The New Jersey Devils knew that they were getting a sweet hockey player when Nico Hischier was taken first overall but he has developed into a true leader.
The New Jersey Devils took Nico Hischier with the 2017 first overall pick. He hasn’t come in and lit the world on fire like Connor McDavid or Auston Matthews did as teenagers but he has certainly shown tremendous development throughout these few years. He is looking like he is going to be one of the best two-way centers in the league if he keeps it up. He clearly could still grow more offensively but Hischier does everything right.
He also does everything right off the ice. It didn’t take long for him to have the alternate captain “A” put on his sweater. It shouldn’t be long before that “upgrades to the “C” on a Devils sweater for Hischier. They just traded their current captain Andy Greene to the New York Islanders so that captain spot is vacant for someone to take.
Hischier took to social media during this NHL pause to try to make fans feel good. He used his platform to wish everyone wellness and safety during this difficult time. It was the stuff of a true leader. He and the Devils were in the middle of a tough season as a team but Nico continues to show development in all areas. This is a very good player who has shown signs of being a superstar.
A Facebook post isn’t going to necessarily get a player selected as the captain but that is one thing on a long list of things Hischier has done to be considered a leader in the organization. There are other players around him that are very good and around the same age so Hischier being the leader that he is could go a long way. As good of a hockey player as he is, he is just as good of a kid off the ice.
Most of the talk here has been about Hischier’s leadership and off-ice qualities. He is also a fantastic hockey player that is continuing to get better. He has 135 points in 209 games and is fantastic in all three zones. He is also, on most nights, loved by the advanced statistics as well. His 5 on 5 goals per 60 were also better than a lot of great NHL stars. He also shot his highest shooting percentage of his career this year so if the team isn’t horrendous next year, he should really soar. It would also help if he had a coach that was able to do well with top offensive stars.
Nico Hischier on and off the ice is one of the reasons to be excited about the New Jersey Devils, despite their horrible year as a team. It wasn’t anywhere close to Hischier’s fault that they were that bad and if anything, they would have been even worse without him. Hopefully, Hischier has a “C” on his chest next year.