Ehlers a 'national treasure,' and a huge part of Jets' success

WINNIPEG - Paul Maurice remembers the first time he watched Nikolaj Ehlers.
"He was in Halifax, and, 'Oh my God.' It was two and a half minute shifts," Maurice said with a grin. "I think he got kicked out of one of the games by the ref."
Ehlers has dramatically reduced his shift length over the course of his 413 National Hockey League games.
His average ice time this season is 16:49 - even less than that, at 15:40, in his two-goal performance against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday - with an average shift length of 49 seconds.
But the 25-year-old's adjustment to the NHL game goes far beyond shift length.

"He's battling on the walls, he's winning battles, he's throwing hits, he's just competing to win and I think he's having a lot of fun," said Maurice. "His game now has evolved where you think this guy is a playoff guy now. Two or three years ago, he was having a hard time in that heavy environment. Now he looks like he's starting to thrive in it."
When the Jets went to the Western Conference Final in 2018, Ehlers had seven assists in the 15 games he played, but try as he did - he couldn't find the back of the net. He was held off the scoresheet in the 2019 series against the St. Louis Blues, but showed his determination in Game 6, playing on a fractured leg.
His willingness to play for his teammates was never in question. Ehlers just wanted to find a way to break through in the postseason.
During the summer's Return to Play in Edmonton, AB, Ehlers scored his first two postseason goals in the Qualifying Round series against the Calgary Flames - one in Game 2, the other in Game 3.

While the Jets were eliminated in four games, Ehlers has carried that momentum into the 2020-21 campaign.
"He's been fantastic, right from the first game of the year," said Mark Scheifele. "It's like he had something to prove and he's done that. He's been fantastic for us in both ends, not even just the goalscoring, but battles in the o-zone, getting pucks out, getting in the lane for shots, everything. He's been doing all the right things and that's why he's been rewarded, by doing those right things you get rewarded in this game."
On Thursday, he hit the 20-goal mark for the fifth consecutive season, joining teammates Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler who have also accomplished that feat.
His 20th goal may have been one that exemplified his growth.
Off a defensive zone face-off, Ehlers broke up a play and -using his trademark speed - flew down the ice to pressure Toronto's Mitch Marner. His relentless forechecking pressure forced a turnover and, instead of stopping on the play, Ehlers continued forward. He took another few strides and beat goaltender David Rittich to the puck, swatting it in for a critical insurance goal for the Jets.
"I thought that I could skate him up and try to create a loose puck somehow, and it worked out," Ehlers said. "I just tried to skate as hard as I could and get my stick on that puck. It created a good bounce for me going towards the net and I just tried to… I play with a pretty long stick, so that worked out for me."

It was his third multi-goal game of the season. His first tally came on a laser beam of a wrist shot during a first period power play.
Ehlers now has six power play goals this season, one back of his career high of seven in 2017-18.
"He's a big part of that power play unit going," said Maurice. "Just really excited when they go out. They've got a great chemistry going. I'm really happy for him, but he should be acknowledged for the improvement in his game. He's really come a long way."
The other thing Ehlers is doing more of this season is shooting.
The 'shooter's mentality' has been a big part of his season. As he says, it's not always taking the puck down the ice and shooting no matter what - though, he's second on the team in shots with 138, behind Kyle Connor's 139. It's being ready to shoot if it's the right option, and by being in that position, Ehlers has to be defended differently, which can open up his passing game.
He's tops on the team in five-on-five Corsi, the metric that measures the differential between shot attempts for and against when a player is on the ice. His 51.28% (according to Natural Stat Trick) makes him one of three Jets at 50% or higher in that statistic.

Ehlers was already a household name in Denmark. He's suited up for his country at the IIHF World Junior Championship in 2015, when he helped the country earn their first victory in the top division with a 4-3 shootout win over Switzerland. He's played for Denmark twice at the Worlds as well, with four goals and 10 points in 15 games.
But his fame took one further step on Wednesday when he hit 300 career points, making him the fourth Danish player to hit that milestone in the NHL, joining Frans Nielsen (473), Mikkel Boedker (327), and Lars Eller (312).
"It means a lot to me to be that guy. I don't feel like I'm that young guy anymore. I was looking up to the guy like Frans Nielsen, Peter Regin and Jannik Hansen, so to be one of those guys now for a small hockey country like Denmark is pretty special," said Ehlers, who now has 302 points. "I am proud of that and I try to go out there and play as hard as I can every single night to show them that their dream can be true. When I go home, I try to spend some time in the hockey schools in Aalborg where I'm from; you can see it means a lot to them. It's fun and it's exciting and it means a lot to me."
Of all the ways Ehlers has changed since he broke into the league in 2015-16, perhaps it's the one way he's stayed the same that stands out the most.
"When you watch Nikky around kids or around fans, he's always very giving," said Maurice. "What's really brilliant about this is 10 years from now, when he may end up being the highest scoring Danish player, he's going to be a figurehead of the sport in that country and he's going to be able to do so much for young people there.
"That's the great payoff. They get a really fantastic ambassador who is valued in Canada and valued in his second country, but he will get to go home and improve young people's lives. He's that kind of person. He's a good national treasure."