Nikolaj Ehlers walks to the stage after being chosen ninth overall by the Winnipeg Jets. (AP Photo/Matt Slocum)

PHILADELPHIA - A young girl sat in the stands cheering on her older brother playing junior hockey in Biel, Switzerland. In the final minutes of the intermissions, Caroline Ehlers, a pretty, fair-haired girl with bright-blue eyes, would hover above the tunnel leading on to the ice so she could talk to her brother, Nikolaj.

To hear him tell it now, their conversations were always one-way and Caroline, in those moments, was more drill sergeant than his 14-year-old sister.

“Get your ass in front of the net,” he said, mimicking his sibling. “You need to score here! You need to keep cycling and moving your feet.”

At the scouting combine at the end of May, Ehlers had some NHL teams laughing when he admitted that Caroline was his main coaching inspiration and the one person who knew his game the best.

“They didn’t believe me,” said Ehlers. “They were laughing, but it’s the truth. It’s kind of funny, but not a lot of people know that my sister has probably had the biggest impact on my career.”

For Christmas, Ehler’s aunt gave Caroline a small blanket. It was white and had the outline of a hockey player in gold and the words “Hockey Coach” written on it.

It’s a little odd when you consider there is already a professional coach in Ehlers’ household. Father Heinz is a former pro player in Europe and the head coach of the Swiss club, Lausanne. His older brother Sebastian, 21, is a player on the Danish national team. His mother, Tina, is the family’s biggest cheerleader, so there’s no lack of advice to be had when it came to hockey.

All of them were there on Friday night when Ehlers was taken in the first round of the NHL draft, ninth overall, by the Winnipeg Jets.

“I was pretty tired because I didn't really sleep last night,” said Ehlers caught up in his post-draft excitement. “It's hard to explain because I was shaking a little bit all day. I was shaking a bit during the draft. I'm happy to finally sit here and be through it and enjoy the time.”

When the announcement was made, Caroline threw her arms around her brother in a big embrace and wiped away tears. Asked to be interviewed, she was too shy and declined.

“Already before the draft my sister started crying,” said Ehlers. “It meant a lot that (my family) were here. They’ve supported me throughout my whole career and having them here is great.”

It was a big day for the family considering it was 30 years ago that Heinz Ehlers had been selected at the 1984 NHL draft by the New York Rangers. Feeling he wasn’t ready to make the transition to the NHL from Europe, the elder Ehlers decided to play pro in Sweden.

“It’s pretty cool when your dad was drafted 30 years ago,” said Ehlers. “I think it’s amazing for me … but I think it’s amazing for everyone being drafted this weekend.”

Hockey has been the ultimate family affair for the Ehlers. When Caroline wasn’t giving her older brother advice, she was busy acting as his player agent getting him prepped for rides home – particularly after a bad game – which proved to be invaluable information.

“She was pretty hard on me sometimes,” said Ehlers. “But she would come down after the game and she would say, ‘before you get into the car, dad’s really mad and mom thinks you played really good.’ So she was a great help.”

View photos Winnipeg Jets prospect Nikolaj Ehlers gets a hug from his sister Caroline as his mother, Tina, looks on at the 2014 NHL draft. (Winnipeg Jets Photo) More

The car rides home from the rink after games were the litmus test from which Ehlers was able to figure out whether he had played well enough for his hockey coach dad.

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