Bjugy’s Back
Newly acquired Wild forward Nick Bjugstad is feeling like a Blaine Peewee again
By Michael Russo
Nick Bjugsstad’s acting like a kid again because he wants to get his body feeling like when he was a kid again. Ten years after being named Minnesota Mr. Hockey after starring at Blaine High School, Bjugstad, the former University of Minnesota standout, went to Dave’s Sports Shop early on in the pandemic and bought a big mat so he could set up a shooting area outside his house. He’s been swimming regularly and even bought himself a sauna.
“I look like I’m in Peewees again,” Bjugstad said with a smile and laugh that’s typical of the always-friendly player. “My neighbors are probably like, ‘What’s going on?’ But I throw my roller blades on and shoot hundreds and hundreds of pucks.
“It’s just part of a new routine to try to get my body to move like it used to.”
Healthy Homecoming
Bjugstad’s only 28, but he has sustained so many injuries in his seven-plus-year NHL career, especially last season when he dealt with abdominal and back issues that required surgery. Bjugstad is taking advantage of the extended offseason to really fine tune his body.
If you’ve ever seen Bjugstad, his biggest attribute beyond his 6-foot6 frame is his exceptional shot. Hey, his uncle, Scott Bjugstad, is one of the area’s most renowned shooting teachers.
He hopes to get back to showing off that lethal shot.
What the former Pittsburgh Penguins forward never expected was being given an extra sliver of motivation back in September when he was traded to his hometown Wild.
The homecoming gives Bjugstad, the epitome of Minnesota Nice, a new lease on life. He’ll have plenty of opportunity to log big minutes, play a significant role and prove to the NHL world that he can stay healthy. This is an important year for Bjugstad; he enters the final year of a six-year contract and he says with typical honesty that he has a lot to prove in order to earn a new contract beyond this upcoming season.
There are certain players that can handle the distractions of living at home, and there are certain players who cannot.
Bjugstad, now a husband and a father of two little girls, is mature and professional enough to know that playing hockey in Minnesota is not about reuniting with old buddies. He also knows that being #oneofus means he probably shouldn’t pay attention to what fans are saying about him on social media or reporters like yours truly are writing about him.
Bjugstad’s here to play hockey.
Period.
“I was thinking about it today where I just think I’m at an age in my life where I’m able to handle this,” said Bjugstad, a 2010 first-round pick of the Florida Panthers. “Obviously, I don’t totally know. But if I were to get traded to any other team, I would be treating it the same exact way I’m treating it. I’m well aware there’s a lot of outside distractions when you’re at home, but you could make it what you want.
“You can create your own pressure in your own head, whether it’s in Florida or if it’s in Minnesota. The market doesn’t really matter. It’s just a matter of how you’re going to treat your daily life. Throughout all the injuries, I think that’s helped get to this point where I think I can manage that stress level and just have fun playing the game and not worry about what everyone’s thinking or what’s going on throughout the media.”
Role Model
If you’re a young hockey player out there, Bjugstad’s somebody to look up to.
First of all, he’s as nice a person as you’ll ever meet. During his NHL offseasons, Bjugstad has long played in the Da Beauty League in Edina, the 4-on-4 summer tournaments started by his agent, former Gopher Ben Hankinson.
If you’re a child that’s been lucky enough to run into Bjugstad, you know how nice he is.
He’ll endlessly sign autographs … even on your face if you insist. He’s willing to pose for countless pictures, even willing to grab your phone and snap the selfie himself.
But he’s also somebody to admire because perhaps like you, things came easy to him as a youngster.
But as a professional hockey player, Bjugstad has had to overcome a lot that has made him stronger as a person.
When you’re a kid who just loves to play and perhaps has never experienced an injury, life is gold. But Bjugstad has had to learn to overcome a lot of adversity in the NHL.
“I’ve had to learn a lot about my body,” Bjugstad said. “I think back to my high school days, my college days, you’re just finding ways to get as strong and as fast as possible. You learn a little bit about how your body operates, but it’s more, ‘What are the guys in the NHL doing?’ And you don’t really question it. You just kind of say, ‘All right, this is what it takes.’
