Nick Suzuki

Nicholas Suzuki (born August 10, 1999) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the first round, 13th overall, by the Vegas Golden Knights in the 2017 NHL entry draft. Known for his craftiness, Suzuki earned the nickname "Slick Nick".

Early life

Suzuki was born on August 10, 1999, in London, Ontario, to parents Rob and Amanda. As a child, he suffered from several health conditions including hand, foot, and mouth disease, several bouts of pneumonia due to respiratory syncytial virus, and recurrent ear infections, the latter of which required surgery to insert tympanostomy tubes. Suzuki's health improved as he grew older, and he began ice skating at the age of three. He befriended his neighbour Isaac Ratcliffe, and the two began playing sports together when they were eight: ice hockey in the winter, and golf and soccer in the summer. Suzuki and Ratcliffe went on to play minor ice hockey together for the London Jr. Knights, where they led their team to the semifinals of the annual OHL Cup. After leading the league with 34 goals and 68 points in 31 games, Suzuki was named the ALLIANCE Hockey Player of the Year for the 2014–15 season.

Playing career

Junior

Owen Sound Attack (2015–2018)

Selected in the first round (14th overall) of the 2015 Ontario Hockey League (OHL) priority selection draft by the Owen Sound Attack, Suzuki signed with the team that June. He made an immediate impact upon his debut, with two goals and one assist through the first three games of the 2015–16 season. This included his first career major junior goal against the Kitchener Rangers on September 25. After finishing the first half of his rookie campaign with an overtime goal against the London Knights, Suzuki registered his first OHL hat-trick on January 30 in a 5–2 win over the Ottawa 67's. He scored his 20th goal of the year in the last regular-season game, a 7–3 loss to Kitchener, becoming the first Attack rookie to produce 20 goals in his 16-year-old season since Joey Hishon in 2008. With 38 cumulative points in 63 games played, Suzuki was the only 16-year-old in the OHL over the course of the season to score 20 or more goals. He added two more goals in six postseason games before the Knights eliminated Owen Sound in the first round. Thereafter, he was named to the OHL First All-Rookie Team at centre.

Entering the 2016–17 season, Suzuki, who had a goal and an assist in his first four games, was named a Player to Watch by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau. By mid-December, Suzuki was eighth in the OHL with 43 points and had already tied his previous season high of 20 goals. He was subsequently named to Team Cherry at the 2017 CHL/NHL Top Prospects Game. He was the top-ranked member of the Attack in the NHL Central Scouting Bureau's mideterm report, named the number 16 North American skating prospect. Suzuki moved up to 10th in the final Central Scouting Rankings after ending the regular season with 45 goals and 96 points in 65 games. He added an additional eight goals and 23 points in 17 postseason games as the Attack reached the OHL Western Conference Finals, where they were eliminated by the Erie Otters in six games. At the end of his sophomore season, Suzuki was named to the OHL Second All-Star Team, and he also received both the William Hanley Trophy and the CHL Sportsman of the Year award after recording only 10 penalty minutes in 65 games. In June 2017, the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League (NHL) selected Suzuki in the first round, 13th overall, of that year's NHL entry draft, and signed him to an entry-level contract the following month.

Initially attending the Golden Knights' training camp prior to the 2017–18 season, Suzuki would be reassigned to Owen Sound on September 22. Upon his return, he was named an assistant captain for the Attack. Suzuki recorded several milestones over the course of the ensuing OHL season. On February 3, 2018, he registered his 200th OHL point with an assist on Kevin Hancock's goal against the Kitchener Rangers. His 100th OHL goal came on March 10, in a 3–0 win over the Saginaw Spirit. One week later, Suzuki earned his 100th point of the season, scoring two goals and recording an assist against the Sarnia Sting. He became the fifth Attack player in history to record a 100-point season, and the first since Bobby Ryan during the 2006–07 season. Suzuki finished his third OHL season with 42 goals and 58 assists in 64 games, and he was awarded his second consecutive William Hanley Trophy after recording only 18 penalty minutes during the season.

Owen Sound began the 2018 OHL playoffs with a first-round sweep of the London Knights, during which Suzuki recorded one goal and six points. They were subsequently eliminated the following round by the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in seven games, whereas Suzuki finished the postseason with three goals and 12 points in 11 games. After his OHL season concluded, the Golden Knights assigned Suzuki to the Chicago Wolves, their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, for that year's Calder Cup playoffs. Despite being swept by the Rockford IceHogs in the first round, Suzuki made a brief appearance in the final game of the series.

