Nicholas Jay Bjugstad (born July 17, 1992) is an American professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
forward
Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward.
Forward may also refer to:
People
* Forward (surname)
Sports
* Forward (association football)
* Forward (basketball), including:
** Point forward
** Power forward (basketball)
** Sm ...
currently playing for the
Arizona Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Coyotes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and currently play at the Mul ...
of the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
(NHL). He was selected by the
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...
in the first round (19th overall) of the
2010 NHL Entry Draft.
Playing career
Amateur
During the summer of 2008, Bjugstad turned down an invitation to train with the
USA Hockey National Team Development Program
The United States National Team Development Program (NTDP) was started in 1996 by USA Hockey as a way to identify elite ice hockey players under the age of 18, and centralize their training. There are two teams in the program: under-17 and under- ...
out of a sense of loyalty to his high school teammates.
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.
While in high school, Bjugstad accelerated his schooling by taking summer classes and online courses, enabling him to graduate a year earlier than expected.
Bjugstad began his collegiate career at the
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...
in 2010 playing for the
Golden Gophers
The Minnesota Golden Gophers (commonly shortened to Gophers) are the college athletics, college sports teams of the University of Minnesota. The university fields a total of 25 (12 men's, 13 women's) teams in both men's and women's sports and com ...
, where he totaled 54 goals and 44 assists during his three years while the team won two
WCHA
The Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) is a college athletic conference which operates in the Midwestern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a women's ice hockey-only conference. From 1951 to 1999, it operated a ...
championships.
Professional
Florida Panthers
Bjugstad left the Gophers after his junior season, signing a three-year entry-level deal with the
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...
on April 3, 2013. He immediately joined the last-placed Panthers to end the
2012–13 season, and scored his first NHL goal against
Anders Lindbäck
Anders Lindbäck (born 3 May 1988) is a Swedish professional ice hockey goaltender who is currently playing with Brynäs IF of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). He has previously played for the Nashville Predators, Tampa Bay Lightning, Dallas S ...
in Florida's season finale victory over the
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning (colloquially known as the Bolts) are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. They play th ...
on April 27, 2013. 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.
Bjugstad's
2016–17 season was riddled with injuries including a broken hand, and a lower body injury 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.
Bjugstad recorded his first career
hat trick in the NHL on March 6, 2018 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Pittsburgh Penguins
During the
2018–19 season, on February 1, 2019, Bjugstad along with teammate
Jared McCann
Jared McCann (born May 31, 1996) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League (NHL). McCann was selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the first round (24th overall) of the 2 ...
, was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for
Derick Brassard
Derick Brassard (born September 22, 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre currently playing for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League. He previously played in the NHL for the Columbus Blue Jackets, New York Rangers, Pit ...
,
Riley Sheahan
Riley Michael Sheahan (born December 7, 1991) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre for EHC Biel of the National League (NL). He was drafted 21st overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Sheahan has previously played ...
, a 2nd round pick, and two 4th round picks.
Minnesota Wild
On September 11, 2020, Bjugstad was traded to the
Minnesota Wild
The Minnesota Wild are a professional ice hockey team based in Saint Paul, Minnesota. The Wild competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and play their home games at the Xcel Ener ...
in exchange for a conditional pick in the
2021 NHL Entry Draft. In the pandemic delayed
2020–21 season, becoming the 27th Minnesota native to play for the Wild, Bjugstad recorded 6 goals and 17 points in 44 games.
As a pending unrestricted free agent, Bjugstad opted to remain with the Wild in signing a one-year, $900,000 contract extension on July 5, 2021.
Arizona Coyotes
On July 13, 2022, Bjugstad signed a one-year, $900,000 contract with the
Arizona Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Coyotes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and currently play at the Mul ...
.
Personal life
Bjugstad's father, Mike, played
Division-III hockey at the
University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire
The University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire (UW–Eau Claire, UWEC or simply Eau Claire) is a public university in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. It is part of the University of Wisconsin System and offers bachelor's and master's degrees. UW–Eau Claire h ...
, while his uncle,
Scott, played at the
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...
before going on to play in the NHL, where he spent a portion of his professional career with the
Minnesota North Stars
The Minnesota North Stars were a professional ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL) for 26 seasons, from 1967 to 1993. The North Stars played their home games at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, and the team's colors for ...
.
Scott and Nick have both played for the
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...
; 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.
Bjugstad is nicknamed “Rotisserie Chicken” after he skipped dinner with his Panthers teammates and opted to purchase rotisserie chicken at Publix instead. Amused fans would often throw chicken wings onto the ice as a result.
[https://www.si.com/nhl/2016/04/15/florida-panthers-jaromir-jagr-playoffs-notes]
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
Awards and honors
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bjugstad, Nick
1992 births
Living people
American men's ice hockey centers
Arizona Coyotes players
Florida Panthers draft picks
Florida Panthers players
Ice hockey players from Minneapolis
Minnesota Golden Gophers men's ice hockey players
Minnesota Wild players
National Hockey League first-round draft picks
Pittsburgh Penguins players
USA Hockey National Team Development Program players
AHCA Division I men's ice hockey All-Americans