Flying Under The Radar: Nikolaj Ehlers Quietly Excels As Jets Look To Snag First Ever Cup

By Jared Clinton, Features Writer

Nikolaj Ehlers doesn't own a fur coat. In fairness, who does these days? But that this even arises in conversation with the Winnipeg Jets winger has little do with Ehlers expressing his sartorial wants or needs. It doesn’t even have anything to do with bundling up when the mercury starts to dip in Winnipeg and Ehlers has to fend off the bitter, blustery and blistering cold. Rather, the gap in Ehlers’ closet comes up because he’s daydreaming, envisioning “probably the wildest Stanley Cup party you’ll ever see.”

That’s when one of the most iconic photos in Winnipeg’s sports history comes up.

The snapshot dates back to 2019, not long after the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers won their first Grey Cup since 1990. It was at the parade that Chris Streveler arrived decked out in his championship finest: a fur coat, cut-off shorts and no shirt. Keep in mind, this was in the middle of November. It’s that image, and the celebration that surrounded it, that gives Ehlers some fodder for his fantasy of the scenes on Portage Ave. when the Winnipeg Jets win a Stanley Cup. And if that were to come to pass this season, how would Ehlers feel about recreating Streveler’s look? “It was cold when he did it,” Ehlers laughed. “But, you know what? Maybe I’ll give him a shout and see if he still has that.”

Given how this season has gone for the Jets, it’s well within the realm of possibility that Ehlers could be making that phone call, too. After all, Winnipeg was in the thick of the Presidents’ Trophy race entering the home stretch, and Ehlers has played an integral part in helping the Jets in their pursuit of top spot.

There is, though, a tendency to forget about the 29-year-old when giving the Jets’ roster its plaudits. That’s through no fault of his own, either. But when Mark Scheifele is setting the franchise goal-scoring record, Josh Morrissey is putting his name in the Norris Trophy conversation and Connor Hellebuyck is further laying his claim to the title of Best Goaltender In The World, there’s not much spotlight left to share. And we haven’t yet mentioned Kyle Connor or Gabe Vilardi – or that Ehlers has shared the ice with Blake Wheeler, Patrik Laine and Dustin Byfuglien during his time in Winnipeg.

But this season, again, has seen Ehlers slip under the radar, oh-so-quietly scoring at a point-per-game pace. It’s an offensive output that has put him in line to better his career-best totals of 29 goals and 64 points, and it’s going hand-in-hand with a year in which plenty has fallen Ehlers’ way.

Take early November, for instance. Entering the season, Ehlers’ 457 career points put him in pursuit of a meaningful milestone, as he trailed idol-turned-national teammate Frans Nielsen for the most points by a Danish NHLer. After a four-point effort against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Nov. 1, highlighted by Ehlers’ first hat trick in six years, he went out two nights later and registered a goal and an assist against the Tampa Bay Lightning – his 473rd and 474th points – to surpass Nielsen on the all-time list. Two months later, Ehlers was celebrating his 500th point, making him the first Dane to hit the mark. “When you get into the league, your dream is to play in the league and stay in the league,” he said. “To be able to now hit that mark was pretty awesome, really cool, and I’m very, very proud of it considering that those are guys that I look up to.”

That Ehlers set the league scoring record for his compatriots is made all the more fitting by its timing: it was just in September he starred as Denmark secured its spot in the 2026 Olympics, sealing qualification with two points in the clinching game against Norway. To Ehlers’ thinking, it’s no coincidence he’s been able to use that as a launchpad toward a career year. “To play some games for Denmark, get that kind of success playing for them and qualifying for the Olympics, that puts you in a good, positive mindset,” he said.

That’s not the only thing that has helped Ehlers build and maintain momentum. First and foremost, he started the campaign healthy. Before last season, he’d injured his neck, and the ailment cost him his pre-season and nagged him throughout the year. Arguably more important for his production, however, is that he has been a fixture on the NHL’s top power play.

At times throughout Ehlers’ 10 seasons in Winnipeg, at least among the fandom, his power-play usage has been a bugbear. In part, that’s because his incredible speed – there’s a good reason he’s nicknamed ‘Fly’ – makes him a one-man zone-entry machine. Yet nailed-on first-unit duty has been elusive, as he’s flitted from special-teams starter to second-unit hand with regularity over much of his time with the Jets. That is, until this season, where the minutes he’s spent away from the top group can be counted on one hand. And Ehlers has made his power-play time count.

Through 57 games, he’d registered six power-play goals and 21 PP points. The former was just one short of his career high, while the latter was already eight clear of Ehlers’ previous best. Whether contributing on the power play has bled into the rest of his game is a tricky question, with the answer residing somewhere between yes and no. “You don’t want to need the power play to get that going,” he said. “Overall in my career, if you look at my numbers, you can see that the power play has not been the big factor.”

As one of the longest-serving Jets, Ehlers knows how much a Cup would mean to fans in Winnipeg.

He’s right, too. Since his second season in the NHL, Ehlers has been one of the league’s best even-strength producers. His 373 points are the 29th-most among the nearly 300 players who’ve played 500 games over that span. And Ehlers has produced at that level while getting relatively modest ice time. No other player among the top 50 in even-strength scoring since 2016-17 has averaged fewer minutes than Ehlers, and his per-60-minute scoring rate is elite. He ranks 16th among 500-minute skaters, a fraction behind Evgeni Malkin and Steven Stamkos and ahead of Patrick Kane, Brayden Point and Mikko Rantanen. Ehlers is also ahead of teammates Scheifele and Connor.

That’s one major reason Ehlers will be essential to the Jets’ title pursuit, and he understands and welcomes the pressure. To hear him tell it, though, the weight of expectation is less external than internal. Sure, the Jets hear the noise, including the naysayers who view Winnipeg, which has only escaped the first playoff round once in the past six seasons, as a paper tiger in a stacked Central Division. It’s the Jets’ own standard that matters most, however.

“Are we happy with how last season ended? And the year before that? And the year before that?” Ehlers said. “Any team that doesn’t stand with the Stanley Cup at the end of the year is disappointed. We have something to prove to ourselves.”

And to be the last team standing, holding the Cup high with Winnipeg, might be more meaningful to Ehlers than just about anyone else. He’s the third-longest-tenured Jet on the roster. He’s played more games for the franchise all-time than all but six players. And whereas other major members of this roster have re-signed in Winnipeg – Scheifele and Hellebuyck inked twin seven-year deals in October 2023 – Ehlers is set to become a UFA at season’s end. That means there is no guarantee he’ll be back. No guarantee what the future will hold. No guarantee this won’t be his last chance to bring a championship to Winnipeg.

Given all that, Ehlers’ real fantasies aren’t about festivities, fur coats or the future. It’s delivering a lasting memory to the Jets faithful. “To give (a Stanley Cup) to a city that lost NHL hockey for 20-some years when they are bleeding hockey,” Ehlers said, “it would be a dream come true.”

This article appeared in our 2025 Playoff Special issue. Our cover story focuses on Edmonton Oilers star Leon Draisaitl, who looks primed for another deep playoff run. We also include features on other Cup contenders, including the Dallas Stars, Washington Capitals, Florida Panthers and more. In addition, we give our power ranking of the top playoff teams heading into the 2025 post-season.

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