The New Jersey Devils could have the NHL’s next young hot shot in Nico Hischier, and he didn’t take long to show us why. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft scored his first-ever goal against NHL competition in a preseason game against the Washington Capitals on Monday night. It’s a good one.
Nico Hischier’s 1st NHL preseason goal came on a gorgeous individual effort
The Devils rookie is already showing off his skills.
Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
The finish itself, with Hischier slipping the puck underneath the goalie’s pad, will stand out to a lot of people, but it’s the play he makes to set up the scoring chance that’s truly impressive. He takes advantage of a bit of miscommunication between a pair of Caps in the defensive zone by squeezing between them to hunt down the puck and initiate a one-on-one situation with the goalie.
Hischier may not take the league by storm quite like Connor McDavid or Auston Matthews did, but he’s already showing that he should be ready to stick in the NHL as an 18-year-old. The Devils will need him with Travis Zajac sidelined due to injury, and while it’s just preseason, this is a good sign. New Jersey looks to have a keeper.
