BIOGRAPHY
Nick Bjugstad was born July 17, 1992 in Blaine, Minnesota. He is a center in the National Hockey League.
Bjugstad was selected by the Florida Panthers in the first round (19th overall) of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. Bjugstad began his collegiate career at the University of Minnesota in 2010 playing for the Golden Gophers, where he totaled 54 goals and 44 assists during his three years while the team won two WCHA championships. Bjugstad left the Gophers after his junior season, signing a three-year entry-level deal with the Florida Panthers on April 3, 2013. He immediately joined the last-placed Panthers to end the 2012–13 season, and scored his first NHL goal against Anders Lindbäck in Florida's season finale victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 27, 2013. Bjugstad led the Panthers in points with 38, and third in goals with 16, during 2013–14, his first full-length season in the NHL, where he spent the majority of the season on the team's first line. On December 31, 2014, Bjugstad signed a six-year contract extension with the Panthers worth $24.6 million. Bjugstad recorded his first career hat trick in the NHL on March 6, 2018. During the 2018–19 season, on February 1, 2019, Bjugstad was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins. On September 11, 2020, Bjugstad was traded to the Minnesota Wild and as a pending unrestricted free agent, Bjugstad opted to remain with the Wild in signing a one-year, $900,000 contract extension on July 5, 2021. On July 13, 2022, Bjugstad signed a one-year, $900,000 contract with the Arizona Coyotes.
