Joel Eriksson-Ek; underrated pest?

[MuckOG]

Ek has slowly turned into one of the Wild's most dependable and indispensable players. Truly a fan favorite. Plays a strong two way game and isn't afraid to muck it up. Not a fighter, but is always the center of attention around the net when there is a scrum.

Also signed one helluva team friendly deal: 8 X $5.25m AAV.

 

[Obvious Fabertism]

Ek has slowly turned into one of the Wild's most dependable and indispensable players. Truly a fan favorite. Plays a strong two way game and isn't afraid to muck it up. Not a fighter, but is always the center of attention around the net when there is a scrum.

Also signed one helluva team friendly deal: 8 X $5.25m AAV.

If I had a one time cloning machine to use on the Wild, I would pick JEE, even over Kaprizov. Guy does it all and brings out the best in everyone he plays with. Relentless, every inch is a battle against him.

 

[TheUnusedCrayon]

He's a guy I would love to have on the Canucks but don't think he's a guy Minny would trade unless you bought EXTREMELY high on.

 

[FunkySeeFunkyDo]

5’9 guys are pests. 6’3 guys are…what is the big guy word for pest? I’m losing my perspicacity.

 

[Ducati Boy]

Every team in the league would like to have this guy. Playoffs especially.

 

[AKL]

He's not dirty or cheap, but he's knows what he's doing. It's not like he's just "playing the right way" and people lose their shit. He knows how to get under the other teams skin at times, but keep it well within the rulebook. Parise used to be good at this too as a net front player. He's also strong as an ox which makes it really hard for other players to move him when he's where they don't want him to be, which frustrates them as well.

 

[57special]

He has an innocent, dopey look on his face that seems to drive opponents mad.
He has been described as a shoot first Koivu(Mikko). Seems about right. All he needs to improve is his face offs, and even thy are ok.

 

[Al Lagoon]

Playing with Kaprizov and Boldy is gonna help with those offensive stats. Historically he Wild have most often used him in a grind line shutdown role, Now he's playing the #1 center, getting powerplay time, and looking great doing so.

 

[Seiza]

I'm so old I remember his dad Clas, who was a left-winger in the SEL in the late 90s.

Clas is one of my all-time favorite players, Joel is definitely a high-caliber version of his father. Clas was more of a grinder and had the same pest aura around him. He was great defensively but didn't have the offense that Joel has.

That slew foot in the clip though, how is that not a penalty?

 

[helax]

There is an Athletic article about him and how the opponents hate him so much.

“
Nobody in this organization’s history — and remember, Nino Niederreiter played here — has been involved in more post-whistle mayhem. Defenders want to rip his head off, yet it never looks like he says a darn word. He just looks at them with a blank stare, triggering eruptions of fury.

“I can’t stand playing against Eriksson Ek,” Washington Capitals defenseman Rasmus Sandin said. “In August, we went to Norway to play in Mats Zuccarello’s charity game. I had never really met him before and, to be honest, didn’t want to. But we hung out a bit, and he’s awesome. But on the ice, it’s just like, ‘Come on, like, stop!’”

https://theathletic.com/4953164/2023/10/12/joel-eriksson-ek-sweden-wild

 

[Wasted Talent]

There is an Athletic article about him and how the opponents hate him so much.

“
Nobody in this organization’s history — and remember, Nino Niederreiter played here — has been involved in more post-whistle mayhem. Defenders want to rip his head off, yet it never looks like he says a darn word. He just looks at them with a blank stare, triggering eruptions of fury.

“I can’t stand playing against Eriksson Ek,” Washington Capitals defenseman Rasmus Sandin said. “In August, we went to Norway to play in Mats Zuccarello’s charity game. I had never really met him before and, to be honest, didn’t want to. But we hung out a bit, and he’s awesome. But on the ice, it’s just like, ‘Come on, like, stop!’”

https://theathletic.com/4953164/2023/10/12/joel-eriksson-ek-sweden-wild

I thought the Klingberg anecdote from Brodin was even better:

“I have more people ask me about Eriksson Ek than anybody because they all hate him … until they meet him.”

Brodin used John Klingberg as an example. Klingberg used to battle Eriksson Ek all the time when he played for the Dallas Stars. Last March, the Wild acquired Klingberg from the Anaheim Ducks.

“Klingberg got here and thought Ek was going to be this f—ing asshole,” Brodin said. “He hated Ek. I mean, hated. And then he came here and was almost upset that he started loving him.”

 

[MK9]

It's borderline criminal that he's not the captain of the team. I was never on board with Spurgeon being selected, but there really weren't a ton of other options at the time. Now, he should hands down, be the Wild captain.

 

[Al Lagoon]

It's borderline criminal that he's not the captain of the team. I was never on board with Spurgeon being selected, but there really weren't a ton of other options at the time. Now, he should hands down, be the Wild captain.

If you want a captain who leads by example, you couldn't do much better

 

[mattihp]

Only thing I think of when I hear his name

It's a long E sound, Ek is swedish for Oak.

Eek with e as in end, but long vowel

 

[Coffey]

It's a long E sound, Ek is swedish for Oak.

Eek with e as in end, but long vowel

OK YOU DON'T HAVE TO EDUCATE ME
I WAS BORN ACROSS THE POND FROM SWEDEN

 

[MK9]

OK YOU DON'T HAVE TO EDUCATE ME
I WAS BORN ACROSS THE POND FROM SWEDEN

 

[rynryn]

I don't think he's underrated anymore as a player but yeah, the pest part of his game is underrated. Mostly because it's hard to figure out (from a distance) what he's doing to deserve the inordinate amount of hate.

 

[BagHead]

He's my favorite player currently playing, and maybe my favorite period. I just love the combination of things he brings to the table, especially his "innocent" face.

 

[LemonSauceD]

He’s pretty much turned into a prime Ryan Kesler (without the douche face)

 

[rynryn]

He’s pretty much turned into a prime Ryan Kesler (without the douche face)

that's a pretty apt comparison! memory is hazy but Kesler was a bit more animated than Ek is though. It was pretty easy to see why when players lost their shit because Kesler pushed them over the edge and i think it's harder to tell with Ek.

 

[LemonSauceD]

that's a pretty apt comparison! memory is hazy but Kesler was a bit more animated than Ek is though. It was pretty easy to see why when players lost their shit because Kesler pushed them over the edge and i think it's harder to tell with Ek.

Haha for sure. Kesler was definitely something else.

 

[BagHead]

This thread just made me want to watch JEE videos, and a fell down a rabbit hole, so now you have to, too. Here's some pest moments, and a non-pest version of what makes him awesome.





This one's the dirty "head shot" that he did to Benn. Maybe he got under the ref's skin, too?


And the Weber moment, because it exemplifies his tenacity, which is the thing that makes him both a pest and a Selke vote catcher.

 

[LuGBuG]

Underrated in almost every way