New Jersey Devils: You Won’t Believe This Nico Hischier Statistic
By Nick Villano
Nico Hischier finally hit his peak offensively while still playing stellar in his own end. One stat shows just how well he’s played with the puck on his stick.
Nico Hischier broke out offensively this season. He scored his 30th goal of the season, the first time he’s ever broken that threshold. He also has 40 assists, once again a career-high. The New Jersey Devils captain should break 75 points by the end of the season. He’s just under a point-per-game player, and with a crazy final two weeks, he could get there.
It’s crazy how far Hischier has come in just a year. He went from a player who was constantly compared to Elias Pettersson and Cale Makar in a negative light to a player with immense upside who is only getting better. Hischier was sometimes even better than Jack Hughes, although Hughes took over the offensive superstar reigns in the middle of the season.
One stat that stands out beyond the counting stats is the individual high-danger chances. It shows which player is making plays by himself. One would expect Hughes to lead the Devils by a mile. He’s always making plays by himself. However, it’s not Hughes who’s leading. It’s Hischier, and it’s by a mile.
Nico Hischier is leading the New Jersey Devils in a stat that would surprise everyone.
At all strengths, Nico Hischier has 145 individual high-danger chances, according to Natural Stat Trick. Jack Hughes has just 108. Jesper Bratt only has 84, behind Tomas Tatar, Dawson Mercer and, surprisingly, Erik Haula. Hischier is well ahead of all of them.
When looking at the league as a whole, Hischier’s 145 individual high-danger chances is good for 13th in the NHL. Guess who is 12th? That would be Toronto Maple Leafs star Auston Matthews. And number 11 on the list? One Edmonton Oilers superstar Connor McDavid. The clear-cut MVP of this season has just two more high-danger chances than Hischier.
The stat doesn’t tell the entire story, but it’s still an impressive feat. It shows Hischier is making his own chances at a much better clip than everyone else on the team. Again, this is a team with Jack Hughes at the forefront.
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The eye test tells a different story, but the analytics show it clear as day. The Devils are relying on Hischier to be an offensive force more than we know.