{"id":434409,"date":"2023-11-20T11:00:28","date_gmt":"2023-11-20T16:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=434409"},"modified":"2023-11-20T10:41:28","modified_gmt":"2023-11-20T15:41:28","slug":"nils-hoglanders-improvement-canucks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2023\/11\/20\/nils-hoglanders-improvement-canucks\/","title":{"rendered":"Nils H\u00f6glander’s Improvement with the Vancouver Canucks"},"content":{"rendered":"

The\u00a0<\/span>Vancouver Canucks<\/span><\/a>\u00a0have hit a bump in the road. Well, at least that is what it looks like for now. The Canucks have lost back-to-back games for the first time in over a month. They looked gassed in a 5-2 loss to the Calgary Flames<\/a> and sloppy in a 4-3 home loss to the Seattle Kraken<\/a>. (Could this be, dare I say it, the start of regression?) One positive from those games was Nils H\u00f6glander<\/a>‘s improvement in his on-ice play.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nils H\u00f6glander’s Improvement<\/span><\/h2>\n

The 2019 second-round pick by the Canucks made his debut in the 2020-21 season. That was a terrible season for the Canucks but H\u00f6glander was a bright spot. That year he managed 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 points in 56 games in the Scotia North Division. That is still his career high.<\/span><\/p>\n

The following two seasons were tough for him. In 2021-22, he had a decent start to the season despite the Canucks struggling out of the gate. Things changed when the Canucks replaced head coach Travis Green<\/a> with Bruce Boudreau<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Boudreau was\u00a0<\/span>not impressed with H\u00f6glander’s all-around game, especially in the defensive zone.\u00a0<\/span><\/a>H\u00f6glander struggled without the puck in 2021-22 and things did not get better in 2022-23. After 25 games, where he only managed two goals and six assists, the Canucks sent him down to the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks.<\/span><\/p>\n

The 22-year-old had a decent stint in Abbotsford. In 45 regular season games, he managed 14 goals and 18 points. That was followed by three goals and three assists in six AHL playoff games.<\/span><\/p>\n

H\u00f6glander is a player who brings some skill and tenacity and can be aggressive on the forecheck. Despite being in the bottom six and healthy scratched twice this season by head coach Rick Tocchet<\/a>, it is safe to say H\u00f6glander has improved.<\/span><\/p>\n

The best example showing how he has improved is this shift against the Edmonton Oilers<\/a> from earlier this month. He was constantly batting with Mattias Ekholm<\/a> and made life difficult for the Oilers defenceman. H\u00f6glander just didn’t know when to quit, he was like the energizer bunny.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Nils H\u00f6glander being a thorn in Mattias Ekholm's side for 38 seconds. #Canucks<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/DiStThGj8T<\/a><\/p>\n

— Lachlan Irvine (@LachInTheCrease) November 7, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n