Nick Bjugstad
American forward who played for eight NHL teams.
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Nick Bjugstad is an American professional ice hockey forward who has played for several NHL teams, including the Florida Panthers, Pittsburgh Penguins, Minnesota Wild, Arizona Coyotes, Edmonton Oilers, Utah Hockey Club, St. Louis Blues, and New Jersey Devils. He was selected by the Florida Panthers in the first round (19th overall) of the 2010 NHL entry draft and is notable for his collegiate career at the University of Minnesota, where he helped the Golden Gophers win two WCHA championships.
Lore & Background
Bjugstad grew up in Blaine, Minnesota, and played high school hockey at Blaine High School, where he helped the school reach three consecutive Minnesota State High School Hockey Tournaments. He was named Mr. Hockey in 2009–10 and graduated a year early by taking summer classes and online courses. He turned down an invitation to train with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program out of loyalty to his high school teammates.
At the University of Minnesota, he totaled 54 goals and 44 assists over three seasons. He left college after his junior year to sign with the Florida Panthers. Bjugstad led the Panthers in points during his first full NHL season and later signed a six-year, $24.6 million contract extension.
His career included trades to the Pittsburgh Penguins, Minnesota Wild, and Edmonton Oilers, among others. He also played for the Utah Hockey Club after the Arizona Coyotes franchise was suspended. Bjugstad earned a degree in Business Marketing from the University of Minnesota during the 2013–14 season.
Reader's Guide
Nick Bjugstad's career reflects a journeyman path through multiple NHL organizations, often serving as a reliable forward in bottom-six roles. His early promise with the Florida Panthers, where he led the team in points as a rookie, was tempered by injuries that limited his production in subsequent seasons. He rebounded to set career highs in points, assists, and games played in 2017–18, and recorded his first NHL hat trick that season. Bjugstad's tenure with the Pittsburgh Penguins was marked by injuries, including a core-muscle injury that sidelined him for much of the 2019–20 season.
He later played for his home-state team, the Minnesota Wild, and contributed to the Edmonton Oilers' playoff run in 2023, scoring a career-best three postseason goals. His nickname 'Rotisserie Chicken' originated from skipping a team dinner to buy rotisserie chicken at Publix, leading fans to throw chicken wings onto the ice. Bjugstad's ability to adapt to different teams and roles, along with his collegiate success, underscores his longevity in professional hockey.
Career statistics and honours
Medals
- Bronze 2011 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships
- Bronze 2013 IIHF World Championship
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 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2020–21 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 44 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 17 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 2021–22 | Minnesota Wild | NHL | 57 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2022–23 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 59 | 13 | 10 | 23 | 26 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2022–23 | Edmonton Oilers | NHL | 19 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 12 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 16 |
| 2023–24 | Arizona Coyotes | NHL | 76 | 22 | 23 | 45 | 59 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2024–25 | Utah Hockey Club | NHL | 66 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 16 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2025–26 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 35 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 25 | — | — | — | — | — |
| 2025–26 | New Jersey Devils | NHL | 26 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — |
| NHL totals | 821 | 163 | 176 | 339 | 377 | 27 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 22 | ||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | United States | WJC | Bronze | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| 2012 | United States | WJC | 7th | 6 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 0 |
| 2013 | United States | WC | Bronze | 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 honours
| Award | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | |
Tables copied from the source article, totals included as the source gives them: Wikipedia: Nick Bjugstad (CC BY-SA 4.0). Wide tables scroll sideways.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Nick Bjugstad (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Statistics, medals and awards: the tables of the source article.
- Word definitions: the Codexery glossary, each quoted from its Wikipedia article.
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