Player Discussion: Nikolaj Ehlers

[Mud Turtle]

He needs to utilize those crossovers and misdirection he does when he is gaining the zone. He just so often goes straight at the goalie and goes for a last minute deke. He's one kid who if he figures out how to get better passes off could be an offensive wizard.

Just drop to the trailer Laine. It’s not that complicated.
The Jets need to add some 3D depth to their game. So many times the trailer would have had a great opportunith to score.
They started doing it last year and it was working.

 

[Daximus]

Just drop to the trailer Laine. It’s not that complicated.
The Jets need to add some 3D depth to their game. So many times the trailer would have had a great opportunith to score.
They started doing it last year and it was working.

Can't do it to much. It's actually something Mo and his assistants talked about at the recent coaches conference.

 

[Mud Turtle]

Can't do it to much. It's actually something Mo and his assistants talked about at the recent coaches conference.

What did they say?

 

[Halberdier]

Just got this vid in my feed, and it made me think of an interview Ehlers did with a local radiostation in Aalborg.
He talked about rushes, speed and zone entries being a speciality of his.
He went on to say, he wants more of his rushes/zone entries to become goals/assists, and that he has worked hard this summer to make that happen.

So many of his awesome plays go unnoticed because he sometimes maybe makes the wrong decision, or forgets his own speed, he himself mentioned he has to be better at either shooting at the right angles, or passing the puck faster, instead of holding onto it - Utilizing his speed in a smarter way so to speak.

Yup. Many of these plays would have been freaking awesome with a right timed (read: early enough) pass or shot. Though with that speed that would be really McDavidesque and therefore almost impossible.

If you look at that example against Minnesota, Ehlers first does a superb zone entry, but fails to pass to Stastny or Laine when he had the opportunity and is forced to lose the zone. First you get so amazed of the great entry, then right after that so frustrated that your head is almost going to explode.

However that pass to Myers looks maybe the least flashy of all those, but is also maybe the best play.

 

[QuietContrarian]

So the Henke and Zucca, or Zucca and Henke charity game is today @ 14:30 GMT, it has alot of cool players! our very own Ehlers incl.

Also a few oldies like Forsberg, Sundin and Alfredsson.
Should be a fun game.

Summer Classic | Home

 

[JetsUK]

Thanks for the link and translations, guys. I get that Ehlers has some flaws, and it's good to see him addressing these, but I think it's worth remembering that he's become a regular 60-point player and possession monster capable of breaching nearly any D and opening up tons of space for his teammates, whether they're able to take advantage of it or not, with an improving D-game and the ability to catch nearly any player in the league not named McDavid on a back check. I would venture that he's doing okay, and that if he can do all this with a suspect hockey IQ, so much the better I guess.

 

[Maukkis]

Do you remember seeing a bunch of plays in which Ehlers has had the puck in our zone, started taking a couple of strides and flown across the ice with the puck, creating a lot of offense in the process? Me too.

I think he could improve his decision making and learn to utilise his linemates better, but despite that supposed flaw, he is just ridiculous at generating plays himself.

 

[Romang67]

[...]

I never said you specifically said so, but other posters did indeed.

However, I still disagree with your take, that his iq is avg. at best, which is what you wrote.

And I don't agree that forwards peak at 23, or that Ehlers is peaking.

Given that average at best implies that there would be ~300 players in the league with better hockey IQ in the NHL any given season, that does indeed seem like a pretty ridiculous assertion.

 

[jepjepjoo]

He needs to shoot more like his rookie season but as long as Laine is on his line he always defers to him instead of shooting. More shots less passing alot more shots.

That's why I don't think they should be on the same line...

Funny thing is, all season you would hear fans complain that he never passes. Then he started passing and then it becomes the opposite. Sometimes you just can't win

Sure...

5v5 shot attempts 17-18

Ehlers 329 (leads the team)
Laine 296

A player on Laine's line most definitely should have less shot attempts than him.

Ehlers rookie:
249
15.77 per 60 min of TOI

Ehlers last season:
329
18.20 per 60 min of TOI

 

[Ippenator]

Given that average at best implies that there would be ~300 players in the league with better hockey IQ in the NHL any given season, that does indeed seem like a pretty ridiculous assertion.

A bit funny way of thinking what is average and how many players could be average. Average is exactly where the most players belong into in different areas of hockey. To be really good in something you need to be clearly better than most of the other players in it.

Just to simplify this. If the NHL has for example about 700 (just a pretty rough number) players, then lets say that for example 50-100 players can be really good or even better in certain areas. Then the rest are pretty much average or even worse in the particular area.

I don’t see Ehlers with his hockey IQ and decision making in that top 50 or even top 100 range. He is somewhere there with most of the more average guys. But he has extra special ability in his skating and also pretty slick hands, so he has still enough of abilities to make it work with even a pretty average hockey IQ. And definitely he doesn’t have LOW hockey IQ, so if someone really claims that, then I’m for sure against that.

