Höglander played his 200th career game Tuesday night versus the Pittsburgh Penguins.
On Tuesday night, Nils Höglander played in his 200th NHL game. Originally drafted 40th overall by the Vancouver Canucks in 2019, he is the seventh and only non-top ten member from his draft class to hit the milestone. In honour of his 200th game, here is a look back at his career at the NHL level so far.
After a strong training camp in 2021, Höglander made his NHL debut on Jan. 13, 2021, against the Edmonton Oilers. That night, he scored his first career goal on his second shot in the NHL. He would end up playing all 56 games that season, recording 27 points and finishing eighth in Calder Trophy voting.
Höglander would play 60 games for Vancouver the following season before splitting the 2022-23 campaign between the NHL and AHL. During his time with the Abbotsford Canucks, he shined with 32 points in 45 games and helped Abbotsford capture their first-ever playoff win and series. Thanks to another strong training camp, he once again found himself on the Canucks roster at the start of the season and has been a staple in the lineup for the majority of the campaign.
Over his 200 games, Höglander has scored 44 goals and recorded 80 points. That ranks 11th in his draft class and eighth on Vancouver since he made his NHL debut. He has points against 25 of the other 31 teams, with his most success coming against the Oilers, with four goals and 12 points. During his career, he also recorded 146 hits, 99 takeaways and 59 blocks, showing that he can be productive at both ends of the ice.
As for this season, Höglander has proven to be a reliable piece of the Canucks lineup. He has already set a new career-high with 18 goals and is one off his career-high in points with 27. Currently playing beside Elias Pettersson in Vancouver's top six, he is also starting to get time on the power play and is being used as a net-front presence who can redirect shots from in close. While he has moved up and down the lineup, he hasn't been a healthy scratch since Nov. 12 and has seen increased ice time over the past month.
What makes Höglander a special player is that he doesn't allow his size to dictate his play. Listed at 5'9"and 185 lbs, he is excellent along the wall and often wins puck battles against larger defencemen. He is also not afraid to crash the net and often gets under the skin of his opponents. A creative player who sometimes plays like a power forward, his play style should prove beneficial come playoff time.
The hope is that Höglander can continue on his development path and remain a constant in the top six. He does the little things needed to be successful and has praise from Rick Tocchet at different points throughout the year. Signed until the end of the 2024-25 season, he has the potential to be a big part of the Canucks future.
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