Vancouver Canucks‘ 1st round pick in the 2011 draft (#29 overall) Danish-born rookie right wing Nicklas Jensen(17) is off and flying start in his first full season of North American pro hockey.
He suited up for 17 NHL games with the parent club, scoring 3 goals and 3 assists with a -1 rating on a team that struggled to find chemistry through most of 2013/2014.
In 54 AHL contests with affiliate Utica Comets, the sizable 6’3″ but skinny 186 lbs. forward produced a tidy 15 goals and 6 assists in his first season in the minors.
He started was signed as an 18-year old to a 3-year entry level contract but in the first of two-entry level slides went back to his junior club, Oshawa Generals and then started the next season in the SHL with AIK before joining their minor league team Chicago Wolves for the remainder of 2012/2013.
It’s unlikely he’ll return to the farm team for any more extended periods of time but if his numbers or play slips up in the show, he may find himself on reassignment as a wake-up call.
Odds are that he’ll stick and will be contributing big-time in his sophomore campaign.