With the heartbreaking news of Boston Bruins captain Patrice Bergeron announcing retirement, NJ Devils fans have come to the realization it is captain Nico Hischier’s time to win the Selke trophy.
The Selke trophy is given to the forward who best demonstrates defensive ability, meaning the best two-way forward in the game.
For years, Bergeron has taken home the trophy. He was nominated to win it almost every single year in recent seasons. As Devils fans know, Hischier has made a name for himself as one of the upcoming best two-way players in the league. Just this year, he received second place in voting for the Selke trophy. Which is why many people are wondering if he will become the next Bergeron, taking the trophy home every year.
Bergeron won his first Selke when he was 26 years old. If Hischier continues to impress, he could win his first Selke trophy at age 25. During Bergeron’s first Selke trophy winning year, his statistics were near what Hischier currently has.
In 81 games, he ended the season with 64 points (22g, 42a), a +36, 20 penalty minutes, 11 power play points, two short handed goals, three short handed points and a faceoff percentage of 59.29%. His +36 was first in the league and his faceoff percentage was second in the league just behind Chicago legend, Jonathan Toews. Bergeron captained the Boston Bruins to a legendary season, breaking all sorts of NHL win records as a franchise, just for that historic run to be ended in the first round of the playoffs. He was drafted in 2003 with the 45th pick, no one expected him to make as big of an impact as he did on the Bruins organization.
Points don’t tell the full story of his impact on the ice. Bergeron would be receiving power play time and penalty kill time. He would be on the ice when the Bruins were defending a one goal lead and would be on the ice when they were trying to tie the game as the time would wind down. Bergeron was their number one faceoff guy for a reason as he took crucial offensive and defensive faceoffs, rarely letting the opposing team take control of the puck.
Many consider Bergeron to be the best defensive forward in NHL history, for good reason, with some people saying the Selke should be renamed after him.
This season Bergeron placed first in Selke voting, while Hischier placed second. If we were looking only at points, Hischier would have had the better season. Bergeron ended this season with 58 points(27g, 31a) in 78 games. But, the impact he has on the ice is like no other, not to mention he had an astonishing faceoff percentage of 61.14%.
Hischier was drafted in 2017 because he was a defensive center, one of the hardest positions to play, but one of the best positions to build a team around. As he has started to enter his prime, we have seen his defensive abilities grow every season, matching the skill Bergeron had when he was Hischier’s age.
Hischier will be turning 25 this upcoming January. If he wins the Selke for this season, he will win his first Selke earlier than Bergeron did.
This past season Hischier had a career year, putting his name on some ballots for the Selke trophy.
He played in 81 games this year, leading the Devil's back to the playoffs for the first time since the 2017-18 season. In those 81 games, he put up a career high of 80 points (31g-49a). He had a +33, with a low of 10 total penalty minutes, seven power play goals, 19 power play points, three shorthanded goals and a faceoff percentage of 50.3%.
Although Hischier is not always the number one faceoff guy, he is a close second. At times, center Michael McLeod will come out and take crucial faceoffs. If that happens, Hischier is still most likely on the ice as McLeod gets off the ice after the faceoff with Hischier moving back into the center position.
Like Bergeron, Hischier is on the ice at all times. He plays the power play, the penalty kill, defending a one goal lead and trying to tie up a game. Although the faceoff percentages between these two players are not too similar, it does not take away from Hischier’s defensive skills.
Looking at just the points, it is clear Hischier is playing better than Bergeron was when he won his first Selke trophy. Although the game has evolved since then, Hischier still has become a front-runner for the Selke trophy for years to come. If he continues to play like he did this season, or gets better, there is no doubt he will be ending his seasons with first place votes for the Selke trophy.
It will be an exciting few years as Hischier enters his prime. We will be able to see the full skill set he has, offensive and defensive, and we will be able to watch him take home many trophies over the next few seasons.
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