The Hurricanes' young defenseman lights the lamp for his first NHL goal.
What a season it's been for Carolina Hurricanes rookie defenseman Joel Nystrom.
The 23-year-old blueliner made his NHL debut on Oct. 23, registered his first NHL point on Nov. 8, signed a four-year contract on Dec. 12 and now, 36 games into his career, he has his first NHL goal as well.
In the first period of the Canes' Thursday night game against the Chicago Blackhawks, Nystrom wristed one from the left circle that found its way past Hawks netminder Spencer Knight to tie the game up for his team.
It was a little bit of a full-circle moment for Nystrom too as he picked up as Jesperi Kotkaniemi was the one who teed him up for his first goal, and Nystrom's first career point came by setting up a Kotkaniemi goal.
"I'm happy to get my first goal," Nystrom said after the game. "I've been waiting for it. It was a great pass by KK and I had a lot of space there, so I tried to shoot it. Happy to see it went in."
The Swede has really made his way into the league in a big way, after injuries opened the door for him.
He's been a reliable presence on the blueline and he hasn't been afraid to shoot the puck, with 115 shot attempts and 40 shots on goal already under his belt, so it's good to see him finally get one.
"Nys' been great all season long," said captain Jordan Staal. "He's stepped up and played a lot of minutes, especially early there and has played really well. He's fit in nicely with the group and he's gotten a ton of chances and a ton of shots on net. Kept telling him it was math and one was bound to go in for him if he kept shooting the puck, so it nice to see him get one. He acted like he's done it before and I'm sure he will again."
The 2021 seventh-round pick has become a key contributor to the Hurricanes and it's safe to say we'll be seeing a lot more of him in the future.
Congrats, Joel!
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