Nick Bjugstad

Nick Bjugstad
Born (1992-07-17) July 17, 1992
Blaine, Minnesota, U.S.
Height 6 ft 6 in (198 cm)
Weight 218 lb (99 kg; 15 st 8 lb)
Position Center
Shoots Right
NHL team Florida Panthers
National team  United States
NHL Draft 19th overall, 2010
Florida Panthers
Playing career 2013–present

Nicholas Jay Bjugstad (born July 17, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted by the Panthers in the first round of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft, 19th overall.[1]

Playing career

During the summer of 2008, Bjugstad turned down an invitation to train with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program out of a sense of loyalty to his high school teammates.[2] Bjugstad finished his high school career with Blaine High School in 2010 after helping to bring the school to three consecutive Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournaments. He was named Mr. Hockey in 2009–10.[3] While in high school, Bjugstad accelerated his schooling by taking summer classes and online courses, enabling him to graduate a year earlier than expected.[2]

Bjugstad began his collegiate career at the University of Minnesota in 2010 playing for the Golden Gophers, where he totaled 54 goals and 44 assists during his three years while the team won two WCHA championships.

Bjugstad left the Gophers after his junior season, signing a three-year entry-level deal with the Florida Panthers on April 3, 2013.[4] He immediately joined the last-placed Panthers end to the 2012–13 season, and scored his first NHL goal against Anders Lindbäck in Florida's season finale victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 27, 2013.[5] Bjugstad led the Panthers in points with 38, and third in goals with 16, during 2013–14, his first full-length season in the NHL, where he spent the majority of the season on the team's first line. On December 31, 2014, Bjugstad signed a six-year contract extension with the Panthers worth $24.6 million.[6]

Bjugstad's 2016–17 season was riddled with injuries including a broken hand,[7] and a lower body injury[8] that contributed to him setting a new career low in points since his rookie year.

Bjugstad rebounded from his disappointing previous season by setting career highs in points, assists, and games played during his 2017–18 campaign.[9] Bjugstad recorded his first career hat trick in the NHL on March 6, 2018 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.[10]

Personal life

Bjugstad's father, Mike, played Division-III hockey at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, while his uncle, Scott, played at the University of Minnesota before going on to play in the NHL, where he spent a portion of his professional career with the Minnesota North Stars.[2]

During the 2013–14 season, Bjugstad finished his class work to graduate with a degree in Business Marketing from the University of Minnesota.[11]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2007–08 Blaine High School MNHS 16 10 17 27 — — — — — —
2008–09 Blaine High School MNHS 25 26 25 51 20 — — — — —
2009–10 Blaine High School MNHS 25 29 31 60 24 5 6 3 9 2
2010–11 University of Minnesota WCHA 29 8 12 20 51 — — — — —
2011–12 University of Minnesota WCHA 40 25 17 42 28 — — — — —
2012–13 University of Minnesota WCHA 40 21 15 36 28 — — — — —
2012–13 Florida Panthers NHL 11 1 0 1 2 — — — — —
2013–14 Florida Panthers NHL 76 16 22 38 16 — — — — —
2014–15 Florida Panthers NHL 72 24 19 43 38 — — — — —
2015–16 Florida Panthers NHL 67 15 19 34 41 5 2 2 4 2
2016–17 Florida Panthers NHL 54 7 7 14 22 — — — — —
2017–18 Florida Panthers NHL 82 19 30 49 41 — — — — —
NHL totals 362 82 97 179 160 5 2 2 4 2
Medal record
Representing  United States
Ice hockey
Ice Hockey World Championships
2013 Sweden/Finland
World Junior Championships
2011 USA

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2011 United States WJC 3rd, bronze medalist(s) 6 2 2 4 0
2012 United States WJC 7th 6 4 2 6 0
2013 United States WC 3rd, bronze medalist(s) 10 0 2 2 0
2017 United States WC 5th 8 1 3 4 4
Junior totals 12 6 4 10 0
Senior totals 18 1 5 6 4

Awards and honors

Award Year
High School
Minnesota Mr. Hockey 2009–10
College
All-WCHA First Team 2011–12
AHCA West Second-Team All-American 2011–12
All-WCHA Third Team 2012–13

References

  1. ↑ "2010 NHL Entry Draft". National Hockey League. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
  2. 1 2 3 LaVaque, David (2009-10-14). "Blaine junior's goals within reach". Star Tribune. Archived from the original on 2009-10-17. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
  3. ↑ Morreale, Mike G. (2010-03-15). "Bjugstad wins Minnesota Mr. Hockey Award". National Hockey League. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
  4. ↑ "Panthers sign Nick Bjugstad to Entry-Level contract". Florida Panthers. 2013-04-03. Retrieved 2013-04-03.
  5. ↑ "St. Louis on verge of title; Lightning lose finale". National Hockey League. 2013-04-27. Retrieved 2013-04-27.
  6. ↑ "Panthers sign Center Nick Bjugstad to 6-year deal". ESPN. 2014-12-31. Retrieved 2014-12-31.
  7. ↑ Clinton, Jared (October 6, 2016). "INJURY BUG BITES PANTHERS' BJUGSTAD AGAIN, OUT A MONTH WITH BROKEN HAND". thehockeynews.com. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
  8. ↑ Bottomley, Andrew (January 7, 2017). "Panthers' Nick Bjugstad placed on injured reserve". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
  9. ↑ Olive, Jameson (May 8, 2018). "2017-18 Season Rewind: Nick Bjugstad". NHL.com. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
  10. ↑ Olive, Jameson (March 6, 2018). "5 Takeaways: Bjugstad's Hat Trick Helps Panthers Claim Point in Tampa". NHL.com. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
  11. ↑ "Golden nugs May 19, 2014". thedailygopher.com. 2014-05-19. Retrieved 2014-05-19.
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Nick Leddy		 Minnesota Mr. Hockey
2009–10		 Succeeded by
Kyle Rau
Preceded by
Erik Gudbranson		 Florida Panthers first round draft pick
2010		 Succeeded by
Quinton Howden
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