This season, from October 22, 2024 to January 13, 2025, Vancouver Canucks forward Nils Höglander had no goals. In the same span in the season before, he had 11. This dry spell had many fans worried that he had gone back to his occasionally streaky ways of the past. However, Höglander followed this up with a solid back half of the season that he can build off of in 2025-26.
Höglander Had a Slow Start to the Season
The first half of the 2024–25 season went poorly for Höglander. Initially, he went on a bit of a tear with two goals and an assist in the first five games of the season. However, as the year progressed, it was clear that something was off. On top of his 34-game goal drought, Höglander also registered no points for 21 games straight. During his goalless streak, Höglander only had 30 shots on net, averaging less than one per game. For context, Tyler Myers (33) and Carson Soucy (39) each had more than him. In terms of chance production, he was on the lower end of the team . His shots-for (150) with the team were nearly a quarter of what Quinn Hughes (477) produced in the same span of time, and nearly half the amount that Conor Garland (364) put up.
Points Weren’t Höglander’s Only Problem
Even without factoring in points, Höglander’s first half of the season was still less than remarkable. The type of style he plays is very forecheck-heavy and energy dependent. This means he should, ideally, be the first forward inside the offensive zone when the team breaks the puck out. Fans didn’t see that as much this time around. In total last season, Höglander had 54 shots from the slot. This season, he had 22. His lack of shots from this area is less concerning — rather, it’s the fact that it shows he has been less present in this area than in previous seasons. Data from previous seasons have shown that he succeeds in the slot, as 18 of his 24 goals in 2023–24 were scored from here.
2025 Marked the Start of Something New
While it took a bit for him to get going again, Höglander eventually found his game after breaking his scoring slump. He scored his first goal in 34 games against the Winnipeg Jets on January 14. His last goal came against the Philadelphia Flyers on October 19. Though his point totals weren’t where they were the season before, he managed to finish out the final 32 games of the season with six goals and 10 assists. 12 of these points came after the start of March. Notably, Höglander was moved back onto a line with Elias Pettersson around this time, with the two combining for 14 points in six games during March. Both players, who had each faced slumps this season, were ultimately sidelined with injuries to round out the season. Höglander returned a couple of weeks after.
Höglander Produced More Chances-For
Despite having played two more games from October 22 to January 13, Höglander had 23 more high-danger chances-for in the second half of the 2024–25 season. He put up 81 in 32 games, surpassing the 58 he tallied in the first part of the season. As well, he improved his shots-for rate, bringing it up to 191. In terms of shooting, Höglander sent the puck to the net much more often. He had 45 shots in the final 32 games of the 2024–25 season.
Höglander Is Skating to Success Next Season
While this off-season could see a massive team shake-up, as rumours about Brock Boeser ‘s future with the Canucks have run rampant, the team still has one of their wingers locked up short-term. Höglander signed a three-year, $3M AAV contract extension at the start of the 2024–25 season. This means the team will avoid going to arbitration with him after the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs end. With no contract worries, a (hopefully) healthy off-season, and a possible new set of forwards to play with, 2025–26 could be Höglander’s true breakout season.
Main Photo: Bod Frid- Imagn Images
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