Winnipeg Jets head coach Paul Maurice doesn’t have a reputation for handing out compliments or even being very talky, but Maurice had plenty to say about winger Nikolaj Ehlers.
Ehlers development of his defensive game has struck a chord with the coach, who heaped praise on the 3rd-year pro.
“The ability to put him on the ice and not be somebody that the centerman has to take care of out there changes what we can do,” Maurice said, according to Paul Friesen of The Winnipeg Sun.
“So he has surprised me. Of all the forwards, Nik Ehlers’ growth right now is the one I’m most pleased with.
“That line is an option now, and if you’d asked me in July I’d be a bit nervous about it.”
Ehlers notched 64 points in his second NHL season and could be in line for a bigger year with Winnipeg.
