
Norway looks to have another star in the making in Niklas Aaram-Olsen. The skilled forward is now with Örebro in Sweden and has already dressed for two SHL games. In the tough competition he hasn’t seen any ice time yet, but that could change Thursday when Örebro face Växjö.
“He might get some shifts tomorrow (Thursday), we’ll see. He will travel with us at least,” says Örebro’s SHL coach Niklas Eriksson to the Örebro newspaper Nerikes Allehanda.
Niklas Aaram-Olsen has opened his junior season with three goals in as many games. Already last year, as a 16-year-old, he looked right at home at the U20 level, putting up a respectable 23 goals and 41 points in 42 games.
Aaram-Olsen is an offensively minded winger with strong puckhandling skills. He’s at his best on the power play, where he is a threat with a quick, accurate shot. He also has the skating ability to push play forward, rarely holding onto the puck for long as he often looks to ramp up the pace. His skating speed and decision-making will be tested further in the SHL, which should provide more answers about Aaram-Olsen’s ceiling.
Part 3: Draft-Eligible Prospects to Watch
As the new season gets underway, The Hockey
News International continues its look at 40 draft-eligible prospects to keep an
eye on in Sweden. This is part three of four, highlighting several intriguing dark horses
who could play their way into the draft conversation.
Örebro's head coach Niklas Eriksson likes what he sees in Aaram-Olsen. He does stress, however, that it’s not easy to make the leap from the junior level to senior hockey. Hockey attracts large crowds in Sweden, but junior hockey hasn’t really taken off. That makes the step especially big, from empty junior arenas to an SHL arena with several thousand fans.
“A really promising player. It’s valuable
for him to be on the bench both for a home game and an away game. We’ve seen
with many of these young guys coming up in recent years that it’s useful for
them to be part of the preparations and everything that comes with it. It’s a
different thing than playing junior hockey in front of 200 people,” says Niklas
Eriksson.
Aaram-Olsen is one of many talented players in Örebro’s system. Among the drafted names are Theodor Hallquisth (Wild), Melvin Fernström (Penguins), and Noah Steen (Lightning). Now Aaram-Olsen looks set to be the next talent in a long line to get his chance in the SHL.
Örebro’s junior team is also worth watching for draft-eligible talent. The lineup features two standouts from Sweden’s Hlinka Gretzky Cup roster in Ludvig Andersson and Axel Elofsson. Two more players who could get a chance with the U18 national team this season are Alexander Command and Oscar Olsson. Örebro continues to be a powerhouse in player development and an organization to keep an eye on for draft followers.
U20 Nationell: Minnesota Wild Prospect Standing Out
This week we
highlight three players from Örebro’s deep pool of talent. Jacob Smeds breaks
down the early-season play of Minnesota draft pick Theodor Hallquisth, along
with 2026 eligibles Niklas Aaram-Olsen and Alexander Command.