Nico Hischier has been one of the more consistent and skilled two-way forwards in the NHL, but has yet to win the Frank J. Selke Trophy. This award goes to the forward who excels defensively; it honors faceoffs, checking, and overall defensive skills.
Hischier has come close a couple of times and has been considered other times, but it still feels like voters underrate him. Nico Hischier came very close in the 2022-23 season, finishing 2nd with 22 1st-place votes and losing to Patrice Bergeron, who has won the prestigious award six times. In that 22-23 season, Hischier finished with 80 points, a +33 +/- rating, 891 faceoffs won, 61 blocks, and 64 takeaways.
Then, in the 2024-25 season, Nico Hischier finished 4th in voting with 11 1st-place votes; Aleksander Barkov of the Florida Panthers won that year. That year, Hischier had 74 points, a +15 +/- rating, 987 faceoffs won (2nd behind Sidney Crosby), 60 blocks, and 24 takeaways.
Nico Hischier compares well with the reigning Selke Trophy winner
It would take a lot to win the Selke, but Nico Hischier is definitely capable of it. If he wants to win it this upcoming season, he'd need at least 80 points, an above-average faceoff percentage, elite defensive performances, and a high +/- differential to get Hischier into consideration. Montreal Canadiens forward Nick Suzuki won it last year with 101 points, a 50.4% faceoff percentage, +37, and strong defensive play every night.
A big help for Nico Hischier to win the award would be the Devils' defensive performance as a whole throughout the season. If New Jersey could outscore opponents by a large margin with Hischier on ice while being a top-10 defensive team, that would help a lot. The Devils were 18th in goals against last season; getting this to at least the top 10 would be just one of the improvements helping Hischier.
Hischier will have stiff competition next season and the seasons beyond with a fully-healthy Aleksander Barkov and Suzuki returning for another ride in Montreal. However, with some better execution and Sheldon Keefe using Hischier more strategically, he can absolutely still win the Selke.
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