NHL top prospect Nikolaj Ehlers (Photo c/o of Halifax Mooseheads David Chan)
Halifax Mooseheads left winger Nikolaj Ehlers is red hot. Actually, he is white hot.
Ehlers has 25 goals in his last 25 games, including 17 goals in his last 10 games. Not to mention, he scored a hat trick in three straight games a couple of weeks back. The 18 year-old Dane has scored the second most points for a rookie in franchise history (100 in 61 games). Ehlers is third in the QMJHL in scoring with 47 goals and 53 assists, and he leads the Q at plus-63. He still has a shot to become the fifth QMJHL player in the last 25 years to score 50 goals. (The Mooseheads have two regular season games remaining) Ladislav Nagy, Sidney Crosby, Danny Briere, and Yanic Perreault are the others.
Ehlers was considered a dark horse coming into this draft, most likely to be a second round selection. His fast start caught the attention of many scouts and now he is a sure bet first round draft pick. He may even slip into the top 10. NHL Central Scouting lists him as their 22nd ranked North American skater in their midterm draft rankings. ISS Hockey has the Danish dangler as their 20th ranked prospect in their February rankings. TSN’s Bob McKenzie has him as his 15th best prospect in his mid-season draft rankings.
Ehlers moved to Switzerland when he was 11 to pursue a career in hockey. He has represented Denmark at the World U18 D1A, and 2014 U20 D1A WJHC. He plays a North American style and isn't afraid to throw his body around. He played with Biel (Swiss League) last year, where he got to practice with NHL stars Tyler Seguin and Patrick Kane.
On the ice, there is not much Ehlers can’t do. He has replaced Halifax's scoring void quite nicely after Nathan MacKinnon jumped to the NHL with the Colorado Avalanche this season. Like MacKinnon, Ehlers is one of the fastest skaters in the draft. I actually think he is the fastest skater in this draft. His speed is comparable to Pavel Bure. No joke.
The word dynamic comes to mind when thinking about Ehlers. He has an explosive wrist shot at which he snaps off at top speed. His vision on the ice is incredible and his creativity is reminiscent of Jonathan Drouin. I’m hesitant to say that, but I think it’s worthy. The intelligence he possesses for the game is what stands out to me.
Here is highlight video of Ehlers courtesy of James Hardy.
The only knock on him is his size. Ehlers is listed 5’11, 163 pounds, but I’m not too concerned about that. He knows he needs to put on weight and I’m sure he will. He’s not a perimeter player and since he plays with a high tempo, I think this issue will be reduced going forward. He is continuing to work on his two-way game.
A player with his speed and vision don’t come along everyday. Overall, it’s hard to say where he’s going to end up in the draft. I think he will be a mid-first round pick but don’t be shocked if he goes into the top 10. He could become the highest drafted Dane since Mikkel Boedker went eighth overall to Phoenix in 2008.
There are many teams that would benefit from drafting Ehlers, however, a team like Washington would be a great fit. The Caps love playing a high-octance offensive style of hockey. Between Alex Ovechkin, Evgeny Kuznetsov, Nick Backstrom, and prospect Andre Burakovsky, Ehlers would fit right in.
Ehlers would be wise to go back to junior for a year or two to hone his skills and defensive game. With that being said, I love his potential and I think he's going to be superstar at the NHL level.
