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NHL DRAFTJune 27, 2014Nikolaj EhlersPHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA Q. How does it feel to be a Jet? NIKOLAJ EHLERS: Great, really great. I've been thinking about this day since I was little, so sitting here right now in a Jets jersey, I can't really describe it. Q. Take us through today, your excitement and your emotions. NIKOLAJ EHLERS: Well, I was pretty tired because I didn't really sleep last night, so it was‑‑ it's hard to explain because I was shaking a little bit all day. I was shaking during the draft. So I'm just fine, I'm happy to finally sit here and be through with it and just enjoy the time here. Q. Talk about what the Mooseheads meant for your development? NIKOLAJ EHLERS: Oh, they meant a lot. I came over here and obviously I expected a good season, but a season like this, I can't really say I expected. I think we had a great team, great organization, everything around the Mooseheads was perfect. I felt really great off the ice and made me a better player on the ice. I want to thank all the guys on the team last year, and I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them, definitely. Q. What does it mean to you to be the highest drafted Danish player of all time? NIKOLAJ EHLERS: Well, actually I'm not. There's Boedker, he got drafted eighth overall about six years ago, but it didn't mean a lot to me. I know he's a great player, so just being ranked around him was perfect for me. I mean, I've just been enjoying the time, and being No.9 overall now is‑‑ yeah, I can't describe it. Q. Was this about where you thought you might go when you go through all these meetings and you read stuff and see stuff? Was Winnipeg a spot you thought you might get to if they had the choice? NIKOLAJ EHLERS: Definitely. I think obviously you have some teams who show a little bit more interest than others, and I think Winnipeg was one of them. I think they showed a lot of interest, and it made me feel really comfortable. I really thought I had the chance to go to Winnipeg, and hearing my name 15 minutes ago was really something. Q. What did it mean to you to have your family here to share this experience with you. NIKOLAJ EHLERS: Oh, it meant a lot. Already before the draft my sister started crying, so it meant a lot that they were here. They've been supporting me through my whole career. They've been there for me every single day, so having them here is great. Really great. Q. Did Caroline say anything special to you? NIKOLAJ EHLERS: Well, she just said that you should just be happy to be here, and that's what my whole family has been saying. So they said they were really proud of me, and obviously that's great to hear. I mean, it's my family, I love them, so it's really great to have them here. Q. Do you think many people were watching the draft in Denmark? NIKOLAJ EHLERS: Well, I know all of my friends were watching the draft, and family back home. I think a lot of people were following it. I think hockey is getting big again in Denmark now, which I think is fantastic. I think a lot of people were following it this year, yeah. Q. Do you remember anything about (inaudible)? NIKOLAJ EHLERS: Well, yeah, I had a lot. I just remember that they showed a lot of interest, and I felt great going out after the meeting. Obviously it's only 20 minutes, but it's like that for every single player. I felt great going out of that meeting with the Jets, and obviously I feel great now. Q. Who were some of the players you looked up to growing up? NIKOLAJ EHLERS: My favorite player when I was younger, and that was not because I knew he was a good hockey player, it was just because I knew who he was, like I was about six years old, and I heard the name, and he was just my favorite player, was Mike Modano from the Dallas Stars. I don't know a lot about him to be honest. I think I was a little guy, and I just chose one. So it was him. And I've been having jerseys with him and everything, so yeah. Q. How would you describe your style of play? NIKOLAJ EHLERS: I think I'm a fast forward. I think I have a lot of speed I can use on the wing. I like to set up some nice plays, and I like to score some goals. So I would say that's the kind of player I am. Q. (Inaudible). NIKOLAJ EHLERS: I don't know. I've talked to Mikkel Boedker a couple times, but the other guys I don't really know, haven't talked to them. Hopefully I'm going to play against them soon, so we'll see. Q. (Inaudible). NIKOLAJ EHLERS: Well, I mean, obviously I've got to get a little bit bigger and stronger. I think I can use my speed to get out of the rough time on the ice, but I'm not afraid to get hit or hit somebody. I think that's a big thing I have to improve on, but I think that's going to be good. Q. (Inaudible). NIKOLAJ EHLERS: He just‑‑ well, he obviously congratulated me for a fantastic season, and good luck for the draft. He didn't say much about the draft. He just said that you're going to enjoy it. Colley (phonetic) texted me, too, today and said you're going to have a blast. It's going to be amazing, you're never going to forget this day. I felt great going into the draft, and I feel great now, so it's amazing. Q. What, if anything, do you know about the Jets? NIKOLAJ EHLERS: I know some of the players.  I mean, to be honest, I didn't follow the NHL much when I was younger simply because of the time difference from Europe. Before coming ovary watched maybe four or five NHL games, so I don't know a lot about all the NHL teams. But I'm definitely going to learn something about the Jets now. Q. Your father was a coach? NIKOLAJ EHLERS: Yeah, my dad is a coach in Switzerland right now. Q. How did he influence you growing up when you were playing? NIKOLAJ EHLERS: Well, he was kind of like my personal coach at home. He was taking me to his practices. He was working out with me during the summer, and well, I was kind of my mentor, like he was teaching me everything. I do believe that he was a big‑‑ he's a big part of why I'm sitting here right now. I obviously put a lot of hard work in it with him. Sometimes it was pretty rough. But I mean, it's great, and I appreciate it, and now I'm sitting here, so I really don't regret anything. I'm happy that I took those extra hours with my dad, so yeah, I'm happy. Q. And you were a competitive soccer player, as well? NIKOLAJ EHLERS: Yeah, I played soccer until I was 14. I played on the national team. I kind of think‑‑ I don't know, but I think that's where I got my speed from. It's great to have something besides the hockey that you can do, and I love playing soccer and still do. Q. Have you been able to pay attention to the World Cup at all this week? NIKOLAJ EHLERS: Oh, yeah, definitely, like I had to think of something else, so watching the World Cup. I was watching Switzerland playing and all that. I love soccer, no matter what team is playing. I could watch every single game. Q. Was it a tough choice to choose hockey over soccer? NIKOLAJ EHLERS: No, no, definitely not. I was a good soccer player, too, but my dad was a hockey player, my brother plays hockey right now. Everything in our family was kind of like hockey. I have three cousins who play hockey. My three uncles played hockey. So everything was just hockey in our family. We talked about hockey all the time. So it wasn't a big decision for me, no. Q. I know your dad was drafted, but did he come over at all? Did he play in North America? NIKOLAJ EHLERS: No, he didn't. He didn't come over. I think he thought he wasn't ready to get over and try the NHL, so he stayed in Sweden for a couple years more and played for the rest of his life in Europe. Q. What's that say about you and Leon, both your dads' national teams, both kids top ten in the draft? NIKOLAJ EHLERS: Well, obviously it's pretty cool that your dad was drafted 30 years ago, so I think it's amazing for me and for Leon. I think it's amazing for everybody getting drafted this weekend. Everybody has been thinking about it since they were little, so it's amazing to sit here. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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