Nicklas Jensen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Nicklas Jensen |
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Jensen with the Chicago Wolves in 2013
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| Born | 6 March 1993 Herning, Denmark |
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| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
| Weight | 186 lb (84 kg; 13 st 4 lb) | ||
| Position | Right Wing | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NL team Former teams |
SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers Herning IK AIK IF Vancouver Canucks New York Rangers Jokerit |
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| National team |  Denmark |
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| NHL Draft | 29th overall, 2011 Vancouver Canucks |
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| Playing career | 2009–present | ||
Nicklas Jensen (born on March 6, 1993) is a professional ice hockey player from Denmark. He plays as a winger, which is a forward position in hockey. Currently, he plays for the SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers team in the National League (NL) in Switzerland.
Nicklas started his hockey journey in Denmark with the Herning Blue Fox team. He then moved to North America in 2010 to play for the Oshawa Generals. After a great first year, he was chosen by the Vancouver Canucks as the 29th player overall in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. This is a special event where NHL teams pick young players to join their clubs.
Jensen played for different teams in the AHL, which is a league below the NHL. He also played a few games in the NHL for the Vancouver Canucks and later the New York Rangers. After his time in North America, he played for Jokerit in the KHL and then moved to Switzerland.
Nicklas has also proudly represented his home country, Denmark, in many international tournaments. He played for the Danish junior team and the Danish senior team at the World Championships.
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Early Life and Family
Nicklas Jensen was born in Herning, Denmark. His father, Dan, was born in Toronto, Canada, and also played ice hockey. Dan played in the Ontario Hockey League before moving to Denmark, where he met Nicklas's mother.
Growing up, Nicklas watched his father play for the Herning Blue Fox and the Danish national team. Besides hockey, Nicklas also played soccer, which is a very popular sport in Denmark, until he was 14 years old. When he moved to Canada to play hockey, he was close to many of his father's relatives.
Hockey Career Highlights
Nicklas followed in his father's footsteps and started playing for his hometown team, the Herning Blue Fox. In the 2008–09 season, he scored 43 points (28 goals and 15 assists) for the junior team. The next season, he joined the main professional team and won the league's Rookie of the Year award.
Playing in North America
In 2010, Nicklas was chosen by the Oshawa Generals in a special draft for international players. He moved to North America to play for them in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). In his first OHL game, he scored the winning goal! He had a fantastic rookie season, scoring 58 points (29 goals and 29 assists) in 61 games. He was even named to the OHL All-Rookie Team.
After his great season, Nicklas was picked by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft. He was the 29th player chosen overall. After the draft, he signed a three-year contract with the Canucks. The team's assistant general manager, Laurence Gilman, praised Nicklas's strong shot and good work ethic.
Professional Debut
In 2012, after his junior season ended, Nicklas joined the Chicago Wolves, which was the Vancouver Canucks' minor league team in the AHL. He scored his first professional goal and even got a hat trick (three goals in one game) in his first few games!
In 2013, Nicklas got to play his first game in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Vancouver Canucks. He scored his first NHL goal on March 14, 2014, against the Washington Capitals.
In 2016, Nicklas was traded to the New York Rangers. He played a few games for them and their AHL team, the Hartford Wolf Pack.
Playing in Europe
After his time in North America, Nicklas decided to play in Europe. In 2017, he signed a contract with Jokerit, a team in the KHL, which is a major league in Europe and Asia. He played five seasons with Jokerit, scoring many goals and points.
In 2022, Nicklas moved to Switzerland and signed a two-year contract with the SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers in the National League. He continues to play there today.
International Play for Denmark
Nicklas Jensen has dual citizenship for Denmark and Canada, but he chose to play for the Danish national team.
Junior Tournaments
He first played for Denmark in 2009 at the IIHF World U18 Championships. He was only 16 years old, the youngest player on the team. He also played in the IIHF World Junior Championships for players under 20.
