Nick Bjugstad

Nick Bjugstad is an American professional ice hockey forward for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted 19th overall by the Florida Panthers in the first round of the 2010 NHL entry draft.

Bjugstad grew up in Minnesota and played high school hockey for Blaine High School, where he helped the team reach the state tournament three years in a row. He turned down a spot with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program in 2008 to stay with his high school teammates. By taking summer classes and online courses, he graduated a year early and was named Mr. Hockey for the 2009–10 season. He then played college hockey at the University of Minnesota, scoring 54 goals and adding 44 assists over three seasons while the Golden Gophers won two WCHA championships.

After his junior year, Bjugstad signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Florida Panthers on April 3, 2013, and joined the team immediately for the end of the 2012–13 season. He scored his first NHL goal in the season finale against Tampa Bay’s Anders Lindbäck. In his first full NHL season (2013–14), he led the Panthers in points (38) and ranked third in goals (16), mostly playing on the top line. On December 31, 2014, he signed a six-year, $24.6 million contract extension. Injuries—including a broken hand and a lower-body issue—limited him in 2016–17, setting a new career low in points since his rookie year. He bounced back in 2017–18 with career highs in points, assists, and games played, and recorded his first NHL hat trick on March 6, 2018, against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

On February 1, 2019, Bjugstad and Jared McCann were traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for Derick Brassard, Riley Sheahan, a second-round pick, and two fourth-round picks in the 2019 draft. He settled into the third-line center role and helped the Penguins reach the 2019 Stanley Cup playoffs, where he had eight hits in Game 1 but no points and two penalty minutes over four games. The following season, he played only 13 games due to a core-muscle injury that required surgery in October, keeping him out until early March. He returned to record an assist on March 5, but suffered a lower-body injury three days later and was ruled out for the remainder of the 2020 playoffs.

On September 11, 2020, Bjugstad was traded to the Minnesota Wild for a conditional 2021 draft pick. In the pandemic-shortened 2020–21 season, he had six goals and 17 points in 44 games. He signed a one-year, $900,000 extension with the Wild on July 5, 2021. On July 13, 2022, he signed a one-year, $900,000 contract with the Arizona Coyotes. On March 2, 2023, the Coyotes traded him and Cam Dineen to the Edmonton Oilers for a third-round pick in 2023 and prospect Michael Kesselring, with Arizona retaining half of his salary. He contributed four goals and six points in 19 regular-season games with Edmonton, then scored a career-best three postseason goals in 12 playoff games before the Oilers lost in the second round to the eventual champion Vegas Golden Knights.

As a free agent, Bjugstad returned to the Coyotes on a two-year, $4.2 million contract on July 1, 2023. After the 2023–24 season, the Coyotes franchise was suspended and its assets transferred to the expansion Utah Hockey Club, making Bjugstad a member of that team. He signed a two-year, $1.75 million contract with the St. Louis Blues on July 1, 2025. On February 4, 2026, he was traded to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Thomas Bordeleau and a conditional 2026 fourth-round pick.

Bjugstad’s father, Mike, played Division III hockey at Wisconsin–Eau Claire, and his uncle, Scott, played at the University of Minnesota and later in the NHL, including a stint with the Minnesota North Stars. Scott also played 24 games for the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1988–89, scoring three goals. During the 2013–14 season, Bjugstad completed his coursework and graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in Business Marketing. He and his wife Jackie, a kindergarten teacher, have one child.