Höglander is personifying what Tocchet wants from Canucks players
Vancouver Canucks forward Nils Höglander looks like a completely different player than he did a year ago.
Last season, the Swedish winger played just 25 NHL games as he struggled to stick at the highest level. This year, he’s already played in 24 games and is scoring just shy of a 30-goal pace.
Höglander’s strong play has been noticed by head coach Rick Tocchet, and he was elevated into the team’s top six during their recent 6-5 loss to the New Jersey Devils.
Not only has Höglander managed to put the puck in the back of the net, but he’s also impressed with his forechecking ability. Considering that forechecking was the first thing Tocchet harped on when asked what he wanted to see out of recently benched winger Andrei Kuzmenko, Höglander’s success in that area could prove huge in his mission to earn more ice time.
“Högs is good on the forecheck, and when he’s moving his feet, he’s tough to handle,” said forward J.T. Miller after the Devils game.
The trio of Höglander, Brock Boeser, and Miller ended up spending 5:25 together at five-on-five against the Devils. They outshot their opponent 6-1 and outscored them 2-0 during those minutes.
“He’s a fast little guy out there,” commented Boeser after playing with Höglander in the Canucks’ heartbreaking loss to the Devils. “He gets in on the forecheck, and when he gets the puck down low, it’s hard for guys to get the puck off him.”
With a cap hit of just $1.1 million, Höglander is the ninth most expensive forward on the roster. So far this year, he’s been one of the team’s best wingers and well worth the new contract he signed last summer.
The 5-foot-9 player has managed this strong start to the season despite virtually no power play minutes and being stuck almost exclusively in the bottom six. He’s made up for that by being efficient in the minutes that he does receive. He’s third in goals per 60 minutes at five-on-five among all NHL players who have played at least 20 games.
As Kuzmenko continues to fall out of favour with head coach Rick Tocchet, an opening may have appeared in the Canucks’ top six. Höglander’s big performance on Tuesday could be just what was needed to solidify his candidacy for that spot.
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