Eriksson Ek growing more comfortable in NHL

Perhaps more than any other commodity in the NHL, young two-way centermen are in high demand these days.
Every summer in free agency, it's almost always the pivots who are awarded the friendliest contracts. It's why having young, reliable and affordable centermen are a major boon for any NHL franchise. In Joel Eriksson Ek, the Wild has one of the League's brightest young centers, an up-and-coming player who coaches say is only scratching the surface of his future potential.

"To have someone that responsible and that good, it's just going to take a little bit of time," said Iowa Wild coach Derek Lalonde. "You almost wish he could have played 60 or 70 straight games here, and I think you'd have a more polished player. But that's the reality of where he's at."
Selfishly, Lalonde would have loved the opportunity to coach Eriksson Ek for an entire season, citing the old Detroit Red Wings system (he was once a part of as coach of the ECHL's Toledo Walleye), where nearly every player paid their dues with at least one -- often times more -- season in the minors.
It's a process that helped Detroit cultivate some of the NHL's best young talent for more than two decades.
But in limited time in the American Hockey League -- eight games over the past two seasons -- Eriksson Ek has been a point-per-game player there.
After he started this season in Minnesota, the Wild sent its prized young centermen to Iowa to gain some offensive confidence. Eriksson Ek did just that, scoring three goals and chipping in four assists in just seven games there.
He also played in every situation imaginable, including on the top line, on the power play and on the penalty kill.
"It was probably good for him in the long run, but there were a couple of games where I used him too much, I probably used him 23 to 25 minutes," Lalonde said. "But I'm trying to win a hockey game, so I just started gravitating towards him. I thought it was a very productive stay he's had here."
It's rare for a 20-year-old in any pro league in North America to be counted on that much. But with Eriksson Ek, his two-way game has forced the hands of coaches at every level.
He's earned his way to the NHL, where his offensive and defensive instincts have provided him with opportunity.
For Eriksson Ek, that comes from his background growing up in Karlstad, Sweden. Like his counterparts across the Gulf of Bothnia, young Swedish players are taught the defensive side of hockey from a young age.
It's why Wild coach Bruce Boudreau hasn't hesitated to count on Eriksson Ek defensively, even against other teams' high-end players or on the penalty kill.
"I guess that they're all taught the defensive side of the game more than we preach it in North America. It's bred in them," Boudreau said. "It's almost like old-school, what they used to do when guys like myself were growing up, is they'd teach you the hockey aspects of the game and didn't work as much on skills], they'd just let the skills kind of work on themselves."
Eriksson Ek agreed, noting that in Sweden, quality defensive play is actually at the heart of producing points.
"That's how we learn back in Sweden, play defense first and good defense will turn into good offense," Eriksson Ek said. "I think that's just how it is back there."
Lalonde said he doesn't believe Eriksson Ek is an 80 or 90-point guy in the NHL, but with everything else he does, he doesn't have to be.
At 6-foot-1 and 206 lbs., Eriksson Ek is already physically mature beyond his years. He's already flourishing defensively. He also sees and thinks the game at a high level -- perhaps even too much for his own good.
Thinking can often get a young player into trouble, something Eriksson Ek said he may have been doing too much of earlier this season.
In the dozen-plus games he's played since his latest return from Iowa last month, Eriksson Ek has been among the best players on the ice for Minnesota in several of them. The goals and assists haven't come yet, but the grade-A chances are becoming more and more common.
"I think I'm more and more comfortable. I'm trying to hold onto the puck a little bit more and try to play the game instead of thinking where I should be," Eriksson Ek said. "I think I have had a lot of opportunities the last few games here, so I need to just keep trying to create offensive chances and if I do that, goals and points are going to come."
When in Minnesota, Eriksson Ek has had the opportunity to learn from a veteran group of centermen that has all experienced success in the NHL. The group -- Mikko Koivu, Eric Staal and Matt Cullen -- has won a combined four Stanley Cups and played in more than 3,330 NHL games.
"You can see and learn a lot," Eriksson Ek said. "They're all professionals, they've been in this league for a long time so they're guys you can look at to see what things they're doing good and try to learn from them."
"I think it's invaluable, and I'm sure they've shared tips and it's made him a better player," Boudreau said.
Staal has been impressed with the early returns from Eriksson Ek, who played in his 49th NHL game in Colorado on Saturday. He has four goals and nine assists in those games, but Staal thinks there's more to come in that department.
"I think you've just gotta stay hungry. He's definitely getting the looks, he's had a couple of grade-A chances that haven't fallen right now," Staal said. "But like any guy, you get one, you get some confidence, you get another one and the ball starts to roll and you feel a good about your play.
"The important thing is staying strong at both ends of the rink and when you get that chance, be hungry for it. Because when you get that one, it's going to feel good."
Staying strong defensively shouldn't be a problem for Eriksson Ek. It's one of the main reasons he's earned the trust of Boudreau and the belief from the organization that he's going to be a special player for years to come, especially once the offense shows up.
Across the board, there's a strong belief that will happen. It just requires patience.
"I think he'll play a long time," Staal said. "He's got some good instincts in both ends of the rink, and I think with time and getting older -- sometimes you forget with how he plays that he's only 20 -- I think he's going to be a great two-way player for a long time."
"You win with him," Lalonde said. "It's tough to find centers, and what he can do in every situation, in every role, is special."
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