Nico Hischier is a 2017 NHL draft-eligible prospect who has been considered by most scouting services to be at the very top of his draft class. Featured here are all of his point highlights from the first half of his 2016-17 QMJHL season (September 23 to December 10, 2016) with the Halifax Mooseheads. He is scheduled to represent Team Switzerland at the 2017 World Junior Championships in late December 2016 and plays no more Mooseheads games until after the tournament. Thus, now is the perfect time to take a snapshot of his season so far.

Hischier joined the Halifax Mooseheads this past off-season as the sixth-overall selection in the 2016 CHL Import Draft. He is a rookie this season, and debuted at the start of the 2016-17 campaign. After a slow start with the Mooseheads, he has exploded with 22 goals, 25 assists, 47 points in 31 games. More notably, however, is that in his last 18 games he has 17 goals, 34 points. His points-per-game ratio has continued to improve, and in the month of November 2016, he scored 14 goals, 25 points in 11 games. He plays center, is an agile, quick, intelligent skater, possesses a very diverse skill set, and has high hockey IQ. He is both creative and very mobile on his skates, and is a reliable two-way player whose work ethic is extremely impressive. His poise and maturity are astonishing, to say the least.

He is 6'1'', 176 lbs and plays center. I have analyzed his game in other videos on my channel. This particular video is a highlight package of his points thus far. All highlights shown are in chronological order.

As of December 10, 2016, he is ranked #1 overall by McKeen's Hockey, #2 by HockeyProspect, #3 overall by Sportsnet, #3 overall by LastWordOnSports, #5 overall by Craig Button, and #8 by ISS.

Here are two scouting reports:

http://www.swisshockeynews.ch/index.p...

"He is already an almost complete package. Nico Hischier impresses me in different respects. He is the opposite of a one-dimensional player. He takes pride in the defensive aspect of the game. He is already really good in the face-off circle and seems to love learning this part of the game as well. His best asset is probably his understanding of the game, his off the chart vision – he finds passing lanes that other players simply don't find. His decisions are usually smart and clever; his positioning is already the one of an experienced pro. Nico is very competitive, plays with heart and underrated grit; he is a smart puck-mover, a quick shot release is already there, and his body-play is also pretty impressive. Although slightly built, he is not afraid to go to the dirty areas at all; he definitely plays “bigger” than his size.

Hischier is a player who always wants the puck, he is very proactive, the opposite of a pure reaction-player. If he has the puck, almost always something happens. His skating is most impressive. He skates in different gears and he also seems to have this extra gear that just a few players have. But what really separates him in the skating area is – once again – his smarts.

Nico Hischier uses his skating skills in a smart way; he is not like a one-dimensional speedster that always and in every situation wants to impress you with his north-south-speed. Nico is a selective skater and, choosing his ways wisely (he doesn’t only go north-south but also east-west). But he is also a sneaky, patient, unpredictable skater: he changes gears when nobody thinks he would and he does it without the puck as well to close gaps. I guess that pro-players agree with me that it is most difficult to play against players with unpredictable skating and Nico is exactly such a player." - Thomas Roost, December 2016

http://lastwordonsports.com/2016/11/2...


"Hischier is a playmaker, with outstanding vision and passing ability. He has very good hockey sense, and anticipates his teammates movements in the offensive zone. Hischier has a very quick first step, excellent acceleration and agility, as well as great edgework. This, along with quick hands, allow him to avoid defenders and make him very elusive when working the puck in the offensive zone. His ability to make plays with the puck, while moving at top speed is something that is pretty rare to see in a 17-year-old. Hischier also has a very high work ethic, he never seems to stop working during a shift. Size is the biggest concern at this point. Hischier will need to add muscle to his frame before moving to the next level." - LastWordOnSports, November 2016