Vancouver Canucks sign Nils Hoglander to two-year contract

The Vancouver Canucks have signed forward Nils Hoglander to a two-year contract carrying an AAV of $1.1 million. Hoglander split the 2022-23 season between the NHL and the AHL. He played 45 games for the Abbostford Canucks, scoring 14 goals and 32 points. He also played 25 games in the NHL with the Vancouver Canucks, scoring three goals and nine points.

“Nils learned a lot this past season, especially playing meaningful playoff games in Abbotsford,” said Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin in the team’s press release. “It’s not easy to start the year in the NHL and then be sent down to the American League, but we were impressed with the way he took that challenge head on. He worked hard on his game and give credit to Jeremy Colliton, his staff, and our development team as well for helping Nils improve on things during the year. This experience should really help Nils compete for a spot on our team at training camp this fall.”

Hoglander was originally selected in the second-round of the 2019 NHL Draft by the Canucks. In his draft year he played for Rogle RK Angelholm in the Swedish Hockey League. He scored seven goals and 14 points in 50 games that year as the youngest player on the team. Hoglander made the jump to the NHL during the 2020-21 season, when he put up 13 goals and 27 points in the COVID-19 shortened 56-game season.

He ended up eighth in voting for the Calder Memorial Trophy that season, for the top NHL rookie. He was between Ty Smith and Tim Stutzle with 24 Calder votes. After his triumphant rookie season, Hoglander took a step back in his development, scoring 18 points in 60 games the following season and not even staying in the NHL full-time this past year.

In his career so far, the 22-year-old Hoglander has scored 26 goals and 54 points in 141 games played with the Canucks.