In its short hockey history, Denmark has seen 11 players including Frans Nielsen drafted since 2002. Six of them play in the NHL on a regular basis, and 1 is definitely going to play in the NHL one day. Not bad odds for an underdog country.
Frans Nielsen's route to the NHL was an unconventional one, but a Sporten.dk interview shows it was a focused dream of the Islanders center since age 12.
A look at the recent history shows Danish hockey on the rise, with a crop of emerging NHLers and a forefather in New York Islander Frans Nielsen's dad.