Guelph Storm (2018–2019)

On September 10, 2018, the Golden Knights traded Suzuki, as well as Tomáš Tatar and a second-round pick in the 2019 NHL entry draft, to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for veteran forward Max Pacioretty. He attended training camp with the Canadiens before returning to Owen Sound for the 2018–19 season as captain of the Attack. After scoring 22 goals and 45 points through the first 30 games of the OHL season, Suzuki was part of another trade on January 9, 2019 that sent himself, Zachary Roberts, and Sean Durzi to the Guelph Storm in exchange for forwards Zachary Pointer and Barret Kirwin, defenceman Mark Woolley, and picks in the next four OHL priority selection drafts. On February 20, he recorded his 300th OHL point with an assist on Dmitri Samorukov's game-winning overtime goal against the Flint Firebirds. A natural centre, Suzuki spent more time on the right wing after the trade. He was moved back to centre at the end of February, with Nate Schnarr and longtime friend Isaac Ratcliffe on his wings. This line proved quickly successful, combining for 19 goals and 48 points in a six-game span, including five goals and 20 points from Suzuki. He scored 12 goals and recorded 49 points in 29 games following the midseason trade, finishing the season with 34 goals and 94 points in 59 games between the two teams. Suzuki was named to the league's 2019 Third All-Star Team, and likewise received his third consecutive William Hanley Trophy for recording just 12 penalty minutes over the course of the season.

After sweeping the Kitchener Rangers in the first round of the 2019 OHL playoffs, during which Suzuki and Ratcliffe combined for six goals and 13 points, Guelph quickly fell into a 3–0 series deficit against the London Knights. Suzuki contributed eight points in the next three games to even the series and force a winner-take-all Game 7. After defeating the Knights, Guelph faced the Saginaw Spirit in the OHL Western Conference Finals. They came back to win the series from a 3–1 deficit, and Suzuki collected seven goals and 17 points in seven games. Facing the Ottawa 67's in Game 4 of the OHL championships, Suzuki recorded his 38th postseason point, a single-season franchise record for the Storm. Guelph won the J. Ross Robertson Cup in six games, and Suzuki, who had 16 goals and 42 points in 24 games, was named recipient of the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award as the league's Playoff MVP. Guelph then advanced to the 2019 Memorial Cup, where they were defeated by the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) champion Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in the semifinal. Suzuki recorded three goals and seven points in the process, and received the George Parsons Trophy as the tournament's most sportsmanlike player. He finished his major junior career with 141 goals and 328 points in four OHL seasons between Owen Sound and Guelph.

Professional

2019–2022

After making an impression on general manager Marc Bergevin during training camp, Suzuki was named to the Canadiens' opening-night roster for the 2019–20 season. He made his NHL debut on October 3, 2019, a 4–3 shootout loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. Five days later, Suzuki assisted on Joel Armia's goal against the Buffalo Sabres to earn his first career NHL point. Suzuki's first career NHL goal came in just his seventh game played, when he scored on Alex Stalock in a 4–0 shutout victory over the Minnesota Wild. With this, he and defenceman Victor Mete became the first Montreal teammates to score their first career goals in the same game since Chris Higgins and Alexander Perezhogin in 2005. Alternating between centre and wing, Suzuki had seven goals and 19 points by the NHL's midseason holiday break. On February 8, 2020, Suzuki recorded his 35th point with an assist on Ilya Kovalchuk's game-winning goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs. He was the first Montreal rookie to register that many points since Higgins during the 2005–06 season. With four goals and 10 points in the month of February, including a team-leading five power play points, Suzuki was awarded the Molson Cup as Montreal's player of the month. At the time that the regular NHL season was suspended indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Suzuki had 13 goals and 41 points in 71 games. He was one of only three players to appear in every regular-season game, and his 41 points were second to Guy Lafleur for the most of any Montreal rookie aged 20 or younger.

With the NHL forgoing the remainder of the regular season to begin the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs that July, Suzuki was one of 31 players selected to join the team in Toronto. He scored his first postseason NHL goal in the first game of the Stanley Cup qualifiers, putting Montreal up 2–0 in an eventual 3–2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Advancing to the Eastern Conference First Round, the Canadiens would lose to the Philadelphia Flyers in six games. Suzuki finished with four goals and seven points in 10 games, tying Jonathan Drouin for the most of any Canadiens skater in that year's playoffs. At the end of the season, he was named to the annual NHL All-Rookie Team.

Starting the 2020–21 season on the top offensive line with Drouin and Josh Anderson, Suzuki began the year on a six-game point streak. That early-season momentum failed to carry forward: through 18 games, the Canadiens' four centres scored only eight goals, four of which were from Suzuki. By midseason, Suzuki had 18 points in 28 games and was on an eight-game scoring drought. At the NHL trading deadline, Bergevin acquired veteran Eric Staal to act as a mentor for Suzuki and Jesperi Kotkaniemi, both of whom were struggling with consistency. Suzuki also benefited from the late-season addition of Cole Caufield, who joined the Canadiens after finishing his collegiate career with the Wisconsin Badgers. After Caufield set up Suzuki's game-tying goal against the Edmonton Oilers on May 12, the latter told reporters that the "chemistry is there" between them. Collectively, Suzuki finished the regular season with 15 goals and 41 points in 56 games played.

