Before the hats came raining down, before he skated out as the game’s first star, Nikolaj Ehlers had a bit of a confession to make.
It was during a chat after practice Monday, long after the media mob had vamoosed, when the Winnipeg Jets rookie gushed about the opportunity to play with two skilled forwards such as Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler. And, it turns out, he also spoke openly about how he has had to fight through the grind of his first National Hockey League campaign.
"At the beginning of the season I think it went really well," said Ehlers Monday.