Nick Suzuki

BIOGRAPHY

Nick Suzuki was born August 10, 1999, in London, Ontario. He is a forward in the NHL.

After impressing general manager Marc Bergevin during training camp, Suzuki made the Canadiens' opening-night roster for the 2019–20 season. He made his NHL debut on October 4, 2019, a 4–3 shootout loss to the Carolina Hurricanes. He recorded his first point five days later, assisting on Joel Armia's goal in a 5–4 overtime loss to the Buffalo Sabres. Suzuki's first NHL goal came in his seventh career game, when he scored on Alex Stalock in a 4–0 shutout victory over the Minnesota Wild. He and Victor Mete became the first Montreal teammates to score their first career goals in the same game since Chris Higgins and Alexander Perezhogin in 2005. Alternating between centre and wing, Suzuki had seven goals and 19 points by the midseason holiday break. On February 8, 2020, Suzuki assisted on Ilya Kovalchuk's game-winning goal against the Toronto Maple Leafs. In doing so, he became the first Montreal rookie to reach 35 points since Higgins during the 2005–06 season. After recording four goals and 10 points, including a team-leading five power play points, Suzuki was awarded the Molson Cup as the Canadiens' player of the month for February. At the time that the regular NHL season was suspended indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Suzuki had 13 goals and 41 points in 71 games. He was one of only three players to appear in every regular-season game, while his 41 points were second to Guy Lafleur for the most of any Montreal rookie aged 20 or younger.

When the NHL returned to play for the 2020 Stanley Cup playoffs in July, Suzuki was one of 31 Canadiens selected to join the team in Toronto. He scored his first postseason NHL goal in the first round of Stanley Cup qualifiers, putting the Canadiens up 2–0 in an eventual 3–2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Montreal defeated Pittsburgh in the qualifiers, but lost to the Philadelphia Flyers in six games during the Eastern Conference First Round. Suzuki's seven points (four goals and three assists) in 10 playoff games tied Jonathan Drouin for the team lead. At the end of the season, Suzuki was named to the 2019–20 NHL All-Rookie Team.

Starting the 2020–21 season on the top offensive line with Drouin and Josh Anderson, Suzuki began the year on a six-game point streak. That early-season momentum failed to carry forward: through 18 games, the Canadiens' four centres scored only eight goals, four of which were from Suzuki. By midseason, Suzuki had 18 points in 28 games and was on an eight-game scoring drought. At the NHL trading deadline, Bergevin acquired veteran Eric Staal to act as a mentor for Suzuki and Jesperi Kotkaniemi, both of whom were struggling with consistency. Suzuki also benefited from the late-season addition of Cole Caufield, who joined the Canadiens after finishing his college ice hockey career with the Wisconsin Badgers. After Caufield set up Suzuki's game-tying goal against the Edmonton Oilers on May 12, Suzuki told reporters that the "chemistry is there" between them. Suzuki finished the regular season with 15 goals and 41 points in 56 games.

Suzuki and the Canadiens faced the Toronto Maple Leafs in the first round of the 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs. After Toronto took a 3–1 series lead, Suzuki scored the overtime Game 5 goal to extend the series. Montreal took the series in seven games, moving on to play the Winnipeg Jets in the second round. The Canadiens swept the Jets in four games, with Suzuki recording four goals and eight points through the first 11 games of the postseason. After defeating the Vegas Golden Knights in six games, Suzuki and the Canadiens faced the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2021 Stanley Cup Finals. It was the first time a Canadian team reached the Finals since the Vancouver Canucks ten years prior. The Canadiens lost the series in five games, Suzuki finished the postseason with seven goals and 16 points in 22 games.

On October 12, 2021, Suzuki signed an eight-year, $63 million extension with the Canadiens, which would carry through the 2029–30 NHL season. He was also one of several alternate captains for Montreal during the 2021–22 season. After recording four goals and ten points in 14 games, Suzuki was the Canadiens' Molson Cup pick for the month of November. On December 7, Suzuki collected his 100th career point with an assist in Montreal's 3–2 loss to the Lightning. He became the ninth-youngest skater to record 100 points with Montreal and did so in 154 games, the third-fastest of any Canadien since 1996. In January, Suzuki, who led the team with 19 points in 35 games, was named Montreal's representative for the 2022 NHL All-Star Game in Las Vegas. On February 9, the Canadiens, who were last in the league with an 8–30–7 record, fired head coach Dominique Ducharme and appointed Martin St. Louis interim coach of the organization. Shortly after his appointment, St. Louis placed Caufield and Anderson on the top line with Suzuki. In their first game together, the line combined for seven points as Montreal won 5–2 against Toronto. Suzuki's 40th point of the season came on March 5, his 12th point in a seven-game stretch. Suzuki and Caufield were both honored with the Molson Cup for March after scoring seven goals apiece in 15 games. On April 16, Suzuki scored his 20th goal of the season against the Washington Capitals, while his 60th point came on April 27 against the New York Rangers. Although Montreal failed to reach the 2022 Stanley Cup playoffs, Suzuki set career highs with 21 goals and 61 points, while his 209 consecutive games gave him the seventh-longest iron man streak among active players. At the end of the season, Suzuki was named the Canadiens' 2021–22 Molson Cup winner.

On September 12, 2022, Suzuki succeeded Shea Weber as captain of the Canadiens. He was the 31st captain of the franchise and, at 23 years old, the youngest captain in team history. Veteran players Joel Edmundson and Brendan Gallagher were subsequently named alternate captains. Upon being named captain, several of the leading politicians in Quebec, including Coalition Avenir Québec leader François Legault and Liberal Leader Dominique Anglade urged Suzuki to learn French as a way to connect with the Montreal fans. He told reporters that he took online classes during the summer as well as French in school growing up, but acknowledged he's currently better reading the language than speaking it.