During the ensuing 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs, Suzuki and the Canadiens would face the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round. After Toronto took a 3–1 series lead, Suzuki scored the overtime winner in Game 5 to extend the series. Montreal would then take the series in seven games, moving on to play the Winnipeg Jets in the second round. Sweeping the Jets in four games, Suzuki for his part would contribute four goals and eight points through the first 11 games of the postseason. After defeating the Vegas Golden Knights in six games, the Canadiens faced the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2021 Stanley Cup Finals, being the first time a Canadian team reached the Finals since the Vancouver Canucks ten years prior. The Canadiens eventually lost the series in five games, whereas Suzuki finished the postseason with seven goals and 16 points in 22 games.

On October 12, 2021, Suzuki signed an eight-year, $63 million extension with the Canadiens, which would carry through the 2029–30 NHL season. He also served as one of several alternate captains for Montreal during the 2021–22 season. After recording four goals and ten points in 14 games, Suzuki was presented the Canadiens' Molson Cup for the month of November. On December 7, Suzuki collected his 100th career NHL point with an assist in Montreal's 3–2 loss to the Lightning. With this, he became the ninth-youngest skater to record 100 points with Montreal and, doing so in 154 games, the third-fastest of any Canadien since 1996. In January, Suzuki, who led the team with 19 points in 35 games, was named Montreal's representative for the 2022 NHL All-Star Game in Las Vegas. On February 9, the Canadiens, who were last in the league with an 8–30–7 record, fired head coach Dominique Ducharme and appointed Martin St. Louis to the role on an interim basis. Shortly thereafter, St. Louis placed Caufield and Anderson on the top line alongside Suzuki. In their first game together, the line combined for seven points as Montreal won 5–2 against Toronto. Suzuki's 40th point of the season came on March 5, his 12th point in a seven-game stretch. Suzuki and Caufield were both honored with the Molson Cup for March after scoring seven goals apiece in 15 games. On April 16, Suzuki scored his 20th goal of the season against the Washington Capitals, while his 60th point came on April 27 against the New York Rangers. Although Montreal failed to reach the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs, Suzuki nonetheless managed to set career highs with 21 goals and 61 points, while his 209 consecutive games gave him the seventh-longest iron man streak among active players. At the end of the season, Suzuki was named as the Canadiens' Molson Cup recipient.

2022–present

Prior to the 2022–23 season, Suzuki succeeded Shea Weber as captain of the Canadiens, becoming the 31st overall for the franchise and, at 23 years old, the youngest in team history on September 12, 2022. Veteran players Joel Edmundson and Brendan Gallagher were subsequently named alternate captains.

In what was expected to be a development year for the rebuilding Canadiens, coach St. Louis began experimenting with different players in the other wing position to compliment the established duo of Suzuki and Caufield on the team's first line. The early stages saw Anderson, Sean Monahan and Mike Hoffman rotate through before being nextly given to Kirby Dach, the former 2019 third overall selection acquired by the Canadiens in the offseason, whom had held the initial expectation that he would play centre. Generating strong initial results as a unit, the team once again became plagued by injuries by the second half of the season, with Caufield being ruled out indefinitely due to shoulder surgery, while Dach, who also missed time, returned to the lineup and assumed position as second-line centre. After seeing his scoring pace fall off as a result, Suzuki saw a late-season surge, highlighted by a four-game sequence where he managed ten points, tying his career high of 61 points with nine games remaining in the season. He would be named the NHL's second star of the week of March 20–26, the first such recognition in his career. Finishing the season with 26 goals (sharing the team lead with Caufield) and 66 overall points, he would also be the Canadiens' sole representative at the All-Star Game that season and won the Molson Cup as the best franchise player for the second consecutive year.

