
By: Brayden Fengler / November 28, 2023
Nils Höglander has played 20 games for the Canucks so far this season and is already about to match the 25 games that he played for the club last year. Höglander spent the bulk of last season with the Abbotsford Canucks, playing a total of 45 games for the club where he notched 32 points when all was said and done.
Höglander played the majority of last season with the baby Canucks to further his development, and this season Canucks management and fans are getting a taste of what prolonged time in the AHL can do to young players who apply themselves when kept in or sent down to the minors.
Höglander’s Initial Performance in Vancouver
Höglander was drafted 40th overall in the 2019 entry draft, he would stay in Sweeden and play the following year with Rogle BK Angelholm, but the next year when the NHL was in their bubble era, Höglander joined the Canucks as a mainstay on the team.
Nils played 56 games that season and notched an impressive 27 points in his premier NHL season. Towards the end of that year, we highlighted Höglander as a “diamond in the rough” during what was otherwise a disappointing campaign for the Canucks, following their play-in playoff appearance the year prior.
The following year, Nils remained on the Canucks and would go on to play a total of 60 games for the club. At the start of that season management (Jim Benning) was in full-on “save my job” mode and his decision to keep Höglander in the NHL as opposed to considering developing his North American game was proof of this.
At the time, Benning could not risk the Canucks taking a step back from what meager production they were able to put together night in and night out. As a result, Höglander remained in the NHL a put up a disappointing sophomore season. Despite the addition of six more games played that year, Nils would notch nine fewer points than the year prior.
Good Things Come to Those Who Wait
During Patrik Allvin’s first full season in Vancouver, Allvin kept Höglander with the Canucks proper until just before the Christmas break, after which point Nils would spend the rest of the season with Abbotsford, playing his first AHL game at 21 years old.
As mentioned up top, Höglander impressed in the AHL and it’s now clear 20 games into the season that his time spent in the AHL was well worth the wait, as this team is now reaping the benefits of a more well-rounded player.
Höglander leads the league in goals per 60 with players who have played a minimum of 10 games. He’s notched seven goals and three assists in his first 20 games and at 0.5 points per game average, is on pace for 41 points on the year.
This would be a massive accomplishment for Höglander, and make this his best season by a mile. Even if Nils can just eclipse 30 points while playing on the Canucks fourth line, that would be a fantastic accomplishment for Nils personally, as well as proving that this team has depth scoring all the way through their lineup.
Höglander’s Deployment and Play
In contrast to how Höglander was deployed in the Benning era, the 22-year-old is playing a depth role on the Canucks this year and is excelling while doing so.
Before Sam Lafferty’s recent promotion to the top line due to Andrei Kuzmenko’s newfound seat in the press box, Höglander played the bulk of this season so far with Lafferty and Anthony Beauvillier.
This line has been critical to the success of the Canucks in large part thanks to Höglander. They’ve contributed with a SF% of 59.5 and a Corsi of 57.5%, both incredibly respectable numbers for the bottom end of a team’s roster.
Höglander’s recent linemates Nils Aman and Phillip DiGiuseppe haven’t immediately shown the same cohesion after their two games together, but their sample size is small, so if Sam Lafferty does find himself moving up the line-up more often, there is not yet any reason to panic that Höglander’s production will be majorly impacted. More time is needed to evaluate the new lines that this team has trialed.
New and Improved
We’re still in the early days of this NHL season but it’s not too early to point to the fact that Höglander’s time spent in the AHL has clearly helped his game.
Yes, the team as a whole is playing better than they did when Höglander first stepped on the scene, but in many ways, this could only make it more obvious if in fact, Höglander was not ready to handle the responsibilities of truly completing in the NHL. On the contrary, as the team has improved so too has Höglander.
Nils has also shown a more physical side to his game as of late. For better or worse Nils showed an eye-popping level of aggression in the team’s second-to-last outing with the Sharks when he took the Sharks’ Labanc to the ground in what was determined to be a slu-foot which resulted in Hoglander receiving a match penalty.
More recently in Vancouver’s game against Seattle on Friday, Nov 24th Höglander delivered a massive open ice hit on Brandon Tanev which regrettably sent the Karkan player to the bench in visible pain.
Höglander’s development has clearly expanded beyond just his level of production, and with so much of this NHL season left to go, no matter how Nils’s game evolves next, Canucks fans will certainly be excited to watch.