Nikolaj Ehlers is being praised for turning a rough night into decisive contributions for the Carolina Hurricanes in the Stanley Cup Final, with his Danish family watching and his fit in Raleigh continuing to pay off as the series heads toward the next step.
LAS VEGAS — Nikolaj Ehlers had just minutes to process what he’d done in the biggest game of his life, before the next one started hunting him.
The buzzing winger. so fast they call him “Fly. ” put three points on the board in an emotional win in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final. He matched that in Game 4. In the series. he vaulted to the top of all Carolina Hurricanes in assists (five). points (eight). and plus-minus (plus-5). and was named second star of the night.
Yet the Danish forward didn’t try to wrap the night in comfort. “Personally, that was probably my worst game in the whole playoffs,” assessed Ehlers. He even shared how his family plans were shaped by the timing of everything: “I’m excited but not excited to see my dad after the game tonight.”
If Heinz Ehlers — a 60-year-old professional hockey coach — were to nitpick, he wouldn’t have to dig far. Ehlers was pinned in the middle of a pair of unnecessary and uncharacteristic delay-of-game penalties for firing pucks over the glass. His spinning setup on Andrei Svechnikov’s third-period strike was sandwiched between those missteps, and both delays carried consequences.
The Vegas Golden Knights drew life from the first one. Pavel Dorofeyev opened the scoring on the ensuing power play.
“To do that twice in a game is not something I’m very proud of,” Ehlers said. “But you got to try and stick with it. Try to make up for it.”
Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour didn’t pretend the penalties didn’t matter. But he pointed to the bigger shape of the night: mistakes happen, and then you still find a way to affect the game.
“That’s the key, right?. Everyone’s going to have nights where you make some mistakes. But then he still had an impact on the game on a positive note,” Brind’Amour said. “He causes the first (Vegas goal) when he tosses it over the glass. but then who made the pass for Jordo’s goal?. That was Fly. And then a great play on the power play (to Svechnikov). So, he always seems to find a way to contribute, and that’s a good mark on him.
“And, yeah, I’m glad his dad’s a hockey coach. So, I can trust he’ll take care of the other stuff.”
That father-son relationship sits at the center of how Ehlers talks about this stretch. Heinz Ehlers was the first Dane ever drafted into the NHL. Nikolaj carries that history with pride. The 57 varieties of coaching that might be waiting after the final horn are part of the backdrop, not the distraction.
Heinz’s NHL moment is still on the record: the 1984 New York Rangers ninth-rounder never played in the Show. But he became a force in Europe, starring in the Swiss League and leading and coaching his national squad, and he has been inducted into the Danish Ice Hockey Hall of Fame.
Recently, Heinz and Nikolaj pooled money to save their hometown club, the Aalborg Pirates.
Now the stakes are harder to measure in any currency. If Carolina can post even a .500 record the rest of the way. Heinz will hit the ice and celebrate as Nikolaj joins an exclusive club of players to hoist the Cup and bring the bauble to Denmark. Lars Eller became the first and only when the Capitals won the trophy in 2018 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. Nikolaj’s mom, Tina, and sister, Caroline, have joined the posse in this moment.
“(Dad) taught me a lot about hockey growing up and watched a lot of my games. And at the dinner table with my four other family members, we always talk about his hockey,” Ehlers said, before Game 1. “So, everyone is a part of this. And that makes it even more special that they’re all coming over.”
For hockey families, there’s always talk about an extra gear when parents are in the barn. Ehlers backed it up with the kind of finishing that forces eyes to stay open. Last week. he sniped the Cup Final’s fastest opening goal in 50 years (25 seconds). then followed it with a dirty deke that sent Carter Hart reeling early. Even now, Hart—who now surrenders four a night—still hasn’t recovered.
“He might have been the most dynamic player out there,” Brind’Amour says. “Got us two goals on his own.”
