Nick Suzuki

Nicholas Masaru James Suzuki (born August 10, 1999) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who is a 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".

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.

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.

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.