Denmark: Prospect Nikolaj Ehlers

[danishdynamite]

Nikolaj Ehlers is 14 (1996) and playing for Biel U18 in Switzerland.

In this season he has 27 points in 27 games.

Anyone has any information about his game and projections about his future?

Click to read more...

 

[slovakiasnextone]

Sounds really impressive, even better than the Swiss 1996 wonderkid Kevin Fiala so far. Will be interesting how his career progresses.

However one think I don´t understand is why do they call it Biel U18 and the whole league an U18 league when the oldest eligible players are born 1994, wouldn´t that make it an U17 league? Unlike the U18 leagues in Sweden, Finland, Czech republic and Slovakia, where the oldest eligible players are born 1993 this season.

 

[Tobias]

Nikolaj Ehlers is 14 (1996) and playing for Biel U18 in Switzerland.

In this season he has 27 points in 27 games.

Anyone has any information about his game and projections about his future?

I think he's going to play in Sweden next season.

 

[Rafik Soliman]

His Father is currently Head Coach in Langenthal in the National League B...

I only had limited viewing on him, so there isn't that much I can say over him... But I wound't overrate the fact that he plays Novice at the age of 14. Because the junior movement of Biel hasn't enough players to fill a whole Novice Elite Team and that fore has to take underage as a fill-in to complete the roster...

Also Biel didn't made the Promotion-Round were the Top-6 Novice Elite Teams play. So they played in the Relegationround against the bad teams which explains his good stats...

If you spilt if up it looks like this:
Relegationsround 9GP 12G 10A 2PIM
Qualification 19GP 7G 1A 6PIM

So in that case, Stats are dangerous....

The oldest players in the Novice Elite-League are born-94 so at the start of the season they are 16 and when the seasons finishes they are 17... So basically it is an u18 league?

 

[slovakiasnextone]

His Father is currently Head Coach in Langenthal in the National League B...

I only had limited viewing on him, so there isn't that much I can say over him... But I wound't overrate the fact that he plays Novice at the age of 14. Because the junior movement of Biel hasn't enough players to fill a whole Novice Elite Team and that fore has to take underage as a fill-in to complete the roster...

Also Biel didn't made the Promotion-Round were the Top-6 Novice Elite Teams play. So they played in the Relegationround against the bad teams which explains his good stats...

If you spilt if up it looks like this:
Relegationsround 9GP 12G 10A 2PIM
Qualification 19GP 7G 1A 6PIM

So in that case, Stats are dangerous....

The oldest players in the Novice Elite-League are born-94 so at the start of the season they are 16 and when the seasons finishes they are 17... So basically it is an u18 league?

I guess if it´s meant that way, however I think that most people when they see U18 assume that it would be U18 according to the IIHF criteria, thus meaning the oldest player born in 1993. Also, it seems that in the U20 league the oldest players are born 1991 just like everywhere else meaning that they will be 20 at the end of the season,but it´s not considered an U21 league, right? It seems like an incosistency in that case.

 

[Chapin Landvogt]

Is he the son of Heinz Ehlers, who spent many years playing in Germany?

 

[Valdemar]

Is he the son of Heinz Ehlers, who spent many years playing in Germany?

Yes, he is.

See also: eliteprospects.com

Heinz Ehlers is by many regarded as the best player to ever come out of Denmark. But that is about to end soon, with all the young danes now playing in the NHL.

Heinz's other son Sebastian is probably going to play U18 WJC (B1) for team Denmark in April.

 

[Valdemar]

His Father is currently Head Coach in Langenthal in the National League B...

I only had limited viewing on him, so there isn't that much I can say over him... But I wound't overrate the fact that he plays Novice at the age of 14. Because the junior movement of Biel hasn't enough players to fill a whole Novice Elite Team and that fore has to take underage as a fill-in to complete the roster...
Also Biel didn't made the Promotion-Round were the Top-6 Novice Elite Teams play. So they played in the Relegationround against the bad teams which explains his good stats...

If you spilt if up it looks like this:
Relegationsround 9GP 12G 10A 2PIM
Qualification 19GP 7G 1A 6PIM

So in that case, Stats are dangerous....

The oldest players in the Novice Elite-League are born-94 so at the start of the season they are 16 and when the seasons finishes they are 17... So basically it is an u18 league?

You are right, we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves, but he seems like a good prospect anyways. He clearly is one of the most promising "Danish" players his age, and his stats are very good as far as I can see: He got second best stats on his team, besides being 1-2 years younger than anybody else on the roster. He has for several years been one of the most productive players for his age in the Swiss youth leagues.

