It is that time of the year. With the 2026 NHL draft fast approaching, the Win Column is taking a look at all the highly touted picks from the first two rounds. This iteration looks at the Norwegian forward, Niklas Aaram-Olsen, who was ranked #35 overall in the consolidated rankings.
The 6’1″ forward has spent his draft-eligible year playing within the Örebro system in the Swedish J20 league, with a small stint in the SHL as well.
Who is Niklas Aaram-Olsen?
| Player | Position | Shoots | Height | Weight | Born | Nationality | 2026 Draft Ranking |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Niklas Aaram-Olsen | RW/LW | Left | 6’1″ | 187 | April 19, 2008 | Norwegian | [TWC rank #38 | #15 CS (EU Skaters) |
The 2008-born Oslo product was raised within the Norwegian Jar IL youth program. He eventually made his competitive debut with the Valrenga U16 in 2021–2022. After playing an additional season with Valrenga’s U18 program, Aaram-Olsen eventually made the jump to the Örebro system in Sweden for the 2023–2024 season.
The winger has appeared for each of Örebro’s teams at the U16, J18, J20, and SHL levels. The 18-year-old has also represented Norway internationally at the U16 level in 2022–2023, the U18 level since the 23–24 season, and two successive stints at the U20 WJC D1A tournaments the past two seasons.
Between constant movement in the Örebro system and a wealth of international experience for the teenager, Aaram-Olsen has played plenty of hockey and put together a strong resume throughout the Scandinavian hockey scene.
Aaram-Olsen’s on-ice production
* Regular Season Only
| Year | Draft Rel. | League | Team | GP | G | A | P | P/GP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [2022-23] | D-2 | Norway U16 | Valerenga U16 | 14 | 32 | 26 | 58 | 4.14 |
| D-2 | Norway U18 | Valerenga U18 | 29 | 17 | 29 | 46 | 1.59 | |
| [2023–24] | D-1 | J18 Region | Örebro HK U16 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 1.75 |
| U16 SM | Örebro HK U16 | 8 | 14 | 15 | 29 | 3.63 | ||
| J18 Region | Örebro HK J18 | 6 | 2 | 9 | 11 | 1.83 | ||
| J18 Nationell | Örebro HK J18 | 15 | 5 | 2 | 7 | 0.46 | ||
| [2024-25] | D+0 | J18 Region | Örebro HK J18 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3.00 |
| J20 Nationell | Örebro HK J20 | 42 | 23 | 18 | 41 | 0.98 | ||
| 2025-26 | Draft yr | U18 Region | Örebro HK J18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1.00 |
| J20 Nationell | Örebro HK J20 | 29 | 20 | 20 | 40 | 1.38 | ||
| SHL | Örebro HK | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tournament | Year | Team | GP | G | A | P | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| U16 Internationals | 22-23 | Norway | 10 | 10 | 7 | 17 | N/A |
| U18 WJC | 23–24 | Norway | 5 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 9th |
| U18 WJC | 24-25 | Norway | 5 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 9th |
| U20 WJC D1A | 24-25 | Norway | 5 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4th |
| U18 WJC | 25-26 | Norway | 5 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 9th |
| U20 WJC | 25-26 | Norway | 5 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 1st (Promoted) |
Aaram-Olsen’s main attribute throughout his young career has been his speed and scoring, both of which he has used to their full potential at the lower levels of Norwegian and Swedish developmental hockey. The 6’1″ forward certainly knows how to find the net, and this has even granted him professional appearances in the SHL this season, which is no small feat for a teenager.
Much like his numbers indicate, Aaram-Olsen has the potential to be a high-scoring winger at the professional level, but at the same time is the pure definition of a boom/bust prospect with high risk but also high reward.
Aaram-Olsen’s strengths
Aaram-Olsen is a pure offensive-minded sniper with some flashes of a two-way forward’s commitment. The Norwegian game is best exemplified by adaptive/quick skating, dangerous shooting, and a streaky but evident compete level that has real NHL upside. The European sniper thrives most as a high-danger shooting threat, and in a secondary play-connecting role that uses speed and handling to support plays.
Aaram-Olsen was a heavily leaned on top-6 forward with Örebro HK J20 this past season. The prospect averaged 17:51 of TOI per game, with 3:25 of that coming on the man advantage, and 41% of 21 shifts per game were started in the offensive zone. The prospective draftee also finished the season as the 17th-highest scorer in his league, despite playing 3–7 fewer games than most other forwards in the league.
Skating
Aaram-Olsen is incredibly mobile and has a solid skating base that he uses to make himself a rush asset and a slippery forward in established zone play. The Norwegian’s mechanical base is clean, with good ankle flection, extension, and crossover integration, which amplifies his stride efficiency and helps his separation speed in breakout situations or to beat defenders.
The 6’1″ forward is also incredibly agile as his inside/outside edgework, agility, and lane creation ability are all notable, and this makes him a weapon in-tight as Aaram-Olsen can slip off checks with quick, clean cutbacks that can quickly alter offensive momentum. In short, the Örebro HK forward can break ankles and turn on a dime.
All of this being said, the likely 2nd-rounder is not the fastest skater, as demonstrated by a lack of muscle mass, causing less effective power generation. What Aaram-Olsen lacks in raw speed, he makes up for with mechanics. There is plenty of room for growth as the 18-year-old will undoubtedly refine his skating prowess as he ages.