“But when I had my first injury down in Florida, it was kind of a shock for me just being out, missing some games and having to rehab. I’d never really been seriously injured. I was fortunate through my entire youth career and even high school and college. When you’ve never been hurt, ignorance is bliss sometimes. And then my second year I had a surgery and it was, it was tough. So it’s adversity and everyone talks about it, but until you actually go through it and go through the dog days of, ‘Am I ever going to heal? Am I going to be back to what I was,’ there’s definitely a lot of psychology that goes along with that. Every athlete is going to question themselves at different points in their career.
“Some guys handle it differently than others. I’m kind of a nerd with the body now and the psychology part of things. I dive deep into that stuff now and I kind of have to with the way my career has gone with my body. I have confidence that I can play many more years with the knowledge I’ve gained and the people I have around me helping me out.”
Back to Business
A lot of athletes go through what Bjugstad is going through, but not to the extent he has. He has played one full season and wants to get back to the 20-goal scorer he proved to be in 2014-15 when he still missed 10 games to injury.
“I don’t want my career to be looked on as injury prone, but I guess at this point in time, I think the general thought is that that’s kind of how it’s gone,” Bjugstad said. “But I definitely really believe that I can continue to play and be effective and be healthier than I’ve ever been. I look at a guy like Keith Yandle who’s played 900 games almost straight. When we were teammates in Florida, I asked him some advice on how to be so efficient and he takes good care of his body. And I think the biggest thing I took away from him, he said, ‘You need to leave it at the rink.’ I’m always dialed that I’m always just kind of thinking about the game. And I think if you could find a way to turn it off when you’re at home, when you’re with your family, when you’re with your friends, I think that’s probably the most beneficial thing as far as the stress level goes and being able to calm your body into a state where it’s not at the rink all the time.
“When you’re at the rink, you put in your 100 percent effort and your 100 percent attention. When you’re at home, you turn it off.”
That would be the biggest advice Bjugstad would give young Minnesota hockey players who want to follow in his footsteps.
Don’t be shy
He’s so excited to be home.
Back in high school, despite being dissected nightly by a horde of NHL scouts, Bjugstad scored 29 goals and 60 points in 25 games to lead the Bengals to a third straight state tournament. He combined his junior and senior years at Blaine into one so he can graduate early and fulfill his lifelong dream of slipping on a maroon and gold No. 27 sweater.
After a career-high 25 goals and 42 points as a sophomore, Bjugstad returned to the Gophers and scored 21 goals before turning pro in 2013. He’s scored 97 goals and 207 points in 439 career NHL games.
“I think he’s got incredible potential,” Wild General Manager Bill Guerin said. “You see the size-skill combination, I mean, health is a huge part of professional sports. You have to stay healthy. I think this offseason, it’s our job and Nick’s job to make sure that he is doing what he’s going to need to do to stay healthy because I really do believe in the skill set that he has.”
“Being as big as he is and having the hands and the playmaking ability is something that is rare. Nick’s had a couple off years, and he’s gonna have to work hard to get his game back where it can be, and we’re confident he can. I know he’s excited to be coming back to Minnesota, and this is a great motivator for him.”
Bjugstad can’t wait to get started, both slipping on a Wild sweater for the first time and getting reengaged in the community.
“I had a lot of pride being a Minnesota Wild fan when I was a kid,” he said. “I like to be around people and feed off that energy. So I want to be a role model for the kids in our community. If you see me, come up to me. If I had that opportunity, when I was a kid, I would have been ecstatic. I can count on one hand how many NHL players I ever met when I was a kid. It’s just good to be home.”
Michael Russo writes for The Athletic. He’s entering his 16th season covering the Wild and 26th covering the National Hockey League. He hosts the Russo Hockey Show on talknorth.com and Straight From The Source podcast on The Athletic. Both podcasts can be heard wherever you get your podcasts. Russo can be heard weekly on KFAN (100.3-FM) and seen throughout the hockey season on Fox Sports North and the NHL Network. Follow Russo on Twitter and Instagram at @RussoHockey. To subscribe to The Athletic at a discount, go to theathletic.com/straightfromthesource.