Lars Eller
| Lars Eller | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Eller with the Montreal Canadiens in January 2015 | |||
| Born |
May 8, 1989 Rødovre, DNK | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (188 cm) | ||
| Weight | 207 lb (94 kg; 14 st 11 lb) | ||
| Position | Centre | ||
| Shoots | Left | ||
| NHL team Former teams |
Montreal Canadiens St. Louis Blues | ||
| National team |
 Denmark | ||
| NHL Draft |
13th overall, 2007 St. Louis Blues | ||
| Playing career | 2007–present | ||
Lars Fosgaard Eller (born May 8, 1989) is a Danish professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Montreal Canadiens organization of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the first round, 13th overall in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.
Playing career
In the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, he was drafted 13th overall by the St. Louis Blues.[1] He was the highest ever drafted Danish born and trained player in NHL history until friend and former teammate Mikkel Bødker was selected as number eight overall by the Arizona Coyotes in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft. (Danish-born Jan Popiel was drafted tenth overall in the 1964 NHL Amateur Draft but grew up in and became a citizen of Canada before making his pro debut.)
Eller spent part of the 2007–08 season with Borås in the HockeyAllsvenskan, on loan from Frölunda.[2]
Eller moved to North America for the 2009–10 season. His preseason was spoiled by mononucleosis and, as a result, he started the season in Peoria. He was called up by St. Louis and made his NHL debut on November 5, 2009 in a game against the Calgary Flames in which the Blues lost 2–1. He scored the only Blues goal, beating Miikka Kiprusoff off of a deflection and had three shots on goal in 9:42 minutes of ice time. Eller appeared in five NHL games before returning to the Peoria Rivermen, finishing the season with seven games for the St. Louis Blues.[3]
In Peoria, Eller was named AHL Rookie of the Month for the month of March and was also selected for the 2009–10 AHL All-Rookie Team.[4][5]
On June 17, 2010, he was traded by the Blues to the Montreal Canadiens, along with Ian Schultz, in exchange for goaltender Jaroslav Halák.[6] In the 2010–11 season on November 24, 2010, Eller scored his first goal with the Canadiens, wristing one past Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Bernier.[7]
On January 4, 2012, Eller scored 4 goals and an assist in a 7–3 victory against the Winnipeg Jets, his first career hat trick. He was the first Montreal Canadien to score 4 goals in one game since Jan Bulis in 2006. During the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Eller signed a temporary contract with Finnish top-flight club, JYP Jyväskylä. He recorded 5 goals and 10 assists in 15 games.
On May 2, 2013, an open ice check from Ottawa Senators' defenseman Eric Gryba knocked Eller unconscious during a playoff game at Centre Bell. He was later diagnosed with a concussion, along with dental and facial damage.[8] On July 24, 2014, he signed a four-year contract worth $3.5 million per year to stay with the Canadiens.[1]
Personal life
Lars Eller grew up in Rødovre, Denmark. His father, Olaf Eller, is a former Danish international ice hockey player and former coach of several teams in the Superisligaen, as well as Troja/Ljungby in Sweden. Olaf Eller is also a color commentator for Danish TV 2 Sport for the IIHF World Championships and occasionally for games in the AL-Bank Ligaen. He is also head coach of Esbjerg IK.[9] His younger brother Mads (born June 25, 1995) currently plays for the Adirondack Thunder (2015-2016 season) of the ECHL, and had also played junior hockey for Frölunda HC and represented Denmark at the 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.[10] Their half brother Michael Smidt has also represented the Danish national team og played all his career in Denmark - including 17 seasons in Rødovre Mighty Bulls where he also was captain for six seasons before he retired in 2014.[11] Eller and his wife, Julie, have one daughter.[12]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2004–05 | Rødovre | U19 | 28 | 21 | 26 | 47 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Rødovre SIK | DEN-2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Frölunda | J20 | 36 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2006–07 | Frölunda | J20 | 39 | 18 | 37 | 55 | 58 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 24 | ||
| 2007–08 | Frölunda | J20 | 9 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 11 | 14 | ||
| 2007–08 | Borås | Swe.1 | 19 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Frölunda | SEL | 14 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||
| 2008–09 | Frölunda | SEL | 48 | 12 | 17 | 29 | 28 | 10 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 12 | ||
| 2009–10 | Peoria Rivermen | AHL | 70 | 18 | 39 | 57 | 84 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2009–10 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 77 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 48 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 2011–12 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 79 | 16 | 12 | 28 | 66 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | JYP | SM-l | 15 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 18 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 46 | 8 | 22 | 30 | 45 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2013–14 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 77 | 12 | 14 | 26 | 68 | 17 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 18 | ||
| 2014–15 | Montreal Canadiens | NHL | 77 | 15 | 12 | 27 | 42 | 12 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | ||
| NHL totals | 363 | 60 | 70 | 130 | 273 | 37 | 6 | 12 | 18 | 26 | ||||
 Eller representing Denmark | ||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Competitor for Denmark
| ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| IIHF World U18 Championship | ||
.svg.png){kind=icon} | 2006 Latvia | Division I Group B |
.svg.png){kind=icon} | 2007 Poland | Division I Group B |
| World Junior Ice Hockey Championships | ||
| | 2007 Sweden | Division I Group A |
| | 2009 Canada | Division I Group B |
International
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Denmark | WJC18-D1 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 8 | |
| 2007 | Denmark | WJC-D1 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 16 | |
| 2007 | Denmark | WJC18-D1 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 6 | |
| 2008 | Denmark | WJC | 6 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 37 | |
| 2008 | Denmark | WC | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | |
| 2009 | Denmark | WJC-D1 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 20 | |
| 2010 | Denmark | WC | 7 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 8 | |
| 2012 | Denmark | WC | 7 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 14 | |
| Junior totals | 26 | 16 | 23 | 39 | 87 | |||
| Senior totals | 20 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 22 | |||
References
- 1 2 "Eller, Canadiens agree to terms on four-year contract". NHL.com. 2014-07-24. Archived from the original on 2014-11-23. Retrieved 2014-11-22.
- ↑ Meltzer, Bill (2007-12-25). "Upstart Denmark determined to build on foundation". NHL.com. Archived from the original on 2014-11-23. Retrieved 2014-11-22.
- ↑ Bill Meltzer (2007-06-25). "Eller aims to reward Blues' faith". National Hockey League. Retrieved 2010-02-03.
- ↑ "Eller grabs top rookie honor for march". American Hockey League. 2010-04-01. Retrieved 2010-04-01.
- ↑ "2009-10 All-Rookie Team announced". American Hockey League. 2010-04-07. Retrieved 2010-04-07.
- ↑ "Canadiens deal goaltender Halak to Blues". TSN. June 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-17.
- ↑ "Price, Eller lead the way in Canadiens' win over Kings". The Sports Network. 2010-11-24. Retrieved 2010-11-24.
- ↑ The Canadian Press (2013-05-02). "Habs' Lars Eller injury overshadows Senators' win". CBC Sports.
- ↑ Merk, Martin (2010-11-02). "Danish help for Iceland". IIHF. Retrieved 2010-11-02.
- ↑ "Mads Eller profile". EuroHockey.com. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
- ↑ "Eliteprospects.com - Michael Smidt". Elite Prospects. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
- ↑ http://www.montrealgazette.com/sports/daddy+Eller+happy+back/7797111/story.html
External links
- Lars Eller's career statistics at EliteProspects.com
- Lars Eller's career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
- Lars Eller profile at Eurohockey.com
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Patrik Berglund |
St. Louis Blues first round draft pick 2007 |
Succeeded by Ian Cole |