'I Think He's A Really Special Player For Us,' Joel Eriksson Ek Continues To Be A Catalyst For The Minneosta Wild

The Minnesota Wild are humming, leading the Central Division with an 8-3-2 record.

Much of their success can be attributed to Kirill Kaprizov's offensive prowess, Quinn Hughes' game-controlling dominance, Jesper Wallstedt's steady presence in goal, and depth contributions, but one player who flies a bit under the radar is Joel Eriksson Ek.

This isn't anything new for Eriksson Ek. Throughout his NHL career, he really has never received the level of praise he likely should. His career high is 30 goals and 64 points, and while his offensive game is strong, his two-way game is where he excels.

The 29-year-old has finished in the top 10 in Selke Trophy voting three times, with his highest placement coming in 2020-21 when he ranked fourth. He's off to another outstanding start and should be among the early-season candidates for the Selke Trophy.

This past weekend, Eriksson Ek posted a goal and three points in two games, earning praise from coach John Hynes and from linemate Kirill Kaprizov.

“He's got great defensive awareness," said Hynes. "He's a big, strong kid. He can skate really well. He cares about keeping the puck out of his net. But he's also a guy that isn't just a checker. He's got good puck skills. He can make other teams' top players defend. He's just got a really strong two-way game. He just plays, every shift is the same intensity level that he plays with, which is pretty impressive...

He's also on a line that's tough to defend as well. And that's what makes him a special player, is just the intensity level combined with the commitment that he plays with night in, night out, shift in, shift out, is pretty impressive.”

In 13 games this season, Eriksson Ek has posted a 63.64 Corsi For percentage, a 67.84 expected goals for percentage, and the Wild have outscored their opponents 11-2 with Eriksson Ek on the ice at 5-on-5, according to NaturalStatTrick.com. 

The Wild are doing an excellent job limiting high-danger chances and producing their own with Eriksson Ek, and that's a big reason they've been so successful.

“He do a lot," said Kaprizov. "He's unbelievable net front, faceoff, win battles. He can score from anywhere, especially like all rebounds or whatever. He can do everything. I think he's a really special player for us in the league, and he's unreal.”

Eriksson Ek has truly excelled in every facet of the game. He wins 53.6 percent of his faceoffs, averages 20:16 of ice time, plays in all situations, and is trusted to start his shifts in any of the three zones. 

But there is reason to believe Eriksson Ek's game can still improve. His shooting percentage is just 6.8 percent, and with the power-play time he is earning, the numbers should improve. 

In all, the former 20th overall pick of the 2015 NHL draft is healthy and thriving, putting himself in conversations he deserves to be in. 

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