Canucks prospects tracker: Hoglander's sweet sendoff, McDonough starts strong
An abbreviated tracker this week as world junior camps come to a close and the COVID-19 pandemic impacts Vancouver’s prospects elsewhere:
Nils Hoglander
A wise man once mused
that great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending.
That being said, the portrait Hoglander painted in his final stretch of games in Sweden was nothing short of a masterpiece.
The diminutive dynamo ended his Swedish Hockey League loan with some strokes of genius this past week, notching two multi-point games — including a spectacular goal — as the Vancouver Canucks prospect now gears up for training camp with the big club.
The 2019 second-rounder started the week by scoring a goal and adding an assist in a 5-0 win at Lulea on Tuesday. The goal came as Hoglander joined his teammates on a rush up the ice and deposited a rebound past the goaltender to make the score 3-0 in the second period.
#Canucks SHL *Hogz🚨*
— CanucksAbbyFan2 (@Fan2Abby) December 8, 2020
#21 Nils Hoglander with his 4th 🚨 of the season to extend Rogle's lead over Lulea to 3-0 playing in the second period. pic.twitter.com/uexoed5TAI
The 5-foot-9, 190-pound winger notched a secondary assist on the 5-0 goal in the third period, using his quick feet and even quicker hands to strip the puck from a defender in the neutral zone and start the scoring sequence.
An excellent forecheck leads to a 🍎secondary assist🍎 for Nils Hoglander. He is now up to two points in this game through two periods. pic.twitter.com/houS4GB54G
— 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀 Faber 🤙🔥🎙 (@ChrisFaber39) December 8, 2020
Hoglander finished the game with a goal, an assist, three shots on net and a plus-2 rating in 13:47 of ice time.
Then came Thursday’s game and the goal that sent the hockey world abuzz.
With Rogle leading Skelleftea 2-1 midway through the second period, Hoglander entered the zone with speed, threw the puck at the net and didn’t stop there. The 19-year-old stole the puck behind the net and turned on the jets, blowing by defenders as he circled in front and dangled the puck between his legs before scoring.
Spectacular goal from Nils Hoglander. Love how he stole the puck back in the o-zone, then cut through slot around everyone before pulling off the move. 👏 #Canucks pic.twitter.com/l5HTpKPf22
— Grady Sas (@GradySas) December 10, 2020
“Artistry” they called it in Sweden
, but an artist is never satisfied with their work.
Neither was his head coach, apparently.
“It’s probably just an instinct to take it on goal. I have trained a bit on it and fun to try on a match,” Hoglander said in a second intermission interview. “You get a little extra confidence from seeing such a goal, but a goal (is a) goal. We lead the match and that is the most important thing.”
Head coach Cam Abbott was impressed.
“I thought it was a good finish for him, going to the net there, creative, we’re kinda used to that with Nils,” Abbott said. “At the same time there’s been a couple turnovers in the neutral zone by the same player that cost us one against. I think it’s impressive but he knows there’s still a ways to go to be the player he wants to be.”
Cam Abbott inte helt nöjd med Höglander trots allt... 😅 pic.twitter.com/ayAB4Oun9Z
— C More Sport (@cmoresport) December 10, 2020
The wonder kid with the magic mitts also added an assist in the 5-2 win to make it another two-point night, while taking two shots on net and notching a plus-2 rating in 13:14 of ice time.
There were no more points to be had for Hoglander in Saturday’s 2-1 win at Oskarshamn, but he did score a couple shots in a fight late in the third period which got him tossed out of the game.
If ever there was a way to ready himself for North American hockey, this was it.
#Canucks SHL
— CanucksAbbyFan2 (@Fan2Abby) December 12, 2020
#21 Nils Hoglander gets ready for 🇨🇦 hockey on his final shift in 🇸🇪 in the SHL. pic.twitter.com/06xda81Rg5
Hoglander had one shot on goal and 25 penalty minutes in 13:04 of ice time in the win for his former first-place team.
