'It's A No-Brainer': Devils' Nico Hischier Should Be Leading Selke Trophy Race

It's time. 

At least it should be for New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier to capture his first Frank J. Selke Trophy.

The Swiss center was named a finalist for the award given annually to the forward voted best to excel in the defensive aspects of the game in 2023 and finished second behind former Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron.  

It does not take long to realize that Hischier impacts every aspect of the game for the Devils. Even strength, power play, penalty kill, and face-offs, he is a complete 200-foot player that head coach Sheldon Keefe utilizes in the most critical times. 

"I have been so impressed by him and how he has performed this year," Keefe said of his captain. "For us, (he is the) first over the boards, power play, penalty kill, the matchups, and then to still contribute and produce the way that he has offensively with all those defensive assignments, he has helped make this a much improved defensive team. He has been an anchor for us that way." 

With five games remaining in the regular season, Hischier has a career-high 35 goals. He leads the team and has scored 11 more times than the next active player, Timo Meier (24). Jack Hughes, whose season ended in early March, has 27 goals. 

With the amount of defensive responsibility Keefe has put on Hischier, it is more impressive to see him have an offensive outburst, including the first two hat tricks of his career. 

In addition to being on New Jersey's first power play unit, where he leads the team with 14 goals on the man advantage, Hischier leads all forwards in short-handed ice time. He is just as instrumental on the Devils' penalty kill, which is currently ranked fourth-best in the NHL. 

At the time of publication, the 2017 first-overall pick has won more defensive zone face-offs than any other player in the League, with 346. 

"It's huge," Dougie Hamilton said when asked how vital Hischier is in the face-off circle. "It is automatic puck possession and could change the whole course (of the game). I think it is something people don't recognize that much, but it really makes a difference."  

"Face-offs are incredibly important," TNT color commentator Darren Pang told The Hockey News. "(Ask a hockey player) if he would like to chase the puck or would like the puck on his tape. You know what the answer is going to be." 

Devils defenseman Brenden Dillon spends the most time on the Devils' penalty kill and explained that Hischier's skill in the defensive zone goes beyond winning critical draws.

"I mean, it is not just face-off ability," the veteran explained. "I think it is everything: good stick, skating, defensive awareness. It is everything he does and the reason why I believe in our room; we think he is a Selke guy with everything he brings to it."

When speaking about Hischier being a finalist for the Selke Trophy, Dillon believes it is a "no-brainer." 

While points, face-offs, and other variables can be tracked with statistics and analysis, players and coaches will be the first to say it never gives a complete profile of the player. 

Wall battles and the ability to protect the puck are essential, especially when one considers that 80 percent of the time, the puck is within three feet of the wall. When asked which of his fellow forwards was the best in that situation, Dawson Mercer quickly said Hischier was really good at protecting the puck despite being a bit on the smaller side.

Hischier's puck battles are against the League's top players, as he faces the opposition's most formidable players night after night, including Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon. 

"I don't know if I have given him an easy shift on the season," Keefe said on Monday. "He gets the hardest assignments."

No player is more valuable to the Devils on the ice than Hischier. He handles the tough matchups against top opposition, wins critical defensive zone face-offs, is a successful penalty killer, leads all Devils' forwards with takeaways, and has the second-most blocked shots. 

"We all see how good Nico is," Hamilton said. "I mean, there is nothing he is not good at. I think you can go down the line with everything."  

While Hischier may not get recognition around the NHL, people are starting to take notice, such as ESPN play-by-play announcer Bob Wischusen.

"I have always had a tremendous amount of respect for Nico Hischier's game," he said to The Hockey News. "He is one of my favorites. If he doesn't win a Selke Trophy soon, he should. I think he is worthy of being a captain. He is really hard-working, willing to sacrifice, and does the dirty work. For a guy who got drafted where he got drafted, there is usually this almost automatic assumption that if you draft the guy there and he doesn't score 45 goals in a season, he is a failure. To me, with Nico, nothing could be further from the truth. He is a really good player." 

It is time, once again, for Hischier's effort and performance to receive recognition around the League. He has improved New Jersey's overall defensive game, allowing his team to be in a position to clinch a playoff berth and make a return to the postseason.