Nico Hischier is playing better than ever – an analysis

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Nico Hischier is off to a great start to the 2024/25 NHL season. Here's the thing: Not all teammates on the New Jersey Devils are equally good.

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Ten games, seven goals, three assists. Nico Hischier has had a very successful start to the season. Compared to other years, the Valais native is already in top form early in the season and is the most important player for the New Jersey Devils. Hischier scored twice again last night.

The 25-year-old is the Devils' top scorer (same number of points, but more goals than Timo Meier) and he can be used in all situations. Strong and outnumbered? Shishiye is there. catch up? Shishiye is there. Defend the lead? You guessed it: Hischier is there. He has the full trust of new head coach Sheldon Keefe.

Keefe said of his captain: “He's been our most consistent player. Very good on both sides of the ice. He's impressed me.” The coach rewarded Hischier's outstanding performance with a great responsibility. No player on the Devils, or even in the league, has played more games than the Valais native. Hischier has played 253 faceoff games, 64 more than the next most active player in faceoffs, Sidney Crosby.

Even by minutes, no player in the league has won more faceoffs than Hischier. A success rate of 58.1% is excellent, and even better in outnumbered (59.4%) and outnumbered (62.8%) situations.

However, there is little use in winning faceoffs if you don't know what to do with the ball afterwards. However, Hischier has done a really good job of that so far this season. Yes, you could even say: Hiskill's offense is better than ever at the start of the season. In fact, no player in the NHL has created more scoring chances than the Swiss this season.

Of course, these statistics are somewhat from a Swiss perspective. For example, Hiskill has played two more games than Auston Matthews or Connor McDavid. Nonetheless, it also shows that the 25-year-old is performing very well at the moment. He said himself: “I try to do my best every night.”

A closer look at Hischier's statistics shows that success was no accident. Hiskill is taking shots more frequently and dangerously than ever before in his NHL career. His number of high-danger opportunities increased another 25% compared to his best season. A look at Hischier's previous shooting positions proves this: the vast majority of his shots come from directly in front of the opponent's goal.

Nico Hischier's shooting position this season.Image: edge.nhl.com

As Coach Keefe emphasized, Switzerland also performed well in the defensive zone. The Devils are currently allowing 2.4 goals per 60 minutes in 5-on-5 hockey with Hischier on the ice. That's not as good as the 2022/23 season (2.27 expected goals/60), when he was ranked as the second-best defensive forward this season, but it's significantly better than last year (2.9 expected goals/60).

Despite Hischier's strong start to the season, the Devils have slipped down the standings. In terms of total points, they are still ranked 7th in the league because they have played the most games. However, if ranked by scoring percentage, New Jersey ranks only 19th.

The problem is, outside of Hischier, many of the key players tend to disappoint. By the way, the other two Swiss players are also convincing players. Timo Meier is an asset in every game and is the team's top scorer along with Hischier. Jonas Siegenthaler was once again as reliable defensively as one could hope for.

Timo Meier and Jonas Siegenthaler are also convincing at the moment.Image: trapezoid

There are other names for this problem: Star forwards Jack Hughes and Jesper Blatt were often limited to their own zones. Star defender Dougie Hamilton is always a defensive risk and currently can't make up for that with goals and assists. The same goes for forward Ondrej Pratt. Additionally, newly acquired goaltender Jacob Markstrom is simply not the steady, hoped-for solution between the posts.

The Devils lost a game they actually dominated last night in Detroit (3-5). There was a lot of criticism from fans about almost the entire team – except for captain Hischier. “The entire team owes him an apology,” one New Jersey supporter wrote. “We love Nico and are mad at everyone else,” another fan concluded.

Tonight, Hiskill's teammates will have a chance to perform just as well as their captain. The Devils host the New York Islanders at 1 a.m. (Swiss time).