New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier earned three points in his team's 6-0 victory over the Vancouver Canucks, including his 10th goal of the season.
New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier earned three points in his team's 6-0 victory over the Vancouver Canucks, including his 10th goal of the season.
There may not be a more valuable player on his team to start the season than New Jersey Devils captain Nico Hischier.
The 2017 first-round pick came back to New Jersey with a vengeance and has been on a mission since his season began in Prague, Czechia.
During training camp, The Hockey News asked head coach Sheldon Keefe if anything in his initial phone calls with Hischier jumped out and made Keefe say, "This is why he is the team captain."
"There is definitely poise there," he said "That is the first thing, and confidence. Clearly, was not happy with his own (2023-24) season and took it personal, I think, with how the team performed as well."
Through the Devils' first 13 games of the season, it is clear Hischier used last season's disappointing finish as motivation and has been shot out of a cannon to start the 2024-25 campaign.
The 25-year-old has a league-leading ten goals to start the season and a team-leading 15 points.
Per NHL Pr, "Only two players in franchise history have hit the 10-goal mark in fewer team games: Paul Gardner (9 GP in 1977-78) and Pat Verbeek (10 GP in 1986-87 & 12 GP in 1987-88)."
"I think I'm riding a wave right now," Hischier said of his goal-scoring. "It is going in. In my career, I had some phases where they weren't going in. I'll keep riding the wave. [...] Now I have confidence in my shot, and I'll try to use it a little bit more."
Hischier led the charge in his team's 6-0 victory over the Canucks on Wednesday night, scoring the opening goal 53 seconds into the opening frame.
Within the first three minutes of the second period, the Devils captain earned two more primary assists to guide his team to a 3-0 lead over Vancouver. In addition to his offensive contributions, he was credited with a team-leading three blocked shots and was instrumental on the penalty kill, which was a perfect four-for-four.
Against the Canucks, his line with Timo Meier and Dawson Mercer combined for six points.
Hischier has always been known to lead by example, but to start the season, he has singlehandedly willed his team into the win column and been the heart and soul of his team.
"You love the fact that he's scoring the way that he is and getting rewarded," head coach Sheldon Keefe said of Hischier. "For a guy like him that gives so much to the team - hard matchups, faceoffs, penalty killing, leadership aspects of being the captain and the leader - he takes on a lot - you want him to get rewarded. He's feeling it. I've been so impressed with him."
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