Carolina’s confidence in Ehlers wasn’t theoretical. His signing to Carolina as the most coveted free agent of a thin 2025 class had been framed as a “masterstroke” for all parties. He was the only Hurricane to suit up for all 82 this season and has elevated to point-per-game status (17 in 17) in the post-season.
The jump has been the story all spring. Ehlers put up a total of 22 points over his 45 playoff games and 10 years with the Winnipeg Jets — a run that included the deadliest edition of that team, which got upset by Vegas in the 2018 Western Conference Final.
Ehlers carried that memory into this matchup. “You know, back in ’18, that was a missed opportunity for us as a team. We really had a great team and, unfortunately, weren’t able to get it done. But Vegas, even back then, they’re a tough team to play against. They have skill. They’re physical. They’re fast. They got the experience. A little bit of everything,” Ehlers said.
“When I came here, that’s what I wanted to be a part of — a team that makes it to the playoffs and has potential to do something pretty great.”
In Raleigh, he’s not just performing. He’s fitting. Even as a new voice in a tight room battling for spring after spring, he says he feels part of the group that opens the door for him.
“At the same time, all the inside jokes, you’re still figuring your way through those. I was part of those in Winnipeg for the last 10 years,” Ehlers said. “The organization has been unbelievable. So, I don’t think I personally have had any hiccups. I’ve been very comfortable from the start.”
Taylor Hall offered a stylistic read that matches what Brind’Amour is seeing. Hall said Ehlers isn’t overly physical, yet his fleet feet create the forechecking turnovers so key to the Canes’ success.
“Stylistically, it was a really good fit for him,” Hall said. “He was excited to get somewhere new and have a new opportunity. He’s a really easygoing guy that can fit in well with any situation, and we’ve really enjoyed playing with him and getting to know him.”
That ease wasn’t just personal. Ehlers’ spark was on display when Carolina dispatched Montreal in the conference final, and his message to Brind’Amour — “Thank you for bringing me here” — went viral.
Carolina general manager Eric Tulsky’s mandate is accumulate as much talent as possible. When the executive failed to lock up Mikko Rantanen or Mitch Marner. he turned to Ehlers. described as a much different type of forward. Still. Ehlers has company in the Cup Final’s top line of impact: he sits tied with Marner for the Cup Final’s point lead.
Tulsky pointed to what Ehlers brings without breaking structure. “He just brings an absolutely dynamic level of skating and skill with the puck and a creativity,” Tulsky explained. “Nobody goes outside the structure. because it’s a very well-coached team. but he adds things to it that aren’t what we would ask a lot of players to do.
“Having that kind of ability on the team — someone who could just create scoring chances out of thin air — it always makes you more dangerous.”
More dangerous. And more Danish.
Frederik Andersen, Carolina’s goalie, was already in Raleigh, and that fact helped pull Ehlers into a room that would otherwise be missing a familiar language. Andersen is the country’s greatest goalie, and he encouraged the connection.
Could they triple their nation’s list of Cup winners?
“There’s very few of us in the league,” Andersen smiles. “Having that chance to speak Danish in the room, finally, instead of listening to Russian and Finnish that you don’t understand, it’s been fun to give it back to them a little bit. So, we try to enjoy that really cool experience.”
A small, proud hockey country has its fingerprints all over this Cup run, and the next step is straightforward: get the silver.
“That’s how you build the next generation of hockey players. You gotta get them interested and get him watching. Obviously, it happens in Canada every year. Kids are sitting at home watching Sportsnet and all that,” Andersen said.
The only step now is for the Andersens and Ehlerses to get their mitts all over that silver thing, which will be in the rink and at risk of getting pulled out of its case this weekend.
Nikolaj Ehlers Carolina Hurricanes Stanley Cup Final Vegas Golden Knights Rod Brind'Amour Frederik Andersen Heinz Ehlers Pavel Dorofeyev Andrei Svechnikov Carter Hart Taylor Hall Eric Tulsky Mikko Rantanen Mitch Marner