In 2010, Nicklas played in the 2010 IIHF World U18 Championships in his hometown of Herning. He had an amazing tournament, scoring 13 goals and 15 points in just 5 games! He was named Denmark's best player and the best forward in the tournament.
In 2011, he helped the Danish junior team win their group at the 2011 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships and get promoted to the top division for the next year. He led his team in scoring at the 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.
Senior Tournaments
Nicklas made his debut for the Danish senior team at the 2013 IIHF World Championship. He has continued to represent Denmark at many World Championships and Olympic qualification tournaments. He is a key player for his country on the international stage.
Career Statistics
Regular Season and Playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2008–09 | Herning Blue Fox | DEN U20 | 28 | 28 | 15 | 43 | 30 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2008–09 | Herning Blue Fox II | DEN.2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | Herning Blue Fox | DEN | 34 | 12 | 14 | 26 | 28 | 10 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 8 | ||
| 2010–11 | Oshawa Generals | OHL | 61 | 29 | 29 | 58 | 42 | 10 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 2 | ||
| 2011–12 | Oshawa Generals | OHL | 57 | 25 | 33 | 58 | 29 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2011–12 | Chicago Wolves | AHL | 6 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| 2012–13 | AIK | SEL | 50 | 17 | 6 | 23 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Chicago Wolves | AHL | 20 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Utica Comets | AHL | 54 | 15 | 6 | 21 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 17 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Utica Comets | AHL | 59 | 14 | 14 | 28 | 39 | 18 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 10 | ||
| 2014–15 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Utica Comets | AHL | 27 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | Hartford Wolf Pack | AHL | 41 | 15 | 10 | 25 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Hartford Wolf Pack | AHL | 70 | 32 | 23 | 55 | 58 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | New York Rangers | NHL | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | Jokerit | KHL | 54 | 19 | 18 | 37 | 36 | 11 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 4 | ||
| 2018–19 | Jokerit | KHL | 48 | 21 | 18 | 39 | 32 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | ||
| 2019–20 | Jokerit | KHL | 27 | 15 | 10 | 25 | 26 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 2 | ||
| 2020–21 | Jokerit | KHL | 54 | 18 | 13 | 31 | 31 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 | ||
| 2021–22 | Jokerit | KHL | 37 | 19 | 15 | 34 | 39 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | SC Rapperswil-Jona Lakers | NL | 12 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 29 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 31 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| KHL totals | 220 | 92 | 74 | 166 | 164 | 27 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 20 | ||||
International Play Statistics
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Denmark | U18 D1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| 2010 | Denmark | WJC D1 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2010 | Denmark | U18 D1 | 5 | 13 | 2 | 15 | 14 | |
| 2011 | Denmark | WJC D1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 10 | |
| 2012 | Denmark | WJC | 6 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 4 | |
| 2013 | Denmark | OGQ | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 2013 | Denmark | WC | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 2014 | Denmark | WC | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | |
| 2016 | Denmark | WC | 8 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 6 | |
| 2016 | Denmark | OGQ | 3 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | |
| 2018 | Denmark | WC | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8 | |
| 2019 | Denmark | WC | 7 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 12 | |
| 2021 | Denmark | WC | 7 | 5 | 3 | 8 | 2 | |
| 2021 | Denmark | OGQ | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2022 | Denmark | OG | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2023 | Denmark | WC | 7 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2025 | Denmark | WC | 10 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 4 | |
| Junior totals | 20 | 18 | 8 | 26 | 32 | |||
| Senior totals | 68 | 20 | 23 | 43 | 48 | |||
Awards and Achievements
| Award | Year |
|---|---|
| AL-Bank Ligaen Rookie of the Year | 2009–10 |
| Best Forward – IIHF World U18 Division I (Pool A) | 2010 |
| Denmark's Best Player – IIHF World U18 | 2010 |
| OHL All-Rookie Team | 2010–11 |
