Gustav Nyquist: High Hockey IQ Paved the Way to the NHL

On November 16 & 17, the Detroit Red Wings will face off against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Ottawa Senators at Avicii Arena in Stockholm, Sweden as part of the 2023 NHL Global Series. To commemorate this historic event and pay tribute to Detroit's Swedish connection, each week leading up to the Global Series, we will feature a Swedish Red Wings story in our series, 'How Swede It Is' presented by JP Wiser's. Each story is a testament to the dedication and resolve between the players and the Red Wings to build upon and maintain a tradition of excellence between Swedish hockey and the Red Wings. We continue our series with forward Gustav Nyquist.

After he was passed over during his first year of eligibility in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft, Gustav Nyquist began to wonder if he would ever be drafted into the NHL.

He spent another season playing for the Malmo Redhawks in Sweden’s top junior league, ultimately committing to play college hockey at the University of Maine. Much to his surprise, he was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in the fourth round (121^st overall) of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft that next year.

“My hopes weren’t that high. I didn’t get drafted my first draft (in 2007),” Nyquist said. “Once you kind of miss out on your first draft, maybe your hopes aren’t that high, but I had some meetings with Hakan Andersson. Once the call came in, I wasn’t even watching the draft.

“I can’t remember what I was doing but I wasn’t focused on it at all. I got a call from Detroit saying that I got drafted in the fourth round, which is way higher than I expected. It was a very cool feeling obviously. A good memory from a long time ago now.”

Andersson had his eye on Nyquist in 2007. Yet he didn’t draft him, a decision he was never comfortable with.

“He actually had a hell of a year (in 2007),” said Andersson, who is the Red Wings’ director of European scouting. “He was small when he played junior in Sweden. He had a good year in terms of points. I kind of regretted it (not drafting him).He was drafted in his second year of eligibility. I happened to see him some games where I liked what I saw. But his point total in Swedish junior league was not good in year two because he was injured. I think that was one of the reasons why we got him.  

“Very smart person. He’s highly educated, too. If he wants to, after playing, I think he can go for really high-end jobs. Really smart person, aware and smart.”

At Maine, Nyquist excelled, leading the NCAA in scoring with 61 points (19-42-61) in 39 games as a sophomore in 2009-10. He finished second that season to Wisconsin’s Blake Geoffrion for the Hobey Baker Award.

After his sophomore year, Nyquist really thought about signing with the Red Wings, but decided another year of college would benefit him physically. Instead of playing 80 games as a pro, he could spend more time in the gym building up his body and overall strength.

He left Maine after his junior year, signing a two-year entry-level contract with the Red Wings on March 25, 2011. Nyquist made his pro debut the same day with the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins.

It was apparent from the beginning Nyquist was a heady and deceptive player.

“Gus is one of those players whose best attributes to me are his hockey sense both offensively and defensively. Offensively, Ken Holland used to say that he has tricks,” said Jeff Blashill, who coached Nyquist in Grand Rapids, where they won the 2013 Calder Cup together, and later in Detroit. “He gets to a level and finds a way to be successful offensively without being the fastest skater, without having the hardest shot, again, because he finds little ways to be successful.

“He did that in the American League and he did that in the National Hockey League. And he’s proven to do that over and over again. He goes to Columbus and they start using him regular as a penalty killer and he does a real good job because again, he’s really, really smart. None of Gus’ success is a surprise to me at all. I would have thought that he would have this type of success because of the hockey smarts that he has.”

As a young member of the Red Wings, Nyquist was mentored by Niklas Kronwall, whom he lived with at the start of his Wings career, and Henrik Zetterberg. He also formed a bond with Dan Cleary, the Red Wings’ current assistant director of player development.

“When I think of Gus Nyquist, I think of hockey sense,” Cleary said. “He’s got really, really good hockey sense. He’s got real good talent, like individual skill. He’s not a very big guy, maybe 5-11, 5-10, doesn’t weigh a lot but he’s strong, he’s in good shape, skates well.

“You know the one thing; he’s got a real sneaky shot. He’s got a good shot, he gets it on net quick, goalies are caught off-guard sometimes when he scores. And I think overall, I think he’s just a real smart player. He can kill penalties, he can play on the power play, he can play late in games. That’s who he is. He’s a good NHL player.”

Nyquist recorded 295 points (125 goals, 170 assists) in 481 games with Detroit from 2011-2019.

His play also inspired racehorse owner and Windsor, Ontario native J. Paul Reddam, a huge Wings fan who is known for naming some of his thoroughbreds after Red Wings players. Reddam’s horse, Nyquist, won the 2016 Kentucky Derby.

“It gets brought up a little bit more than you’d think,” Nyquist said. “Depending on where you’re at, a lot of horse fans. It’s bigger than you’d think. I’m just bummed that I couldn’t be there. It’s funny. (Paul) named a lot of his horses after Red Wings players and mine just happened to turn out to be really good.”

This offseason, Nyquist signed a two-year contract with the Nashville Predators. He feels he has more than two years left in his body, but he’ll take a wait-and-see approach at this stage of his career.

“I’ve always kind of taken it one day at a time and tried to work hard,” Nyquist said. “I was fortunate to come into the Detroit system and have guys like Henrik Zetterberg and Nik Kronwall. I think those two, especially Nik, had a real big impact. Just watching them and how they prepared every day. They’ve won the Cup, they’ve won it all, they’re in the Triple Gold Club. I think I was fortunate to have those guys to look up to and learn from in my young Detroit days. They always made me feel comfortable on and off the ice.

“I don’t think I ever told myself, ‘oh, you can be comfortable and you’re going to have a good career.’ I think I’ve always tried to just work hard every day and try to do my best out there.”

It’s a pretty safe bet to say, Nyquist is the embodiment of the Red Wings way.

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