Hurricanes’ Nikolaj Ehlers On Stanley Cup Final, Summer of Celebrations, & More

The 2025-26 NHL season was remarkable for Nikolaj Ehlers. Between playing in the World Championships, signing with the Carolina Hurricanes, participating in the Winter Olympics, and winning the Stanley Cup, it was a whirlwind for “Fly”.

Heading into his second season in Raleigh, the Danish forward is looking to build on last season’s success. After the no-game group practice, The Hockey Writers asked Ehlers about his memories of last year and what he’s looking forward to.

Building Off First Season in Raleigh

Last season, Ehlers had a career year, scoring 26 goals and 71 points. It was the first time he reached 40-plus assists and 70-plus points in a campaign despite having to learn a new system under head coach Rod Brind’Amour after 10 seasons with the Winnipeg Jets.

“I’ve been here for a year now, so I know how things work now. There is like no adjustment period. I feel comfortable on and off the ice. It’s definitely going to be easier to jump back into things than it was last year, so I’m excited for that.”

Ehlers knew it would be an adjustment at the beginning of the season, but felt like he played well overall. Once everything started to click, there was no slowing down.

“I knew it was going to take time,” Ehlers said. “Even though you know it takes time, and you know it’s not going to be perfect from the get-go, it was still a hard time in the beginning of last year. At least we were winning, and I still thought I played some good games, but I wasn’t at the level that I knew I could get to.

So, I just kept on working – kept on trying to talk to coaches and players about the way that this team plays, and you learn from playing. So each game got a little easier, and then yeah, I think at the end of last year I was really comfortable with the way that we played, and I thought it benefited the way I play a lot because we play fast, we play with speed, and it ended up pretty good.”

Ehlers is entering the second year of a six-year, $51 million deal, worth $8.5 million per season. He was the biggest free-agent forward heading into July 1, 2025, which comes with certain expectations. Fortunately, Ehlers chose Raleigh and helped the team win a Stanley Cup.

Ehlers lifted the Stanley Cup for the first time in his career. He played all 82 games of the regular season, then followed it up with 18 points in 18 postseason games.

Magical Stanley Cup Final

Ehlers kicked off the Final by scoring the first goal of the series against the Vegas Golden Knights. It took 25 seconds. In Game 6, he scored an empty-netter to make it 3-0 and close out the series. He bookended a magical Cup Final for the Hurricanes.

“It was incredible. The most important thing is to finish that game, and I think that last goal really put an end to the game. So that was a sick, cool moment I’m never gonna forget. I think overall we played the way we needed to win, and it was an incredible Final. It was a fun Final to be a part of. So it’s a lot of different special moments going on the whole playoffs, but especially the Final”

Celebrating the Stanley Cup in Raleigh and Denmark

After he scored that empty-net goal, Ehlers found his family in the corner near where he had scored. It was a special moment, celebrating with them just a minute before the clock went all zeros and the party began. It was one of many special moments. For Ehlers, it was a summer he will always remember.

“Special. To be able to create memories. That’s what we’re here for. We’re here to create memories with each other, with our families, with our friends, with the fans that come out to support us every single day. To be able to kind of go through all these different moments with different people, but with people that you care about, is what hockey is about.

There’s a bunch of special moments: to be able to, like you said, find my family in the crowd after that goal, to celebrating with the guys, to going out to the parade and celebrate with the fans, and then get the Cup home to my hometown – share that with family, friends, and hockey fans all around Denmark. It all went too quick, but that’s what happens when you do fun stuff like that. I was able to enjoy that a lot.”

Heading Into the 2026-27 Season

Some players try not to set goals for themselves every season. Some take it day by day, while others know what needs to happen. Every player has a different approach to a new campaign. For Ehlers, it’s about building on last season and continuing to improve.

“I feel really comfortable on and off the ice now. But you know, obviously, there’s always another level that you want to get to, and that you can’t get to,” he said. “I think for me it’s just about getting even more comfortable, making better reads, getting better at practice and during games, and there are always things you can improve on.

I think we kind of set the standard for how we need to play as a team last year. We know it works. So it’s just a matter of buying in and doing that all over again. So for me personally, it’s just about trying to improve even more.”

When the Hurricanes host the Florida Panthers on Tuesday, Sept. 29 to open the 2026-27 season, Ehlers will be looking to take another step forward and help the team reach the top of the mountain again. After a career year, who says he can’t have an even more impactful season? There is a lot to be excited about as they look to defend their Stanley Cup title for the first time in 20 years.