Nils Hoglander has successfully stalked giant moose in the wilds of northern Sweden.
The Vancouver Canucks’ winger knows tracking elusive prey requires patience, pace and precision before pulling the trigger. It’s not for the faint of heart. And either is maintaining employment in the NHL. So, what’s harder?
“I guess I have to say hockey,” Hoglander once told this reporter. “But if you’ve never been out in the forest or anything, it’s kind of hard to know what to do. If you bring Petey (Elias Pettersson) he would have no idea what to do, he’s a city boy.”
Hoglander, 24, knew exactly what to do during his career 24-goal season in 2023-24 and was rewarded with a three-year, US$9 million contract extension that kicks in this season. His priority was to buy a new hunting rifle and maybe a new unicycle, one of his hidden talents.
However, Hoglander slumped to just eight goals in 2024-25 and became the subject of trade-package speculation. The Canucks weren’t sure what they had because consistency is everything and the winger struggled to reward franchise faith.
Nils Hoglander is congratulated by linemate Elias Pettersson after scoring against the Calgary Flames on April 16, 2024.
At his best, the 5-foot-9, 185 pound bowling ball winger is hard on the forecheck, gets under the opposition skin, delivers crunching hits, can make plays and drives the net. At his worst, he’s indecisive and takes bad penalties. That won’t wash with new head coach Adam Foote, who’ll be a stickler on details when the Canucks’ three-day training camp commences Thursday in Penticton.
Hoglander could be a competent third-liner, or a fourth-line grinder, if he doesn’t measure up. Former Canucks bench boss Rick Tocchet often lauded the Swede for fitness and desire, but also took him to task for not playing consistently smart and even scratching him from the roster.
“I root for guys like Hoglander,” Tocchet once told Postmedia News. “That’s why I talk about being first on the forecheck, make sure you’re in the right positions, and then just play the game. The one thing he gives is effort and understanding that he wants to do it.
“Do we have to get his hockey IQ up? Of course, he’ll tell you that. He’s got to start hitting the net and getting more offence.”
And there’s the rub. Who is going to score?
Aside from an enviable goaltending tandem in Thatcher Demko and Kevin Lankinen, and a much better back end that defends better and transitions pucks quicker, the Canucks still struggled to score last season. They were 23rd overall at just 2.84 goals per game, and if they don’t climb into the top half of the NHL, returning to the playoffs will be difficult. Missing the post-season again will also invite change.
The Canucks need more goals from everybody. At least 30 from Jake DeBrusk, Brock Boeser and Evander Kane, who has hit that mark twice, and also that many from a rejuvenated Pettersson. They need Conor Garland and Kiefer Sherwood pushing for 25 goals and captain Quinn Hughes surpassing 20.
It’s a big collective ask because of the scope of what needs to improve.
Nils Hoglander is congratulated by Linus Karlsson and Elias Pettersson after scoring against the Nashville Predators on Jan. 29.
The power play has always looked good on paper with top-10 potential. And with Hughes adding more inventiveness at quarterback with elusiveness, to complement improved shot velocity and accuracy, climbing from 18th overall is possible and imperative. So what does this all mean for Hoglander?
With the top-six mix seemingly set, his days of aligning with Pettersson and Boeser are gone until customary line juggling to get out of a losing streak. The feisty Hoglander could patrol the left side with either Aatu Raty or Teddy Blueger in the middle — unless the Canucks add a depth pivot — and be double trouble with NHL hits leader Sherwood at right wing.
It could be the elixir for Hoglander to hound pucks, be more responsible, and have enough line chemistry to score more often while taking fewer penalties. It’s what the Canucks are banking on.
Hoglander looked like a second-round steal in the 2019 NHL Draft at Rogers Arena. He parlayed the pick into quite the NHL arrival after 23 games with Rogle BK Angelholm of the Swedish Elite League in the 2020-21 season. In his first practice for the post-COVID-19 shortened campaign, he was on the top line with Bo Horvat and Tanner Pearson.
He scored in his first game and his 27 points (13-14) in 56 games of the all-Canadian division were beyond encouraging as he finished eighth in Calder Trophy voting. But with hope also came heartache in the rite-of-career passage. Three goals in 23 games at the outset of the 2022-23 season led to a stunning AHL demotion.
Hoglander took it hard but did the work. He responded with 32 points (14-18) in 45 games with Abbotsford and added six points in six playoff outings. It laid the foundation for his career-high 24 NHL goals in 2023-24.
Now he’s challenged to return to that level.
“You don’t want to get sent down, but you want to prove you could play,” recalled Hoglander. “The first week, I was upset. It took a day or two, but I realized it was good. It wasn’t fun, but you have to remove that from your head. I had the puck a lot and played a lot of minutes and it helped me a lot.”