Gustav Nyquist collected the puck in the offensive zone and began skating up the boards with it.
The University of Maine freshman right winger then stopped on a dime and used his quick feet to gain some separation from his Northeastern University checker as he surveyed the front of the net.
He spotted an open teammate and threaded a pass through a crowded goal mouth right onto Jeff Dimmen’s stick at the far post for a one-timer that was saved by Brad Thiessen.
Moments later, the elusive Nyquist burst into the offensive zone in a one-on-four during a Black Bear line change.
Instead of just dumping the puck into the corner, he stickhandled away from checkers until his linemate, Tanner House, broke behind an NU defenseman. Just as an unattended House reached the low slot, Nyquist flipped a saucer pass into a perfect spot so House could skate onto it.
House redirected the precise pass on goal, requiring another great save by Thiessen.
“That was a great play by Nyquist. He’s a skillful player,” said Thiessen.
These are the types of plays the talented 19-year-old Swede has been making on a regular basis.
They occurred in the final two minutes of a 3-2 overtime loss to Northeastern.
Nyquist is the Bears’ leading scorer with nine goals and seven assists in 16 games. He is tied for the team lead in power-play goals with three to go with three power-play assists. And he also has one of Maine’s two shorthanded goals.
His nine goals are tops among Hockey East rookies and his 16 points tie him for first with Providence freshman Matt Bergland.
Nyquist has seven goals and two assists in his last nine games and is working on a five-game points streak (4 & 2).
“He has a high level of ability,” said Northeastern coach Greg Cronin. “He’ll go in, stop, cut back and keep going. Just like [Hobey Baker Award winner Paul] Kariya did. He has a lot of talent with the puck, particularly in tight areas. It’s like trying to catch a fly with a skinny fly-swatter.
“He’s really quick and he has a lot of poise with the puck. That saucer pass he made [to House] was a big-time play by him. He has a lot of vision,” Cronin added.
Merrimack College coach Mark Dennehy said Nyquist reminds him “a little bit of [Pavel] Datsyuk and [Henrik] Zetterberg” who play for the defending Stanley Cup champion Detroit Red Wings.
“He is an exceptionally-skilled hockey player,” said Dennehy. “I watched that overtime game against Northeastern and he was the best player on the ice. He doesn’t pass indiscriminately. If a guy is open, he gives it to him.”
Dennehy added that Nyquist is much more than just a playmaker.
“He’ll take the puck to the net and look to score. His stats are balanced. He’s an all-around hockey player who will also take the body,” said Dennehy.
Maine associate head coach Bob Corkum, a veteran of 720 NHL games, said Nyquist “obviously has God-given talent but what separates him from other people is he competes every single shift.”
Fellow associate head coach Dan Kerluke agreed and pointed out that Nyquist is also an effective penalty killer who is willing to “block shots.
“He’s a complete player,” said Kerluke. “He’s going to be a very important player for us the next few years.”
Maine head coach Tim Whitehead said one of the best parts of Nyquist’s game is his “ability to play in traffic.
“He’ll go into any situation with courage and win the puck. After he wins the puck, he’s able to separate himself from traffic which is a great trait to have,” added Whitehead.
“I can take a hit. I think I have good balance on the ice,” said Nyquist.
Nyquist decided to attend Maine after watching the Black Bears battle to a 1-1 overtime tie against Boston College 13 months ago at Chestnut Hill, Mass., and then visiting the Orono campus.
“Maine played great and then when I saw the school, I thought it was perfect for me,” said Nyquist, who enjoys life in Orono.
“The crowds here are unbelievable,” said Nyquist, a native of Malmo, Sweden.
Most Swedish players advance to the Swedish Elite League, the country’s top professional league. And the best Swedish players usually wind up in the National Hockey League.
But rinks in Sweden are Olympic-size (200 feet by 100 feet) while professional rinks in North American are usually 200 by 85 or 87.
“I wanted to try out the smaller rinks. I wanted to see how the game was over here,” said Nyquist, a fourth-round draft pick of Red Wings.
“It’s a lot different than back home,” noted Nyquist. “Here, you shoot the puck a lot more. It’s more physical. I think it’s more fun here.”
The fact he was drafted gave him even more incentive to begin his transition to North American rinks.
Dennehy’s comparison of Nyquist to Datsyuk has a tint of irony.
Datsyuk is the player Nyquist idolizes.
“He’s my favorite player. He’s unbelievable. His hands are so good,” said Nyquist.
He has been happy with his play to date.
“I’ve been very pleased with my game so far,” he said. “The adjustment to smaller rinks has gone pretty well.”
He credits linemates Brian Flynn and House with playing a big part in his success.
“They’ve been very important to me,” said Nyquist. “We have great chemistry.
“As long as Brian and Tanner keep feeding me, I’ll score more goals,” he added.
Flynn said Nyquist “creates a lot offense every single game. We just try to find him. If you get him the puck anywhere, he’ll do something with it. He wins every battle and every loose puck in the corner. He’s so fast and explosive and so good with the puck that checking lines can’t stop him. He’s the total package.”
Flynn said Nyquist is also an exceptional teammate.
“He’s always picking guys up on the bench, telling them they’ve done a good job after every shift,” said Flynn.
Nyquist has been excited about the team’s 10-5-1 start.
“I feel great about this team. We have great team chemistry. Hopefully, we’ll get the offense going [better] after the break and score some more goals,” said Nyquist. “We need to get those third and fourth goals to put teams away.”
Nyquist is a versatile athlete whose father, Fredrik, played hockey.
“I started playing [hockey] when I was 4. I’ve always loved the game,” he said. “I also played soccer, tennis and golf but when I was 15, I chose to play [just] hockey.”
One of his major adjustments at Maine was the language.
“I struggled in the beginning but things are going better and better. My teammates have helped me a lot,” said the 5-foot-11, 170-pound Nyquist, who has played for the Swedish Under-18 and Under-17 national teams.
He said he was honored when the Red Wings made him the 121st overall pick in last June’s draft.
“Detroit has been my favorite team since I was a little kid. That was really nice. I think they wanted me to come over and show I can play on the small rink as well,” said Nyquist, who had 11 goals and 20 assists for the Malmo Red Hawks in the Swedish Elite Under-20 league a year ago.
He knows there is room for improvement and he constantly addresses those areas.
“I’ve got to keep working on my strength. I’ve got to get bigger and stronger,” said Nyquist.