Former first-round pick working towards VHL return

[solas 1,951]

AALBORG, DENMARK - In the leadup to the Season 66 VHL draft, Faroese defenseman Aron Nielsen was considered a relatively stable pick.  He might not have had as high of a ceiling as Charlie Paddywagon and Jerry Garcia, the two defensive prospects selected before him, but looked likely to be a solid and reliable VHL player and an okay selection at 8th overall.  Fast forward three seasons, however, and he was out of the league completely.  So what happened?

 

After Nielsen completed his rookie contract in S68, the Riga Reign elected not to re-sign the defenseman.  At this point, his development had almost stalled completely.  Performance-wise, Nielsen had been left in the dust by Paddywagon and Garcia, not to mention second round pick and Riga teammate Apollo Hackett.  The Reign cut their losses and freed up cap space, while Nielsen didn’t get any offers in free agency.

 

“That was a wake-up call for Aron,” said his agent, former VHL player Klaus Müller.  “We agreed that it would be best for him to play a full season of hockey in the meantime.  So he headed back to Denmark to play for the Aalborg Pirates, where he was before going to the VHLM.  He did pretty well, and looks ready to go back to the VHL in Season 70.  We’ve already gotten one offer and he’s currently weighing his options.”

Edited January 18, 2020 by solas