This overall strong skating base and mechanics allow Aaram-Olsen to be a key rush asset and play a connector for Örebro HK J20. In situations where he leans more into his skating, creates lanes, takes extra strides, and dishes out simple but effective outlet passes, he is remarkably effective in meshing plays together for his teammates.
Aaram-Olsen also handles pucks consistently in rush situations at a rate of 2.6 per game, showing a blend of speed and puck protection mechanics.
Shooting
Aaram-Olsen might just be one of the best shooters in this entire draft class. His shooting might even be NHL-ready now. That’s how dangerous he was this past season in the J20. This is largely due to his lightning-fast release, effortless control/power, and sneaky high-frequency shooting.
His shooting demonstrates consistent shot-lane recognition (he took seven shots per game this past season), clutch (a 0.44 goals expected rate), and moderate finishing (3.7 scoring chances per game with a 14% conversion rate). The Örebro HK J20 forward also has the handling and hand-eye coordination to be a constant one-timer menace.
This hand-eye and shot selection combination is especially evident on the power play, where Aaram-Olsen hovers around the face-off dot or half-wall waiting for his teammates to create space for him so the draftee can get a shot chance.
Aaram-Olsen was the centre of Örebro J20’s offence this past season, and the prospect’s shooting was a main reason why.
Compete Level
Aaram-Olsen is a hard-working forward, most of the time. The prospective 2nd-rounder shows flashes of motor, offensive pressure generation, and hustle in both defensive and offensive transition that his compete projects above average for this draft class. Aaram-Olsen has plenty of offensive pressure generation upside as his 1.17 dekes per game can carve up defences, and his 90 puck touches per game demonstrate an above-average play engagement.
If the J20 forward can turn these flashes into more consistency, then it could help his projection, as in some games his two-way aptitude shows up, and in others the teenager is invisible. Every viewing was a surprise as to how much forecheck engagement, defensive responsibility, and defensive intensity the 18-year-old would bring.
Aaram-Olsen has the potential to refine his compete level and checking elements as his game does have a grittier, no-hesitation physical edge; it is just a matter of whether the Norwegian can increase his pace and bring a higher level of intensity on a more consistent basis.
Aaram-Olsen’s areas of improvement
Hockey Sense
The European’s main drawback to his sniper game is his hockey sense.
There are clear limitations in terms of hockey IQ (decision making leading to forced plays, below-average creativity, and reactionary play reads). These hockey IQ issues are further compounded by static positioning and issues around space creation.
In offensive zone sequences, Aaram-Olsen’s O-Zone habits are best exemplified by tendencies to make blind passes, stand around waiting for a pass/space to shoot, and a dependency on his teammates to create plays around him. Yes, Aaram-Olsen thrives more as a finisher than a creator, but with issues around his offensive instincts when he’s not shooting, it creates questions around the transferability of his overall game.
Aaram-Olsen also struggles with pressure absorption, hinting at play processing and anticipation issues. Aaram-Olsen’s issues with play anticipation are further exemplified by his 4.2 giveaways per game rate. The Oslo product does generate 24 passes per game with a 88% pass accuracy, but has an overall reliance on simple, straightforward passes. This simplicity in Aaram-Olsen’s game generates questions around his overall play reading, play creation, and deception transferability to the next level.
Physicality
Simply put, Aaram-Olsen has not fully fine-tuned his physical elements within his game. His body positioning, body leverage, and hitting form contribute to the Swedish league forward only winning 48% of his puck battles, even though he engages in 10 per game.
Aaram-Olsen hitting form also comes across as awkward, aiming to pin and not prioritizing inside positioning, which interrupts the forward’s own momentum. The European dishes out 0.74 hits per game, and absorbs 0.40, but rarely do they exert any true physical pressure. With more muscle mass, a cleaner hitting form, and more efficient hit selection, Aaram-Olsen could refine his grittier elements within his game, but don’t expect any of these elements to resolve themselves in the near future.
Niklas Aaram Olsen’s Timeline
NHL Comparison: Rickard Rakell
NHL ETA: 4+ Years
Fit with the Flames
| Organizational need addressed | None |
| Realistic pick range | 30-55 |
| NHL timeline | 3-4 Seasons Away from competing for an NHL spot |
| Flames fit verdict | Unlikely fit |
Aaram-Olsen would fill a similar role to Matvei Gridin, as a key secondary scorer and finisher, who might ultimately struggle to create on their own. As Aaram-Olsen is primarily a winger, which is not a position of need for the Flames, who are likely to draft a centre or shut-down defender with selections in this range.
Aaram-Olsen also would not address the main absence of a hockey-IQ-fueled top-6 creator in the Flames’ upper portions of their lineup. The J20 forward has a very likely boom or bust potential, and stands as a bit of a riskier selection, not in a position of need for the Calgary Flames.
Summary
Aaram-Olsen drives his primary value as a possible top-9 secondary scorer from his high-end shooting, skating, and rush-based tactics. The main areas of concern for Aaram-Olsen include limitations in play creation, hockey sense, limited refinements in physicality, and overall compete-level consistency. As a winger and a higher risk pick, it is unlikely that the Flames would prioritize Aaram-Olsen as a draft target.
Check out all of The Win Column’s individual player profiles of selected 2026 NHL Draft prospects: NHL Draft.