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Nikolaj Ehlers already had plenty of flash to his game, but his growing reputation for grinding defensive play is an underappreciated addition to his skill set.
It's not something you would have expected, based on his freewheeling, explosively offensive junior career, but the 21-year-old Winnipeg Jets forward has gone to school on his all-round game. He is only 6-0 and 172 pounds, but he's learned to check.
"It's going the right way," said Ehlers Saturday. "I need to push myself everywhere.