

Ehlers played in the first two games of the 2022–23 season before missing 36-straight games from 18 October to 6 January due to a sports hernia injury. On 22 February 2023, Ehlers became the third player in Jets team history to skate in his 500th career game. However, he suffered another injury on 11 April due to a hit during a game against the Minnesota Wild. Although Ehlers cleared concussion protocol, he missed the team's final regular-season game. He eventually made his postseason debut in Game 5 of the Jets' round one series against the Vegas Golden Knights. This would be his only postseason game as the Jets were eliminated by the Knights in Game 5.