The left-shot winger told Swedish newspaper Sportbladet on Friday that he hasn’t closed the door on returning to Rogle, but that’s up for the Canucks to decide.
“If I take a place in Vancouver, I will play there. Otherwise it is up to them if they think it is best that I come back to Rogle. Then I do it and we have had a dialogue about that,” Hoglander said. “If I do not take a place, there is a good chance that I will go to Rogle and play there, but at the same time if they feel that I am going to the AHL for two weeks to be able to take a place in the NHL, I will accept it. It’s a bit up to them but I will try to take a place.”
“If I do not take a place, there is a good chance that I will go to Rögle and play there, but at the same time if they feel that I am going to the AHL for two weeks to be able to take a place in the NHL, I will accept it. It's a bit up to them but I will try to take a place”
— 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀 Faber 🤙🔥🎙 (@ChrisFaber39) December 11, 2020
2/2
The NHL is targeting a Jan. 3 start to training camps and a Jan. 13 start to the season.
Given the departure of top-six forward Tyler Toffoli from the Canucks’ lineup, there could be a plum placement up for grabs should Hoglander snatch it. He’ll have to prove to head coach Travis Green that his defensive play is up to the task, something that the Canucks’ bench boss has required out of his roster hopefuls.
It also remains to be seen what roster allowances the league draws up for another season impacted by the COVID pandemic. The AHL start date, tentatively set for early February, will most likely fall a few weeks after the NHL gets going, further complicating the matter for players on the roster bubble.
Hoglander had five goals, nine assists and a plus-7 rating in 21 SHL games this season.
Aidan McDonough
A fast start for the power forward after a delayed start to Northeastern’s NCAA season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
McDonough and the 14th-ranked Huskies swept a home-and-home series against Merrimack this past weekend, with the Canucks’ 2019 seventh-rounder registering four points.
McDonough, a 6-foot-2, 201-pound left-shot winger, had an assist, three shots on goal and a plus-1 rating in Saturday’s 8-2 season-opening win.
#Canucks NCA
— CanucksAbbyFan2 (@Fan2Abby) December 13, 2020
#25 Aidan McDonough channels his inner Podkolzin driving to the net. No goal though. pic.twitter.com/canoAR8FUG
But the 21-year-old really got it going on Saturday night, scoring twice and assisting another in a 6-3 win at Merrimack.
McDonough’s first goal came on a nice passing play up the ice, as the Massachusetts native found some open ice at the top of the faceoff circle, corralled a pass across the zone and snapped a hotshot past the goaltender.
🚨MCDONOUGH🚨
— Northeastern Men’s Hockey (@GoNUmhockey) December 13, 2020
McDonough with his first of the season, Agriogianis and Kislin with the helpers...4-2 #HowlinHuskies after 2 pic.twitter.com/Qn3S1RjoRb
His second goal was scored on an open net, but the big sophomore showed some pretty good wheels by outskating the opposition to chase down a clearance attempt and slide the puck home.
🚨 Aidan McDonough EN - 2nd of the game
— Here's Your Replay ⬇️ (@HeresYourReplay) December 13, 2020
6-3 @GoNUmhockey pic.twitter.com/kNVVNQHut0
McDonough finished the game with two goals, one assist, three shots on goal and a plus-2 rating.
As a late round pick, McDonough impressed in his freshman NCAA season, accumulating 27 points (11G, 16A) in 31 games. He caught up with Mike Patron and Ryan Haze of the
‘I Only Touch Greatness’ podcast
in mid-November to talk about how his first season went.
“The older guys helped us out a lot,” McDonough said. “Coaches helped us too. As quick as you get comfortable … that’s when you see your production go up.”
McDonough, who set up the double overtime winner against Boston University in the Beanpot Final in March, will be looking to continue to build his game this time around.
“We’re young, we’re still evolving,” he said. “We’re still trying to figure out what we’re trying to be for the rest of our careers.”
- Note to readers: There will be no prospects tracker for Sunday, December 20. We’ll be back for the world juniors and other coverage the following week.