 

[danishdynamite]

Ehlers now have 12 p in 8 games in the swiss u20-league (10th best scorer (ppg)). He is still only 15 years.

Anybody with information?

 

[fredligh]

Now 31 points in 26 games, smoking hot!

 

[Valdemar]

Now 31 points in 26 games, smoking hot!

No, it is 34 points in 28 games.

Eliteprospects.com do not keep this league updated at all time.

But impressive production non the less, considering that most of the players in the league is at least 2 years older than him.

 

[Belenos]

I saw him at practice today with the NLA-squad of Biel. Really impressive. I think that they want to integrate him slowly into the team.

 

[Chapin Landvogt]

I saw him at practice today with the NLA-squad of Biel. Really impressive. I think that they want to integrate him slowly into the team.

Good to hear.

Please keep us informed as the season starts up.

 

[Jevo]

I saw him at practice today with the NLA-squad of Biel. Really impressive. I think that they want to integrate him slowly into the team.

I think you are right about that. I wouldn't be surprised if he splits time between NLA and junior.

In the first two pre-season games Ehlers has been on the roster for both. The first against Traktor Chelyabinsk it seems that he played on the 2nd line. The second game against Langenthal from NLB he appears to have been 13th forward, so I don't know if he even got any ice-time.

 

[HC Bienne]

after 30 minutes the coach put him in the match. he has play 6 minutes in tuesday game. awesome kid great talent. clearly a top prospect.

against the Russian team last Thursday he was not afraid to try things. some russian def. guys were a little bite upset to see a teenage kid do things like that... at one moment of the game they have done a big hit against the kid. without physical consequences.

 

[Jevo]

after 30 minutes the coach put him in the match. he has play 6 minutes in tuesday game. awesome kid great talent. clearly a top prospect.

against the Russian team last Thursday he was not afraid to try things. some russian def. guys were a little bite upset to see a teenage kid do things like that... at one moment of the game they have done a big hit against the kid. without physical consequences.

Nice hearing from someone who has seen him live. Greatly appreciated.

 

[Jevo]

Ehlers played on what appears to be the 1st line last night against Lev Praha from the KHL. He got no points, but Biel lost the game 9-1, so there probably wasn't a lot of opportunities.

 

[Bank]

Any kind of reports or news on how he's doing, - perhaps what lines/roles his playing and what qualities that seems to be translating well to the pro game - over the course of the season would be deeply appreciated

 

[Jevo]

Any kind of reports or news on how he's doing, - perhaps what lines/roles his playing and what qualities that seems to be translating well to the pro game - over the course of the season would be deeply appreciated

Agreed, especially from someone who has seen him live. Right now I'm just looking at Biels website for the very sparse information they have about their pre-season games.

 

[HC Bienne]

normally i watch the kid 3 or 4 times a week between games/practice. he's definitively a top prospect. he will pass the 2012-13 season between ehc biel(nla Swiss) and juniors M20(also A level). expected to be a dominant player in junior league.

already made four of five first pre-season games with EHC BIEL. he's bluffing everyone. great skating and great hand-skills. needs to improve physically and gain muscle(1.80m 72kg). thing that he will do this season.

 

[Jevo]

I'm not surprised he still lacks in physicality, he is just 16 after all. But I kinda prefer it that way, I'd rather he dominates (or plays at level with) kids that 3-5 years older than him because he is damn good hockey player, and not because he is the same size, or bigger than them. It's always easier to acquire muscles than it is to acquire skill.

Also good to get some measurements on him, I have wanted to know them, but I haven't been able to find any. He is not big, but he's not small either, and it's not unlikely that he will grow a few cm more.

How is his work ethic on the ice? Is he a hard worker or does he have a tendency to be lazy?

 

[HC Bienne]

if he finds the challenge easy he has tendency to be lazy . for now it's not the case because everything is new to him. last year the few games that he has play with the U17 it was not the top. his mind was already with the U20.

 

[Jevo]

Thanks. It's quite understandable I think, that he has a hard time getting motivated when he plays against a level of competition that he is already better than.

 

[Jevo]

Ehlers has been selected for the Danish U18 national team that will play three games against France from August 27th to September 2nd.

 

[Valdemar]

Ehlers did very well in the 3 games against France. The Danish team won all 3 matches (8-1, 4-2, 3-1) and with 3 goals and 4 assists he was the high scorer of the ”tournament”.

In a short report about the games team coach Morten Hagen says: ”He has an incredibly high potential”