Inside Nils Höglander’s Transformation: How the Canucks’ Gritty Forward Plans to Dominate His Sixth NHL Season
Nils Höglander is no rookie to the Vancouver Canucks’ locker room—in fact, only a handful of current players have been around longer than him. At just 24, he’s gearing up for his sixth NHL season, approaching the impressive milestone of 300 career games. What’s fascinating about Höglander is his adaptability; whether it’s the top-six or grinding it out on the fourth line, he’s a winger who morphs to fit the team’s needs. Now, as the 2025-26 season looms, all eyes are on him to take on a pivotal role and elevate his game. He’s approached the offseason with laser focus, dedicating countless hours on the ice to sharpen his skills and ensure he’s physically primed for the infamous grind of an NHL season. Reflecting on last year’s struggles—where the scoreboard didn’t always reflect his underlying dominance—Höglander is set on a comeback, determined to blend his skill with added grit and defensive savvy to become an even tougher matchup for opponents. His commitment to physicality, despite his stature, is something that continues to set him apart and grant his coaches the flexibility to deploy him anywhere down the lineup. If he keeps this trajectory, Höglander could be the elusive X-factor the Canucks desperately need this year.
There are only a few players on the Vancouver Canucks current roster who have been with the organization longer than Nils Höglander. The 24-year-old is entering his sixth season and is closing in on 300 games for his NHL career. A versatile winger who can play throughout the lineup, Höglander is projected to play a key role for the Canucks during the 2025-26 campaign.
At this point in his career, Höglander is looking to gain every advantage he can in order to have a successful season. This includes pushing himself during the off-season and ensuring he is ready physically for the gruelling NHL season. As Höglander explained, he spent the off-season continuing to develop his all-around game, which included plenty of time on the ice.
“The off-season is always a big part of the season that’s gonna be,” said Höglander. “I worked out pretty hard during the summer, so I was focused more this summer on the ice than off the ice. I’ve been skating a lot this year or this summer.”
Looking back, the 2024-25 season was a challenging one for Höglander. While he would often dominate from an analytics perspective, he struggled to score, recording just eight goals in 72 games. Heading into this year, Höglander is ready to bounce back and become a more difficult player to match up against.
“I think I learned from last year. I had a little bit rougher start than at the end of the season, I came back with my grit to the game again. So feels like this start, I will have more toughness. Gonna work on my defence part of the game too, and be more comfortable to hold on the pucks and enter the zone with the puck and that style. So, yeah, that’s my focus.”
One area that Höglander continues to develop is the physical side of his game. Listed at 5’9″, 185 lbs, he consistently wins battles against bigger defenders and has thrown 176 hits over the past two seasons. As Höglander explained, his ability to play a physical game is important as it allows the coaching staff to play him up and down the lineup.
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“It’s hard to play in NHL if you don’t have that skill, I would say if you only have the skill, it’s pretty hard to to play in NHL. I would say, for me, it feels like I have that grit to play all over the lines. Like I can play on the fourth line and be like a power forward. Or play top six, and have the same play style. So, I mean, that’s a little bit underrated skill to have, I would say.”
As for the 2025-26 season, Höglander wants to build off what was a strong end to the last year. He recorded 10 points over his final 12 games while playing consistently in the top six. Ultimately, Höglander is focused on doing everything he can to be ready for the regular season, which includes having a strong training camp here in Penticton.
Vancouver Canucks 2025–26 Player Preview: Nils Höglander
Welcome to The Hockey News – Vancouver Canucks site’s player preview series for the 2025–26 season. In these articles, we’ll preview the players who are expected to play for the Canucks in the 2025–26 season. In this edition, we take a look at winger Nils Höglander, who is entering his sixth NHL campaign.
“I always want to finish where I left last year at the end of the season. I think I played really good hockey at the end of the year. So just this training camp, be focused. Play hard and be ready every time, and not go up and down all these games. Just have a nice level all the time.”
Ultimately, Höglander has the potential to be an X-Factor for Vancouver this season. He is annoying for the opposition to face and plays a style of game that adapts well to all four forward lines. Regardless of where he plays in the lineup, Höglander should find ways to stand out throughout the 2025-26 campaign.
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