Canucks: Nils Hoglander signs NHL 3-year contract

General Manager Jim Benning and the Vancouver Canucks wasted no time on striking a three-year deal with their top Swedish prospect Nils Hoglander.

News in the hockey world might be at an all-time low right now, but the Vancouver Canucks were hit with some exciting news today. Nils Hoglander, a second-round selection (40th overall) in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft quickly came to terms on a three-year entry-level contract and signed on the dotted line to make it official.

That’s right! Hoglander is now Canucks property, so to speak, and Vancouver Canucks everywhere can begin getting excited for what he may bring to training camp next year. The 19-year-old Swede is as flashy as they come, and it’ll be very intriguing to find out what exactly he can accomplish on an NHL ice surface.

Yesterday, a Sportsnet article reported that the NHL Player Development Agreement had been extended into the year 2021, ultimately paving the way for NHL teams to sign foreign players. It was expected that the Hoglander signing could have taken a couple of weeks, but Benning jumped on the opportunity and got it done almost immediately. That goes to show you how much he believes in the kid, and how much the kid wants to make it in the best league in the world.

And come on, how can you not like what he has to offer? We all remember that beautiful goal this year that he somehow managed to pull off at the World Junior Hockey Championships. Absolutely jaw-dropping to say the least.

Hoglander is a very exciting playmaker capable of being a future top-six piece for the Canucks organization. He’s coming off back-to-back “Goal of the Year” awards in the SHL and he’s made the “Lacrosse Goal” his signature finishing move. The kid simply has it in his back pocket and it’s only a matter of time until he’s doing it in the National Hockey League.

Like Elias Pettersson before him, it’ll be very interesting to see how he adapts to the North American game. He didn’t win the SHL scoring title as Petey did, but he put up a respectable 16 points (nine goals and seven assists) in 41 games. His ceiling may not reach the heights of elite status, and there remains work on the defensive side of things, but the huge potential in his game still remains.

This move to either the Canucks or the Utica Comets next season will do wonders for him overall. He’s learned everything he can in Europe, now it’s time to make the big leagues. It’s just up to Hoglander to decide where he ends up next season. His NHL grind starts now.