Nils Hoglander Already Sending A Strong Message to the Vancouver Canucks Just Weeks into the Offseason
Photo credit: NHL.com
Vancouver Canucks forward Nils Hoglander is ready to prove everyone wrong next season and is looking to bounce back after a difficult 2024-25 campaign.
The 2024-25 season was a tough one for the Vancouver Canucks as they missed out on the Stanley Cup Playoffs and on an individual level, several players will want to put this past year in the rearview mirror, including forward Nils Hoglander.
Hoglander found himself scratched on more than a few occasions, his ice time hovered around the 12 minute range, which has been the case for the last three seasons and ultimately, his production dropped off a bit when compared to the year prior.
Nils Hoglander ready to prove everybody wrong next season
In the final six weeks of the season, Nils Hoglander began looking a lot more energized and engaged during each game, finishing the month of April with four points in six games, which drew plenty of praise from the team's now former Head Coach Rick Tocchet.
"It was good seeing him. Typical Höggy. I think he's been playing good hockey for us the last five, six weeks." Tocchet said.
He added, "He's been working on position to get a puck. I think a lot of guys can learn from Höggy, you've got to move your feet and know the puck's going to come to you before it's coming. I think that's where Höggy's really improved, at the beginning of the year, he wasn't seeing that. Now he's seeing it. He's coming back with speed, he's taking the puck to the middle, he's trying to make a play."
He added, "He's been working on position to get a puck. I think a lot of guys can learn from Höggy, you've got to move your feet and know the puck's going to come to you before it's coming. I think that's where Höggy's really improved, at the beginning of the year, he wasn't seeing that. Now he's seeing it. He's coming back with speed, he's taking the puck to the middle, he's trying to make a play."
Hoglander would go on to finish the 2024-25 campaign with 25 points (eight goals, 17 assists) in 72 games and the 24-year-old is determine to show next season that he can be and will be better.
With his new three-year, $9 million extension kicking in this fall, Hoglander wants to prove that he's worth the money the Vancouver Canucks are paying him and in a video posted to social media on Tuesday @FinntasticStats, he can be seen training hard on the ice, getting ready to a big season in 2025-26.
"Nils Hoglander is training in Linköping (Östergötland), Sweden with a good coaching friend of mine." @FinntasticStats said.
While it's hard to say if Nils Hoglander can get back to scoring at the level he did two seasons ago, where he had 24 goals - all at even strength - in 80 games, the Canucks are likely hoping he can contribute in the range of 15-20, which would certainly make his $3 million annual salary worth it.
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