My opinion on Ehlers is practically based on how he simply plays and how he simply is not very efficient with the most important areas of hockey. It’s always possible to some extent compensate some more average area with some very good and even elite areas, and that’s what Ehlers is exactly doing so far.

But in my opinion such a great skater as Ehlers is, would with a good hockey IQ have scored already clearly more than a bit over 60 points so far. He should have with a good hockey IQ have been already around 80 points or even more. And with a real top class hockey IQ there would be no reason for him to be much under 100 points with the skating, and the general level of other skills he has.

Hopefully he will prove me wrong though. So far he hasn’t, but he might still do it, if everything really goes optimally and he seriously has been able to develop his understanding of what to do to be clearly more efficient on the ice.

 

[QuietContrarian]

A bit funny way of thinking what is average and how many players could be average. Average is exactly where the most players belong into in different areas of hockey. To be really good in something you need to be clearly better than most of the other players in it.

Just to simplify this. If the NHL has for example about 700 (just a pretty rough number) players, then lets say that for example 50-100 players can be really good or even better in certain areas. Then the rest are pretty much average or even worse in the particular area.

I don’t see Ehlers with his hockey IQ and decision making in that top 50 or even top 100 range. He is somewhere there with most of the more average guys. But he has extra special ability in his skating and also pretty slick hands, so he has still enough of abilities to make it work with even a pretty average hockey IQ. And definitely he doesn’t have LOW hockey IQ, so if someone really claims that, then I’m for sure against that.

My opinion on Ehlers is practically based on how he simply plays and how he simply is not very efficient with the most important areas of hockey. It’s always possible to some extent compensate some more average area with some very good and even elite areas, and that’s what Ehlers is exactly doing so far.

But in my opinion such a great skater as Ehlers is, would with a good hockey IQ have scored already clearly more than a bit over 60 points so far. He should have with a good hockey IQ have been already around 80 points or even more. And with a real top class hockey IQ there would be no reason for him to be much under 100 points with the skating, and the general level of other skills he has.

Hopefully he will prove me wrong though. So far he hasn’t, but he might still do it, if everything really goes optimally and he seriously has been able to develop his understanding of what to do to be clearly more efficient on the ice.

He was top 10 in scoring for players with under 17 mins toi avg.

He is on the 2nd pp aswell, id say he is doing well with what he gets.

The rest I cannot bother even commenting.

 

[DashingDane]

Sure...

5v5 shot attempts 17-18

Ehlers 329 (leads the team)
Laine 296

A player on Laine's line most definitely should have less shot attempts than him.

Ehlers rookie:
249
15.77 per 60 min of TOI

Ehlers last season:
329
18.20 per 60 min of TOI

All that tells me is that Laine doesn't shoot enough

 

[LowLefty]

Sure...

5v5 shot attempts 17-18

Ehlers 329 (leads the team)
Laine 296

A player on Laine's line most definitely should have less shot attempts than him.

Ehlers rookie:
249
15.77 per 60 min of TOI

Ehlers last season:
329
18.20 per 60 min of TOI

I know watching these 2 on the same line, they are always looking for each other - sometimes it's overly obvious and easy to defend

Laine can be hard to get the puck to sometimes - he's dangerous anywhere in the O zone and defenders are aware of him - in other words, he's covered, often, which may have an impact on his shot attempts.

 

[jepjepjoo]

All that tells me is that Laine doesn't shoot enough

Ehlers ranks 11th in the league in shot attempts and you are saying he doesn't shoot enough because of Laine? If anything, he shoots too much.

 

[Romang67]

A bit funny way of thinking what is average and how many players could be average. Average is exactly where the most players belong into in different areas of hockey. To be really good in something you need to be clearly better than most of the other players in it.

Just to simplify this. If the NHL has for example about 700 (just a pretty rough number) players, then lets say that for example 50-100 players can be really good or even better in certain areas. Then the rest are pretty much average or even worse in the particular area.

I know what average means. I also understand distributions well enough to not claim that a majority of players in the NHL are average in a skill.

 

[QuietContrarian]

The only reason certain posters are calling Ehlers iq avg at best, is because they somehow think Ehlers lives to service Laine, and this means they are extra hung up on him. It's funny they come here and jump at the fact that Ehlers himself says he has work to do, and then put all blame on Ehlers for all missed oportunities.

Just as many plays, that btw would never even be a play without Ehlers superb zone entries, are fanned by Laine. Laine had a good few super setups from Ehlers he fanned. But say that, and well. Yeah well, just wait and see..

I also think Laine should have passed the puck in certain situations where he chose to shoot.

Does that make Laine selfish, or a low iq player.. Not in my book, but if I were to judge him by certain standards/criteria, then my judgement would probably be harsher.

