Nikolaj Ehlers was drafted at number nine in 2014, and the team made the playoffs that year, albeit with him in juniors. They haven’t sniffed it since, but he and his teammates are looking to get back to playing meaningful games in April and beyond.
Patrik Laine gets most of the press in Winnipeg. He’s just 19, and he scored 36 goals. The former franchise record was 29 by Ilya Kovalchuk. Mark Scheifele is, at 24, one of the best young pivots in the game. Blake Wheeler leads the team in scoring. It’s easy to get lost on a suddenly talent-laden roster.