Devils select Hischier with top pick
Nico over Nolan.
The New Jersey Devils ended the long simmering debate on Friday night, making Nico Hischier the first No. 1 overall pick in franchise history. The so-called “Swiss McDavid” got the nod over Nolan Patrick, the Brandon Wheat Kings centre who was long projected to go first in a draft lacking the slam-dunk star of recent years.
“There are no words to describe this feeling,” said Hischier, giddy after becoming the highest-drafted Swiss player in NHL history.
An electric centre with gamebreaking speed, Hischier rose into top spot with an emphatic first season in the Quebec Major
Junior Hockey League, piling up 38 goals and 86 points in 57 games as a rookie for the Halifax Mooseheads.
The 18-year-old made maybe his biggest impression at the world junior championships this past winter with four goals and seven points in five games for Switzerland.
He should – alongside Taylor Hall – help jump-start a Devils offence that ranked third-last in the NHL last season.
Devils general manager Ray Shero said the club nailed
down their choice for the top pick in the last week to 10 days. It came down to Hischier’s “ability to make other players better.”
Patrick didn’t drop much – ending up in the second spot after being taken by the Philadelphia Flyers.
He should line up as the second centre behind captain Claude Giroux.