Between training, celebrations and rising status in the NHL, the centreman has experienced a packed Summer.
A lot is going on in the lives of professional athletes, even during the offseason. Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki is no exception.
Attention will always shift towards prolific talent, especially in a huge hockey market such as Montreal. This last season has allowed Suzuki’s stock to rise across the NHL, given that he collected 33 goals and 77 points in an 82-game, garnering him an all-star selection. This was his third straight season playing all regular season games, extending his Ironman streak to 373 games, the third-longest active streak.
One of the more fascinating stats that came out about Suzuki was when the NHL released a graphic of most points per scoring area in the 2023-24 season. Slick Nick tied Bo Horvat of the Islanders with four goals on the left side of the goaltending crease.
In a recent poll conducted by JFreshHockey, Suzuki was ranked as the 43rd-best forward in the NHL. This is a nice recognition from fans across the league and it’s clear that some writers are waiting for him to take the next steps in development.
A recent piece saw the 24-year-old ranked alongside Tim Stutzle of the Senators and Jack Hughes of the Devils as centreman who are on the cusp of reaching elite status. Carol Shram, wrote the piece, stated that while the two aforementioned centres need to stay healthy and improve their two-way game, “Suzuki is already getting Selke votes. For him, the most glaring missing ingredient is team success.”
Suzuki has shown great leadership since receiving the captaincy back in September 2022. His commitment to helping other young prospects grow will contribute to the overall team success Shram alluded to. Recently, he was seen at Montreal’s development camp, executing drills with his teammates and future teammates.
He has had a fair bit of fun this Summer too. Suzuki enjoyed attending the wedding of current teammate Brendan Gallagher and his wife Emma Fortin, and hanging out with former teammate Jeff Petry and his wife Julie at the reception.
Suzuki additionally has made time for family, even if it still involved exercise. He was photographed yesterday with his brother Ryan at an off-ice training session.