Now, can we pleae keep any Laine talk out of this thread? We have all had our say now.

 

[YWGinYYZ]

Next person to troll for an argument gets thread banned.

You'd think we'd missed a turn somewhere and landed on the main boards...

 

[QuietContrarian]

In other more relevant news.

Ehlers was on Team Zucca today.

They lost 10-7 to Team Henke.

No idea about pts or anything.

Only got to see The Hobbits hattie.

 

[DashingDane]

Ehlers ranks 11th in the league in shot attempts and you are saying he doesn't shoot enough because of Laine? If anything, he shoots too much.

Please re-read our conversation....

At no point have I said Ehlers doesn't shoot enough. I actually said Laine is the guy that should be shooting more. That's part of why I think they should be split up.

In a sport here you only win if you shoot the puck I think it's laughable to suggest anyone shoots too much.

 

[Ippenator]

I know what average means. I also understand distributions well enough to not claim that a majority of players in the NHL are average in a skill.

In fact you seem to believe that the way to tell if a player is an average skilled player is by the amount of players that exist in the league in that particular skill.

I don’t see that way giving real value on what level the player is SKILLED at after all. Do you realize that the NHL is really that kind of a top class league that the big majority of the players are very close to each others in most skills in hockey. The skill difference between the skating of most players or the shooting between most players are really minimal, but the players that are already clear top class, they get already at least a bit clearer distance to true average skilled players, and thus they can separate themselves in the most important end results like goals, assists or 5 on 5 goal difference.

Lets say that players would be ranked with numbers with the skill level that they have in certain areas in hockey, lets say that the ranking would be something towards what EA has used in their hockey games, so the best player in each area would get around 100 points for that skill, and the worst player would get about 50 points for the particular skill. What would you call the average skill level? I would at least call it something like 65-80, as all below that would be pretty bad and all above that would start to be already pretty good.

Most of the NHL players would be at the average skill level, and them being average skilled players would have nothing to do with them being as somekind of an average mean with the amount of players there, but it would have to do with their skill level being at the average level when comparing their skill level to the worst or the best players in the NHL.

With this kind of average skill level definition I would say that Ehlers’s hockey IQ as a skill would be about 70-80 and he would be pretty average compared to the players with the best hockey IQ in the league (Crosby, Malkin, McDavid, Kucherov and many others).

This is how I see Ehlers with his hockey IQ so far. Everyone is of course free to see it some other way.

 

[jepjepjoo]

Please re-read our conversation....

At no point have I said Ehlers doesn't shoot enough. I actually said Laine is the guy that should be shooting more. That's part of why I think they should be split up.

In a sport here you only win if you shoot the puck I think it's laughable to suggest anyone shoots too much.

"He needs to shoot more like his rookie season but as long as Laine is on his line he always defers to him instead of shooting. More shots less passing alot more shots."

Not sure how many times I'm supposed to reread this or your response to it:

"That's why I don't think they should be on the same line...

Funny thing is, all season you would hear fans complain that he never passes. Then he started passing and then it becomes the opposite. Sometimes you just can't win "

 

[DashingDane]

"He needs to shoot more like his rookie season but as long as Laine is on his line he always defers to him instead of shooting. More shots less passing alot more shots."

Not sure how many times I'm supposed to reread this or your response to it:

"That's why I don't think they should be on the same line...

Funny thing is, all season you would hear fans complain that he never passes. Then he started passing and then it becomes the opposite. Sometimes you just can't win "

Well at least one more time That's not me.

He needs to shoot more like his rookie season but as long as Laine is on his line he always defers to him instead of shooting. More shots less passing alot more shots.

 

[QuietContrarian]

 

[Romang67]

In fact you seem to believe that the way to tell if a player is an average skilled player is by the amount of players that exist in the league in that particular skill.

Yes, I believe that the average depends on the number of players and their relative skill level. Average is very much dependent on number and distribution, so I'd question how the average skill level wouldn't be dependent on the number of players and the distribution of the skill we're looking at.

The only way Ehlers would be at best average at a skill and not have hundreds of players be better than him at that skill would be if we're looking at some kind of unimodal uniform distribution where almost all players fall in the middle. Unless you mean mode as the average, and no one ever means mode as the average.

What you're describing contradicts itself when talking about "at best average", as a player of skill level 80 clearly would be superior to a player with skill level 65. If Ehlers is the player with skill level 80 he's above average, and as such not "at best average", and if Ehlers is the player with skill level 65 he would be below average and have hundreds of players in the league better than him. Given that the differences are small, it still seems ridiculous to essentially group 700 players into what appears to amount to 5 skill levels.

I vehemently disagree with your take on average in the NHL. Heck, given that definition, people who say that Laine's only above average skill is his shot have a legit point, which I also strongly disagree with.

 

[Romang67]

What in the world... Is Ehlers not wearing skates? Or did he shrink like 4 inches over the summer?