Not only is the kid supremely talented on the ice, it appears he's got some marketing chops, too.
Nico Hischier, after being drafted first overall by the New Jersey Devils on Friday night in Chicago, was basically left speechless after becoming the first Swiss player to go No. 1.
"I love to hockey," Hischier said in an interview with NBCSN, which you can watch at Yahoo Sports.
Who wouldn't buy a T-shirt with "I love to hockey" on it?
Hischier said he had no idea if he'd be selected first, and Devils general manager Ray Shero held his cards tight all the way to the end.
"I asked Ray maybe 10 minutes before he picked and he still wouldn't tell me," Philaelphia Flyers GM Ron Hextall said, according to NHL.com's Adam Kimelman. "I give him credit. That's what he should have done. He kept it quiet right to the bitter end. Honestly I didn't have an expectation one way or the other. We liked both players."
That other player Hextall's referencing is Nolan Patrick, who went to Philly at No. 2.
Copyright © 2017 Score Media Ventures Inc. All rights reserved. Certain content reproduced under license.