When Hischier was named captain in December 2021, he pointed specifically to the man in whose footsteps he followed.
“Andy Greene, I remember watching him and learning so much,” he said. “We’ve had so many great leaders on this team since I’ve been here. It’s a long list.”
The now 25-year-old believes he still has much to learn about his role as a captain, now entering its fourth season. But it is something that has always inherently been inside him.
“On the ice, I always wanted to do the right thing,” he said, “I always wanted to win. A true leader has to have that mentality of putting your ego aside for the good of the team. Off the ice, I’m not the loudest, but I also appreciate the moments of camaraderie and jokes (…) I’m always learning (how to be a better leader).”
In the Devils locker room, no player has ever been shy of singing Hischier’s praises as their leader, the person everyone follows in the locker room and on the ice. Veteran forward Curtis Lazar has called him the 'heartbeat' of the team. But Hischier will be the first to acknowledge he’s more of a quiet leader and that he values the ability to properly communicate and convey messages to all different types of people in his locker room.
“It’s very important,” he went on to tell Rhône FM, “You never know how different people react to different things and what they need. You have to be able to find a good balance between what you give, what you ask for, and what you receive. To be a leader, you need empathy and understanding but also need to be firm in what you’re asking of them. Some aspects were more complicated for me, but I try to find the right balance.”
