Devils’ Nico Hischier Continues to Provide Invaluable Leadership On & Off the Ice

Devils captain Nico Hischier earned three points on Saturday night against the Philadelphia Flyers, leading his team to a 6-3 victory.

"He is there for the team and not for himself. He will help his team in every situation (whether it is) on the ice or off the ice."

Rino Hischier could not help but smile proudly when he described what kind of teammate his son Nico is.

In December, the patriarch of the Hischier family traveled 3,900 miles from his small picturesque mountain village in Switzerland to New Jersey to attend the organization's annual father/mentor trip. That weekend, he witnessed Nico reach 300 career NHL points against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Two months later, Rino sat in MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, watching his son lead his team to a 6-3 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers in front of 70,328 fans.

The young New Jersey Devils captain always said he leads by example, and on Saturday night, on a national stage, he proved just that.

A mere 32 seconds into the game, Hischier scored the game's opening goal on a breakaway. It gave his team some breathing room, and as goaltender Nico Daws said, it puts the rest of the team at ease.

"Anytime you can get out to a 1-0 lead, it is going to help a lot. It makes everybody feel more comfortable right away," he said after the game.

It would be the first of three points that Hischier would collect throughout the night. He earned a secondary assist on Brendan Smith's goal in the second period and scored his second goal of the night in the third period.

It was Hischier's second three-point game of the 2023-24 season.

In addition to contributing to the scoresheet, the 25-year-old was 18-for-29 on face-offs, which led all skaters. Per the media notes, the 18 face-off wins marked a season-high for Hischier, while his career-high is 29.

This season, Dawson Mercer spoke about all the little things Hischier brings on the ice and what kind of teammate he is off of it, echoing what Rino said.

"You see him on the ice. He does everything right: defense, offense, scoring goals, face-offs, leadership. He is a great guy away from the rink, too. He is always looking out for everyone else."

"He plays in every situation," head coach Lindy Ruff said. "Then there's a guy that, away from the ice, cares about every teammate in that room. I think that's probably the most important part. He wants to see everybody succeed."

The 2017 first-overall pick shined under the MetLife Stadium lights and has 10 points in seven games since returning from the NHL All-Star Break.

Hischier continues to prove on and off the ice that the Devils made the right decision to name him captain four seasons ago.

As Mercer said, "He's the best. It is nice having a young captain for a young group."