Toronto Maple Leafs 2017 NHL Draft Preview: No. 2 – Nico Hischier
By Austin Owens
As the Toronto Maple Leafs and the rest of the NHL prepare for the draft, we look at Nico Hischier, the Swiss national who has taken the hockey world by storm.
The 2016 draft had several headlining players that controlled the main portion of the coverage in North America. This was particularly true north of the border, as the Toronto Maple Leafs and every other Canadian team failed to reach the playoffs.
This summer will be a different story. Further, there has been a lot of movement in the draft rankings over the course of the season.
On Tuesday, we looked at Nolan Patrick. Now we turn to Nico Hischier, who has taken the hockey world by storm and is looking to dethrone Patrick as the top dog in the draft.
Hischier is this year’s Patrik Laine, but only in the sense that both started outside the top 10 in preliminary draft rankings and worked their way up with great seasons.
Hischier plays a completely different game than Laine though, as explained by Future Considerations:
"“A smooth-skating, playmaking center…good skating agility and top speed, but is more quick than fast…is able to make quick turns and displays good lateral movement…not big or strong, but still shows willingness to take hits and battle for space…goes into board battles and uses his body to fight for pucks…excellent playmaking instincts, vision and passing skills…puts puck where his linemates can best utilize the chance…an incredible stickhandler who thrives in possession and can make defenders look foolish.”"
The Swiss centre was taken by Halifax with the sixth-overall pick in the 2016 CHL Import Draft. He had a good season, scoring 48 points before leaving for the World Juniors in late December.
That tournament was the real launching pad for Hischier. He displayed his abilities while leading the Swiss team to the quarter-finals, where they lost 3-2 to the United States.
Hischier led the way, however, scoring both Swiss goals. This included one where he deked around 2016 Bruins first rounder Charlie McAvoy and finished, to get his team on the board.
Since then, Hischier has shot up the draft board and looked better and better with the Mooseheads, finishing second in team scoring this season.
The team was bounced from the QMJHL playoffs by Rouyn-Noranda in six games.
Hischier now has a bit of downtime before he faces the rigours of the draft process. He’s a lock for the top two, but can he take the top spot from Patrick?
Next: 2017 NHL Draft Preview: Nolan Patrick
What’s your take on Hischier? Does he have a genuine chance of overtaking Patrick, to become the first overall pick in this year’s draft? Share your thoughts in the comments section.