NHL Draft Profile: Halifax Mooseheads center Nico Hischier is viewed as a top-10 pick by numerous scouting services. The 18-year-old played for Team Switzerland at the World Juniors, posting seven points in five games.
Set to be held on June 23/24th in Chicago, Illinois, the 2017 NHL Draft will mark the 55th time for the annual event. There isn’t a lot of buzz surrounding this year’s crop of talent, but it doesn’t mean that teams won’t find cornerstone pieces for the future.
To help get fans better acquainted with draft-eligible prospects, we plan to roll out a whack load of draft profiles and numerous mock drafts over the next few months. Make sure to keep us bookmarked for all your NHL draft coverage.
With the NHL‘s 31st franchise set to debut, we’ll obviously have one extra pick in each round for a total 217 opposed to 210 from previous years. The Vegas Golden Knights will be given the 3rd highest odds in the Draft Lottery, the same spot Edmonton occupied in 2015-16 before dropping to 4th. Las Vegas will then receive the 3rd pick in each subsequent round.
Nico Hischier, Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL)
Height/Weight: 6’0/174lbs
Position (handedness): C (left)
Date of Birth (mm/dd/yyyy): 01/04/1999
Birthplace: Naters, Switzerland
Player Bio/Stats
2015-16 was the last year Hischier spent in his native Switzerland. He split time between three leagues, the Elite Jr.A, NLB (second highest-tier in the country), and NLA (highest-tier in SWI). Nico had 28 points in 18 games in the Elite Jr.A, two points in seven games in the NLB, and one goal in 15 games with SC Bern of the NLA.
Nico Hischier made the leap to North America in 2016-17 joining QMJHL’s Halifax Mooseheads. The Swiss center is tearing apart the Q in his rookie season scoring well above a point-per-game average.
Talent Analysis/Skill-Set
Hischier definitely helped his draft stock at the World Juniors. Just check out the goal he scored vs. Team USA in the video above.
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Nico is a solid skater with a powerful stride. He has outstanding hands/slick mitts and can thread the needle on passes, but he’s more than just a playmaker. Hischier also loves to shoot the puck and possesses a hard, accurate shot. He scores a lot of his goals from the slot area in between the face-off circle and hash marks, but isn’t afraid to take it hard to the net. Not shy to stand in front of the net, Hischier can be a nightmare with his ability to re-direct pucks or bang in loose rebounds.
Overall, he’s an offensive dynamo with a high hockey IQ. There’s still some work to do in the defensive zone, but he’s one of those players that spends a lot more time on the attack generating scoring chances. If we had access to the analytics for junior hockey, I’m willing to bet his possession numbers are insane.
Don’t be surprised if Hischier is selected in the top 5, maybe even top 3 at June’s NHL Draft.
Quotes
via Bill Paczek (Elite Prospects),
” The best Swiss player in the 2016 World U-18s, graduated to become the best player in the 2017 World U-20. He is a centre-wing with quickness and skill. Has a scorer’s mentality, but displays high passing skills to go along with his elusiveness. Great vision and follow through. He reads the play in both ends and when in control of the puck, he uses his soft hands and stick skills to move the pace of the game. Plays fast. Is great on his edges and his agility lets it appear as if he fazed in from nowhere to control pucks and score. Maybe more importantly, he seems anchored to the ice sheet, and unfazed by contact, and able to play strong on the puck and continue through traffic to finish. In a congested creases area, he seems to root around and find the truffle before all others realize it’s in the back of the net. He takes pucks in open areas, reads the ice in front of him, slashes through defenders in the hard areas to the front and lets it fly with an extremely quick deceptive release. Adequate in his own end , eg positionally strong, but he knows what side his bread is buttered. Not big or edgy, and there is room for growth in both areas, but displays toughness in how he attacks, attacking the box and letting his sneak wrist shot fly. In a draft class with the early marquee choices injured and the best of the rest seeing their production fall off, why not first over-all? He lacks thickness and can add pounds and muscle.”
Next: NHL 1st Round Mock Draft (December Rankings)
“Really creative and skilled pivot who can also fire the puck and is a highly effective player off the rush. Has the potential to be deadly on the power play. Scouts wonder about his strength and if that’s reflected in his being selective about when he competes hard. Wasn’t at his best at the Ivan Hlinka tournament, where some scouts said he seemed uninterested at times. Other scouts think he’s a better Swiss prospect than Kevin Fiala (NSH) or Timo Meier (SJ).”