Nico Hischier Biography

Nico Hischier, born on 4 January 1999, is a Swiss professional ice hockey player who has played as a centre and has captained the New Jersey Devils in the National Hockey League. Selected first overall in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, Hischier made his NHL debut that same year, becoming the first Swiss player to be chosen first in the draft. He competed in the Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments in 2011 and 2012 while representing a youth team from Zürich. At age 15, he relocated from Valais to Bern to join SC Bern, where he played in the under-17 and under-20 leagues in Switzerland. Hischier played 15 games with SC Bern during his development season, spending most of the time with the team's junior affiliate, Visp. In 2016, the Halifax Mooseheads selected Hischier sixth overall in the Canadian Hockey League Import Draft, which involved the QMJHL, OHL, and WHL. After speaking with Halifax's general manager and former Mooseheads player Timo Meier, Hischier decided to commit to playing for the Mooseheads in the QMJHL.