Hischier can expect warm Switzerland homecoming with Devils

BERN, Switzerland --Nico Hischier walked off the New Jersey Devils' charter flight with a big smile on his face. Who could blame him?

The 19-year-old Devils center was home again, back where it all started to accompany his teammates and coaches at the 2018 NHL Global Series. There will be plenty of cheers for Hischier when he's introduced to the hometown fans before the Devils play their final preseason game against SC Bern at PostFinance Arena on Monday (1:30 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, MSG+).
"Oh, yes, he's going to get a nice ovation for sure," said Bern general manager Alex Chatelain, who was also GM when Hischier played 15 games for the team in 2015-16. "We knew he was going to be a special one someday. It was just a question of how good, how fast."
The locals have been waiting patiently to see Hischier in person ever since he played his final game for Bern as a 16-year-old three seasons ago, and the Devils selected him No. 1 in the 2017 NHL Draft. Hischier, born in Naters, is the first Switzerland-born player chosen No. 1.

"He was just so talented but I think what we all appreciated so much was the fact even though he was so good, he always remained a humble young man," said Bern resident Esther Stucki, who serves as cashier for the SC Bern FanShop at PostFinance Arena. "We're going to have so many Hischier jerseys and shirts on sale on Monday, and plenty of Devils' mugs and cups.
"The Bern fans will always have a place in their heart for Nico Hischier."
Hischier and his teammates went right to the arena after arriving from Winnipeg to Flughafen Zürich Airport on Saturday morning. They were given a quick tour of the locker rooms and the arena before conducting a few media scrums.
"I was with Nico on the bus coming over and he was really just taken back that he was here," Devils forward John Quenneville said. "He was talking about how he spends his time here in the summers and now, he's with the Devils, and here so I think this whole experience has really surprised him. It's been a cool surprise."

Later in the afternoon during the NHL Global Fan Tour at the Westside Mall in Bern, hundreds of fans in attendance were getting excited for the upcoming game. Many children were wearing Hischier jerseys and fans lined up to get a picture taken with a cardboard cutout of No. 13. They also had an opportunity to meet, receive an autograph and take a picture with Switzerland-born and Stanley Cup champion defenseman Mark Streit.
Streit, who played for Bern and also 12 NHL seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins, brought the Stanley Cup to his hometown in the summer after helping the Pittsburgh Penguins win the 2017 championship. He had two assists in three Stanley Cup Playoff games, all against the Ottawa Senators in the Eastern Conference Final.
"I skated with him a few times in Bern and when you skate with a lot of guys, sometimes they are unbelievable in practice but it doesn't convert to the game, but you could tell he has something special with his skill and the way he found the open man in traffic," Streit said of Hischier. "Not a lot of guys can do that. He can do it at a high level at top speed. He finds open players and creates a lot, and in today's game that's what you wish for as an organization. I think it's great he's established himself in the NHL right away; I'm excited to watch him this year."

The Devils open the regular season against the Edmonton Oilers at Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden, on Oct. 6. (1 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN, MSG+).