| Lars Eller | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 8, 1989 Rødovre, Denmark |
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
| Weight | 202 lb (92 kg; 14 st 6 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.
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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 Phoenix 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.
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 Peoria Rivermen, finishing the season with seven games for the St-Louis Blues.
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.[2][3]
On June 17, 2010, he was traded by the Blues to the Montreal Canadiens, along with Ian Schultz, in exchange for goaltender Jaroslav Halak.[4] 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.[5]
| 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 | ||
| NHL totals | 84 | 9 | 10 | 19 | 52 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | ||||
| 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 |
| Junior int'l totals | 26 | 16 | 23 | 39 | 87 | ||
| Senior int'l totals | 13 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 8 | ||
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 Iceland national team.[6] His younger brother Mads (born 1995) plays junior hockey for Frölunda HC and represented Denmark at the 2012 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Patrik Berglund |
St. Louis Blues first round draft pick 2007 |
Succeeded by Ian Cole |