Suzuki began the 2023–24 season with only marginal point production in the opening stretch of games, attracting some criticism, but began to improve his totals by late October. On October 30, he played his 300th career NHL game, coincidentally against the Golden Knights, the team that had initially drafted him. He scored a goal in regulation and the Canadiens' only shootout goal in a 3–2 loss. He had, to that point, seven points in seven career games against Vegas. In early 2024, Suzuki was chosen to represent the Canadiens at the All-Star Game for the third consecutive year. He was also named the NHL's third star for the week of February 5–11, having four goals and two assists across three games, accounting for points on six of the Canadiens' nine goals in those games. After a rotation of wingers joined Suzuki and Caufield on the top line during the early part of the season, the team's 2022 first overall draft pick, Juraj Slafkovský, gradually established himself as a regular presence with the foregoing, a combination which would enjoy strong results. On March 5, Suzuki scored his 100th career NHL goal, the overtime winner in a 3–2 win over the Nashville Predators. Continuing to hit new milestones over the course of the season, he hit the 30-goal threshold on March 28 in a 4–1 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. With two goals in a 5–3 win over the Florida Panthers on April 2, Suzuki would reach the 70-point mark for the first time in his career while also becoming the fifth Canadiens player to do so amidst the salary cap era. Amassing a team-leading 33 goals and 77 points, he received his third consecutive Molson Cup honor. He was also the Canadiens' nominee for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy, which is awarded annually to the NHL player who "best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and who has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community," citing his charitable efforts.

Entering play for the 2024–25 season, Suzuki reached a series of additional milestones in the early stages of the campaign. On November 11, 2024, he registered his 300th career NHL point in a 7–5 win over the Buffalo Sabres while he skated in his 400th career NHL game on December 7 versus the Washington Capitals. On December 21, Suzuki contributed two assists in a 5–1 win over the visiting Detroit Red Wings to surpass the 200 career threshold for this statistical category. After registering nine points through eight games during the month of February, including a stretch of three goals and four assists through the Canadiens' final three games of the monthly schedule, he would be named the NHL's third star of the week for the period ending on March 2, 2025. On April 3, Suzuki would reach the 80-point mark to become the first franchise player since Alex Kovalev with such an offensive output dating back to 2007–08. Two days later, he surpassed 82 points on the season, effectively securing a point-per-game (PPG) production over the course of a full league schedule as a Canadiens skater, lastly achieved by the aforementioned Kovalev. With three multi-point games totaling seven points (four goals, three assists), Suzuki was named as the league's second star of the week for the period ending April 6. He had a goal and an assist in the team's season-ending victory over the Carolina Hurricanes, leading the Canadiens to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the first time in four years. Finishing the regular season with 30 goals and 89 points, he earned his fourth straight Molson Cup honor, and was selected as the Canadiens' nominee for the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for the second consecutive year.

International play

Prior to his major junior career, Suzuki was a member of Team Ontario at the 2015 Canada Winter Games, winning a gold medal. Thereafter, he was one of three members of the Owen Sound Attack invited by Hockey Canada to participate in the annual World U-17 Hockey Challenge. Capturing gold as part of team Canada White, Suzuki recorded one goal and four points across six tournament games. The following year, he was named to the Canadian national under-18 team roster for the 2016 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup. Collecting one goal and three points in four games played, Canada ultimately finished the tournament in fifth place.

As a member of the Canadian national junior team, Suzuki participated in the 2019 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships held in British Columbia. He provided three assists in five games, whereas his country was eliminated following a 2–1 quarterfinal loss to Finland, marking the first time in history that Canada had hosted the tournament and not reached the medal rounds.

Personal life

Suzuki's younger brother Ryan also plays professional hockey. He was selected in the first round, 28th overall, by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2019 NHL entry draft. The brothers are related to David Suzuki, a geneticist and television presenter, who is a first cousin of their grandfather.

Of Japanese Canadian heritage, Suzuki is one-quarter Japanese and is considered '' Gosei'', as his great-great grandparents immigrated to Canada in the early 1900s. He has expressed his desire to become a role model for younger Japanese and other Asian hockey players. He is also of Scottish Canadian descent on his mother's side.

During the 2016–17 OHL season, he began dating fellow Londoner Caitlin Fitzgerald after connecting on social media while living in Owen Sound. On April 24, 2024, the couple announced their engagement.

Upon being named Canadiens captain in September 2022, several prominent politicians in Quebec, including Coalition Avenir Québec (CAQ) Premier François Legault and Parti libéral du Québec (PLQ) leader Dominique Anglade, urged Suzuki to learn French as a way to connect with the Montreal fanbase. Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby also privately advised him that he should do so, citing his own experience while playing in the QMJHL with the Rimouski Océanic. Suzuki told reporters that he had been taking online classes during the summer months as well as French in school growing up, but acknowledged he was currently better at reading the language than speaking it. In 2023, Suzuki appeared in a Pepsi commercial speaking French, in which his pronunciation was praised.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

International

Awards and honours

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Suzuki, Nick
1999 births
Living people
Canadian expatriate ice hockey players in the United States
Canadian ice hockey centres
Canadian sportspeople of Japanese descent
Chicago Wolves players
Guelph Storm players
Montreal Canadiens players
NHL first-round draft picks
Owen Sound Attack players
Ice hockey people from London, Ontario
Vegas Golden Knights draft picks
Canadian people of Scottish descent
21st-century Canadian sportsmen