Nick Bjugstad
Nicholas Jay Bjugstad (born July 17, 1992) is an American professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Florida Panthers in the first round (19th overall) of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.[1]
| Nick Bjugstad | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Bjugstad with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2019 | |||
| Born |
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 Former teams |
Minnesota Wild Florida Panthers Pittsburgh Penguins | ||
| National team |
 United States | ||
| NHL Draft |
19th overall, 2010 Florida Panthers | ||
| Playing career | 2013–present | ||
Playing career
Amateur
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.
Florida Panthers
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 to end 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]
Pittsburgh Penguins
During the 2018–19 season, on February 1, 2019, Bjugstad along with teammate Jared McCann, was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Derick Brassard, Riley Sheahan, a 2nd round pick, and two 4th round picks.[11]
Minnesota Wild
On September 11, 2020, Bjugstad was traded to the Minnesota Wild in exchange for a conditional pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. [12]
Personal life
 Bjugstad at the 2012 World Junior Championships | ||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing United States | ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| Ice Hockey World Championships | ||
.svg.png.webp){kind=icon} | 2013 Sweden/Finland | |
| World Junior Championships | ||
| 2011 USA | |
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] Scott and Nick have both played for the Pittsburgh Penguins; Scott played 24 games with the team during the 1988–89 season and scored three goals.
During the 2013–14 season, Bjugstad finished his class work to graduate with a degree in Business Marketing from the University of Minnesota.[13]
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 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Florida Panthers | NHL | 32 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 32 | 9 | 5 | 14 | 14 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2019–20 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 13 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 439 | 97 | 110 | 207 | 198 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | United States | WJC |  |
6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2012 | United States | WJC | 7th | 6 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2013 | United States | WC | |
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
- "2010 NHL Entry Draft". National Hockey League. Retrieved 2010-06-28.
- 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.
- Morreale, Mike G. (2010-03-15). "Bjugstad wins Minnesota Mr. Hockey Award". National Hockey League. Retrieved 2010-06-30.
- "Panthers sign Nick Bjugstad to Entry-Level contract". Florida Panthers. 2013-04-03. Retrieved 2013-04-03.
- "St. Louis on verge of title; Lightning lose finale". National Hockey League. 2013-04-27. Retrieved 2013-04-27.
- "Panthers sign Center Nick Bjugstad to 6-year deal". ESPN. 2014-12-31. Retrieved 2014-12-31.
- Clinton, Jared (October 6, 2016). "INJURY BUG BITES PANTHERS' BJUGSTAD AGAIN, OUT A MONTH WITH BROKEN HAND". thehockeynews.com. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
- Bottomley, Andrew (January 7, 2017). "Panthers' Nick Bjugstad placed on injured reserve". sportsnet.ca. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
- Olive, Jameson (May 8, 2018). "2017–18 Season Rewind: Nick Bjugstad". NHL.com. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
- Olive, Jameson (March 6, 2018). "5 Takeaways: Bjugstad's Hat Trick Helps Panthers Claim Point in Tampa". NHL.com. Retrieved May 27, 2018.
- "Brassard, Sheahan traded to Panthers by Penguins". National Hockey League. February 1, 2019. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
- "Bjugstad traded to Wild by Penguins for draft pick". NHL.com. September 11, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2020.
- "Golden nugs May 19, 2014". thedailygopher.com. 2014-05-19. Retrieved 2014-05-19.
External links
- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Hockey-Reference.com, or The Internet Hockey Database
| 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 |