Have you ever found something in the least likely place? Like on The Cosby Show, when Vanessa lost her folder because she’d accidentally put it back in the freezer with the ice cream? That’s how we felt a few Fridays back, watching the NHL All-Star Draft.
Foxy Friday: Aaron Ekblad
BeardWatch: Rookie of the Year
It’s not easy to surprise us with foxiness around the NHL – so vigilant is our endless search – and if you get past us, surely our eagle-eyed readers Tweet of a worthy candidate we somehow missed.
Not this time.
The new guy
Aaron Ekblad walked on stage the ASG Draft and threw our work right out the window.
21st Century fact-finding mission
It’s a lucky thing Aaron was selected for the All-Star Game, or we may have never seen him. I mean never, because that’s how likely I am to watch a Panthers game. Well, never is a long time for him, so maybe someday. But we probably would have missed this hair:
Never a selfie-stick around when you need one.
(Object not, Panthers-fan friends, for my lack of attention to your team probably means they will beat my team in the playoffs. You’re welcome. Love, Karma)
In addition to the perfect boyband bangswave, Aaron is 6’4″, 216 lbs… and was born in 1996. Just a reminder! He was drafted first overall in 2014. Usually, draft photos are what we pull up eight years later to laugh about. Where is whoever writes this blog in 2023 going to get her comedy material?
Stop. Let me get a good look at it.
Aaron had 4 assists for the victorious Team Toews in the All-Star Game. Not surprising, as he’s got 21A on the season and a total of 28 points. Who else has 28 points this season? James Neal.
Not bad, Aaron.
The Cutting Edge pre-dates Aaron by four years.
In case you momentarily forgot Aaron is 18, one of his favorite movies is “That Awkward Moment” – which is an awkward moment when someone’s favorite movie stars Zac Efron. Not knocking Zac, just admiring the bottomless chasm of age difference. [ More favorites here and here/video.] You know that Saved By the Bell Jimmy Fallon thing everyone is talking about? I bet Aaron’s never heard of Zack Morris.
No running in boat shoes.
The @FLAPanthers (which always reads “Flap Antlers” to me) are, by all accounts, in much better shape this year than last.
Florida Department of Tourism Meeting
I mean on the ice, you guys. They are currently 9th in the East with 56 points – ahead of the Flyers (52), trailing the Bruins (61). Still plenty of time left for everything to go right or wrong.
First year playoff hopes
Ekblad, along with his ASG mates Filip Forsberg (who the Caps traded away for nothing) and Johnny Gaudreau (who I will never, ever call “Johnny Hockey”), are frontrunners for the Calder Trophy as rookie of the year. [Intern Jeff Skinner just harrumphed and walked out.] With half this season left to go, it’s safe to say that Aaron is our pick. After all, he didn’t go to Boston College.
Follow Aaron on Twitter (@Ekblad5FLA), Instagram (aaronekblad5) and his website that is really a Tumblr in thing disguise: aaronekblad.ca.
Look at that part.
Ohhh my gosh, he was born the year I started middle school. I’m gonna go cry in a corner now.
He was born the year I graduated high school.
Check out Willie Mitchell’s twitter https://twitter.com/Willie_Mitch33 Ekblad lives with them, and Willie faithfully chronicles his advantages. Spoiler Alert: he BAKES! Cookies trumps puppies!
Freudian slip. That should be chronicles his adventures. YIKES!
GREATEST slip evarrrrrrrrr. Bless you, darling!
You know you’re old when the rookies you’re drooling over don’t meat “half your age plus 7” criteria.
But he’s pretty. So, so pretty.
He is 10 times more beautiful IRL. I had to wipe drool off the glass.
his girlfriend also happens to be Claudia Lemieux…. being a Red Wings fan this automatically makes him the enemy, he is nice to look at though.
I know! She’s signed to play volleyball at my alma mater next year. Roll Wave Roll!!!!
Are we sure he’s 18?
Because he ain’t wearing that suit like any 18-year-old.
THIS X100! I legit double checked wikipedia to make sure this wasn’t a typo.
He does look better than he should for being 18.
Also, I LOVE Filip Forsberg, but he wasn’t traded for nothing. Part of the package was Michael Latta whom I think should be a future Foxy Friday, just saying. (Or a joint one with him and his bromance Tom Wilson. Did you see them in the Road to the Winter Classic? Pretty, pretty stupid boys.)
How is he that young?! How does he not look completely awkward just like any other 18 year old?
Great Foxy Friday pick!
Also, apparently he knows how to juggle, as demonstrated here:
http://video.nhl.com/videocenter/console?id=618296&catid=49
Let’s see…if I turn in a circle from where I’m sitting here at home, I’ve got John Tavares and Tyler Seguin’s home towns just south of me, Steven Stamkos’s just to the east, the Staal brothers’ a drive to the north, and Ekblad’s off to the west. Yet I pine for Nova Scotia. Sigh.
My god, he’s beautiful. And yes, he is really wearing that suit.
I wonder, is he just going to escape all the usual style mistakes of the usual 18-year-old hockey player? I mean, even Patrick Shark bleached his hair in his youth.
Just to let you know you forgot Tyler Seguin’s birthday
Oh, Chuck didn’t forget. She is just buried under 210 feet of snow in Boston and communication is mostly by tin-cans-and-string!
Aaron Ekblad has Swedish beckground
Can you write a Foxy Friday on Max Pacioretty please?
First of all, I’m not ashamed to admit that I squeaked to see my reply tweet actually shown on your blog. ::fangirls::
Second, I do somewhat follow the Panthers because of Roberto Luongo, so I had the slight advantage of going through all of these stages of amazement and discovery several months ago. That doesn’t mean that I understand how he exists any better, though.
Third, I thought it was really cool that he and Tavares were the only two players granted exceptional player status (until McDavid and the new guy).
Fourth, I cannot comprehend sitting next to him in a classroom. Nope.
Lastly, Willie Mitchell’s tweets about him were the final straw. I gave up. I mean, baking cookies for a road trip! While giving the camera a doofy thumb’s up! He’s clearly a governmental science experiment, or the next gen version of the Canadian hockey robot.