ROOKIE SWEDE SPOT
Hungry Höglander better than advertised in rapid NHL transition
When you toss a young dog a bone, he'll either chew on it or choke on the offering.
Aligning rookie Nils Höglander with Bo Horvat and Tanner Pearson on the first day of training camp had the optics of a nice gesture by the Vancouver Canucks. Why not give the kid a look after a strong Swedish Hockey League showing and not worry about the challenges of adapting to a new game and ice surface, a new country and language barrier?
Let him play and see what happens.
What occurred that day at Rogers Arena was not an eyeopener. It was confirmation that the moxie and creativity that the swift, strong and skilled Höglander had been displaying on the European and the world junior stages was going to add another dimension to the Canucks' top-six mix.
It was more than Höglander's claim to worldwide hockey fame with lacrossestyle goals better suited to a midway sideshow that would help stake his roster spot. Exploding for five goals in seven 2020 world junior championship games looks good on highlight reels, but that's not enough to ensure National Hockey League sustainability.
Höglander has been hard on pucks and as a 5-foot-9, 190-pound bowling ball. He has unleashed hard and accurate shots and shown a nose for the net and a thirst to soak up daily direction both on and off he ice.
It has resulted in 26 points (12-14) in 51 games, and combined with 14 points (5-9) in 23 outings with Rogle BK Angelholm of the SHL, the 20-yearold Bocktrask, Sweden, native has already logged a competitive 74-game campaign.
Höglander scored in his first NHL game by shaking off the customary hacks and whacks as a rite of passage before executing a deft deflection of a Pearson shot to announce his arrival.
“He has been great,” said Horvat. “He keeps getting better. It takes a little bit of time for a young guy to figure things out and he has improved immensely over the season.”
That's quite a compliment from the captain. Travis Green went one better.
“He's had a good season,” acknowledged the Canucks' coach. “He's a good young player and has a bright future. There have been some learning curves for sure, which we all expected from the physical part in playing a lot of games.
“I give him a lot of credit. He gets a lot of video shown to him and a lot thrown at him. It's a different game over here and we've tried to let him be and play to his offensive instincts. The other end of the rink is where there's a lot of work that he has been working on and you can see that it's starting to come through.
“He had very strong game (Monday), a lot of shots and action and was good in his zone.”
That 3-1 victory in Winnipeg was a window on Höglander's world.
He opened scoring by hounding the puck and getting to goalie Laurent Brossoit. He got his stick on a botched pass between Ville Heinola and Josh Morrissey at the Canucks' blue-line and sped away on a breakaway. His forehand attempt was stopped, but Höglander pounced on the rebound to direct a backhand home for his fifth point (2-3) in a fivegame span.
Höglander then showed great wheels and good handeye co-ordination to put the Canucks up 3-1. He sped away on a 2-on-1 with Boeser and his centring pass went off Morrissey and deflected into the net. Höglander would finish with six shots, eight attempts and three take-aways, and his improved presence at both ends of the rink will really resonate with Green.
In a strong rookie class, Höglander is first in takeaways, fourth in even-strength points, sixth in even-strength goals, seventh in scoring and has taken just six minor penalties. Höglander isn't a quote machine, but his zest for the game is obvious. His comments are often peppered with “fun” and “feeling good” about the process.
“I think I played great tonight (Monday) and had a lot of chances,” said Höglander, the 40th overall (second round) selection in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. “I can score more if I score (convert) on my chances. I just have fun every day out there and feel I've done a good job this season.
“I work hard and try to learn every day and it's hard, but it feels good.”
The progress could give the Canucks a leg up on deploying lines next fall, depending on pending free agents and buyout options.
Höglander has earned the right to reunite with Horvat and Pearson. That would allow J.T. Miller to shift back to left wing for a more customary support role to Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser. Matthew Highmore is a versatile and cap-friendly option to play the left side on the third line with highly touted Vasili Podkolzin breaking into the NHL on right wing. A riddle in the middle for that alignment would need to be solved in the off-season.
For Canucks scout Patrik Jonsson, there was no mystery to Höglander and he isn't surprised by the winger's ascension.
“He has no fears. He loves the game so much and the confidence and skill is coming from there.”