Building Blue: Niklas Aaram-Olsen Breaks Down His Elite Shot

It has been a couple of months since the Vancouver Canucks' development camp, but the sound of Niklas Aaram-Olsen ringing the puck bar down has now been etched into my mind.  

The 41st overall pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft has many talents in his game, but it’s quite clear that his shot is his biggest strength. Aaram-Olsen scored 20 goals in 29 games with Örebro in the U20 Swedish league last season. He was a stud for his home country of Norway at the Division 1 World Junior Championships, leading his team with six goals in five games en route to Norway winning the tournament and securing a spot in this upcoming winter’s World Junior Championships.  

Firing the puck with his level of pace and accuracy comes from years of training, development, understanding the art of shooting the puck, and a setup in his yard that has been used for thousands of shot attempts.  

“It was my last year playing in Norway at the U16 level, and that was the time when I realized I have a pretty good shot and can score some goals,” said Aaram-Olsen. “I have always loved shooting the puck. When I was young, I was shooting pucks before school, after school, every time I had free time. I always worked on it and trained my technique and everything. But I think it also comes a little naturally.”  

He grew up as a fan of Nikita Kucherov’s shot and appreciates how effortlessly the Tampa Bay Lightning forward takes his one-timers. He has studied how Kucherov generates power with both his wrist shot and slap shot and tried to bring that into his own release.  

When Aaram-Olsen came over to Sweden in 2023, he began experimenting with different curves and flexes in his stick and landed on the P28 curve with a 77 flex. It’s been his setup for the past two years, and he finds the whip in his slap shot is there, and with the added strength over the past year, he can get that same whip with his wrist shot.  

As much as having the right equipment has helped him improve his shot, Aaram-Olsen gives the most credit to the work he has done in the yard of his house.  

When he was just a young kid, his dad set up a shooting area on the side of his house in Oslo, Norway, and that shooting area has seen a ridiculous number of pucks fly over the years.  

Aaram-Olsen says the posts are quite rusted, and the netting has many holes and has seen better days, but it is still one of his favourite spots in the world to work on his game.

Another helpful piece for Aaram-Olsen is that one of his best friends is a goaltender, and the two have spent lots of time together practicing, playing, and talking about hockey.  

“I’ve always been very interested about how goalies are looking at shots, and I like to ask about what’s the hardest thing a player can do to make it difficult to save a shot,” said Aaram-Olsen.  

He also added that he likes to attend goalie camps in Europe as a shooter so he can see the other side of shooting the puck and add those little tidbits to his hockey IQ.  

When asked how he would be as an EBUG in case of emergency, he laughed and said he’d prefer to stick to scoring goals.  

As much as his shot is his strength, Aaram-Olsen also believes that a lot of his scoring success comes from his ability to find open areas of the ice in the offensive zone and be aware of the movement from the defence in front of him.  

He also knows many of his offensive chances come off the rush, and he is excited about the talent of linemates he will have next season when he plays for the Boston University Terriers in his first NCAA season.  

Making the jump from playing in the U20 Swedish league to the NCAA is going to be a steep one for the young forward. Still, he is ready to put in the work, and the facilities, coaches and 24/7 available ice time at BU are what excites him about this upcoming season.  

“I have heard a lot of good things about the facilities at BU. We can go on the ice whenever we want. It’s also a good shooting setup there, which I love. I am definitely going to use that a lot,” he said with a laugh.  

“It’s not a lot of games like I’ve had in the past, so there is a lot of time to develop, train, and improve. I think it’s a great spot to develop and get better.”  

Canucks draft pick Aiden Celebrini is heading into his fourth season with the Terriers and was giving Aaram-Olsen a rundown on what to expect on campus. Aaram-Olsen will be joined by fellow 2026 draft pick Caleb Malhotra this coming season, so if you happen to watch BU play this season, the Terriers will feature three Canucks draft picks on their roster.  

Aaram-Olsen hopes to make an immediate impact for the Terriers and build confidence as the season progresses. He looks forward to growing his game and body at BU and is ready to take the next step in his young hockey career.