Nikolaj Ehlers aiming to make Jets: 'It's time for me to play against bigger men'
Winnipeg Jets prospect Nikolaj Ehlers says his goal is to make the NHL roster out of training camp.
"I feel like I've proven what I can do (in the QMJHL) and what kind of player I am," he told Sunaya Sapurji of Yahoo Sports earlier this week. "I also think it's time for me to play against bigger men. I feel like I'm ready."
Last month, the ninth overall pick in 2014 said he would consider playing in Switzerland if he doesn't make the Jets, but he clarified his top priority this week.
"I don't have any other plans other than playing in the NHL this year. It's what my focus is on and it's going to stay like that until they say otherwise."
The 19-year-old forward surpassed the 100-point mark in both of his seasons with the Halifax Mooseheads, scoring 49 regular-season goals in 2013-14 and adding a whopping 31 points in 14 playoff games in 2014-15.
The Jets recalled Ehlers for Game 4 of their first-round playoff series against the Anaheim Ducks last spring, and the winger watched from the crowd, making him even more hungry to crack the roster.
"All the fans were crazy," he said. "We were sitting in the stands and (I was) just thinking, 'I want to be out there,' it was amazing. It gives me more motivation to really go out there and just work my ass off, to be honest, and just make the team this year."
Ehlers knows he has a legitimate shot at claiming an NHL job.
"I see an opportunity and I'm going to do everything I can to grab that chance."