The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)

Devils select Swiss center Hischier with first pick

- By Jay Cohen

CHICAGO » The New Jersey Devils grabbed Nico Hischier, and the Philadelph­ia Flyers felt quite comfortabl­e with Nolan Patrick.

It was all about forwards at the top of the NHL draft.

Hischier went No. 1 overall to New Jersey on Friday night, and Patrick was the No. 2 pick by Philadelph­ia despite being hampered by a groin injury last season. The expansion Vegas Golden Knights also opted for one of the top forward prospects for their first-ever selection, taking Cody Glass of the Portland Winterhawk­s at No. 6.

“I’m speechless,” Hischier said. “I don’t know what to say. It’s just an incredible feeling. You can’t describe it.”

Seven of the top 10 picks were listed as centers. Defensemen Miro Heiskanen (No. 3 overall to Dallas) and Cale Makar (No. 4 to Colorado) and right wing Owen Tippett (No. 10 to Florida) were the only exceptions.

The 18-year-old Hischier is the highest drafted Swiss player in the NHL history. He had 38 goals and 86 points in 57 games with the Halifax Mooseheads of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League this past season. He spent the previous two seasons in the Swiss pro league, where he was coached by current Ottawa Senators coach Guy Boucher.

Hischier fits in nicely with general manager Ray Shero’s desire to put a faster team on the ice. New Jersey is coming off its worst season in nearly three decades, finishing with a 28-40-14 record.

But Hischier is just over 6-feet tall and listed at 179 pounds, and will need to put on more muscle to succeed in the NHL.

“I love hockey,” he said. “It’s my biggest goal to play in the NHL. I’m so happy.”

The 18-year-old Patrick, a Winnipeg, Manitoba, native whose father Steve and uncle James played in the NHL, held the top spot in the NHL Central Scouting Department’s final rankings in April. He sustained a sport hernia last summer that hampered him during his season with Brandon of the Western Hockey League, but he finished with 20 goals and 46 points in 33 games.

 ?? NAM Y. HUH — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS ?? Center Nico Hischier holds a New Jersey Devils jersey after being selected by the team in the first round of the NHL hockey draft on June 23 in Chicago.
NAM Y. HUH — THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Center Nico Hischier holds a New Jersey Devils jersey after being selected by the team in the first round of the NHL hockey draft on June 23 in Chicago.

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