Nils Hoglander’s goal is to earn the trust of the Canucks coaching staff and his teammates to an extent that he would be relied upon in the lineup.
“Last year I wasn’t a guy that everyone can trust out there. Coaches have to trust my game style, so that’s what I’m trying to do,” Hoglander said.
He’s working on getting there by studying the details in practice and games and being a role player.
“The role I have now on the team is to be a fast player and hard to play against. If I bring that every day, it’s going to help the team. Accept the role and do what you have to do for the team,” he said.
“It's hard but if I’m really focused on it, I think I can do it.”
Hoglander has two goals and two assists through eight games this season, including a two-point game against the Oilers that started the Canucks 13-day road trip in Edmonton.
On a few occasions, Head Coach Rick Tocchet has mentioned Hoglander has been showing up to play the way the team needs him to. He noted that Hoglander has helped give the team energy to keep the pressure on other team’s top lines.
“We need those guys on the forecheck to keep the puck [and] make the other team defend. The third and fourth line have really done a nice job of doing that. The goals will hopefully come – Nils scored a couple goals, he’s got two goals on the season,” Tocchet said.
In Vancouver’s game against St. Louis, there was a lot of special teams action as the Canucks had four power plays in the first period, which meant Hoglander didn’t see much ice time in the first frame, but he was ready when called upon in the second and third periods.
“When he did play that 10 or 11 minutes, he had the energy and that’s hard to do. I need that energy, that’s what we need when guys get out there, that they can add something, and he was a big part of that second half for us,” he said.
