The Czech Republic has grown on him in less than two seasons. During the World Championship, which was held in his homeland, he told Flashscore how he loved the local cuisine and enjoyed playing in the domestic league. This prompted him to extend his contract at Motor České Budějovice until the summer of 2028 after he made the All-Star team last season.
Olesen has continued his impressive form during this season, and for a while in the fall, he was leading goalscorer in the league. This urged the club to remind him to keep his feet on the ground. "We talked to him and told him not to think that it's going to be easy now, and success would come automatically. He knows that if he steps out of line somewhere, he'll get his fingers slapped right away. Just like everyone else," said coach Ladislav Čihák to idnes.cz.
"If he steps out of line somewhere, he'll get his fingers slapped."
Olesen has turned into one of the biggest stars in the Czech league in attack. "He joined the club as a difference maker, and he proved it. He's had an extremely good season this year. His strength is that he can find an open spot in the offensive zone and then solve the situation. It's about passing, but also finishing. That's his biggest asset. He's not the fastest skater, but he stands out above the rest with his creativity and game thinking," says former Czech NHL player Václav Nedorost to Livesport Zpravy.
While Olesen is mostly used in an attacking role for the Danish national team, he takes on more of a creative position at Motor České Budějovice. Only Roman Červenka, the captain of the Czech Olympic team, is ahead of him in the statistics related to primary passes, i.e., those that lead directly to a goal. Olesen so far has 20 of them, plus 13 goals and six second assists. In sum, he contributed to every third goal for Motor.
He holds roughly the same share for the Danish national team in Milan. His ice time increases with each game (13:47, 15:21, 17:15), as does his contribution. And that's why he usually occupies a spot in the third line.
Decisive goal from 55 metres
Nick Olesen scored during his first minutes on the ice against Germany and also gave the Danes an early lead, only 23 seconds into the game against Latvia. Olsen also scored the decisive goal to set up the clash against the Czechs when he found the net from 55 metres as the Latvians had taken out their keeper to introduce an extra man on the ice as they were looking for an equalizer against Denmark. "I wasn't sure if the puck was going to get there, but I kind of know where the goal is on the ice," he said mischievously after the impressive shot.
"I knew the guys from Motor were watching the game, and I wanted to give my best performance". Now, it remains to be seen if he can inflict defeat on the nation that has helped him turn into an extraordinary player for Denmark.