Niederreiter became Switzerland's highest NHL draft pick when the New York Islanders selected him No. 5 in the 2010 NHL Draft. Instead of staying in the system of his Swiss club, HC Davos, he opted to play junior hockey in North America.
Playing for Portland of the Western Hockey League in the 2009-10 season, Niederreiter scored a team-leading 36 goals, second among WHL rookies. Niederreiter was also named to the all-star team at the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship after helping Switzerland upset Russia and finish fourth.
Niederreiter became Switzerland's highest NHL draft pick when the New York Islanders selected him No. 5 in the 2010 NHL Draft. Instead of staying in the system of his Swiss club, HC Davos, he opted to play junior hockey in North America.
Playing for Portland of the Western Hockey League in the 2009-10 season, Niederreiter scored a team-leading 36 goals, second among WHL rookies. Niederreiter was also named to the all-star team at the 2010 IIHF World Junior Championship after helping Switzerland upset Russia and finish fourth.
The talented forward became the youngest player in Islanders history when he made his NHL debut on Oct. 9, 2010. Four days later, at the age of 18 years and 35 days, Niederreiter became the youngest player in team history and the fifth-youngest player since the NHL's 1967 expansion to score a goal.
But after Niederreiter had one goal and two points in nine NHL games, New York returned him to Portland, where he finished with 41 goals and 70 points in 55 games. He spent most of 2011-12 playing on New York's fourth line, scoring one goal in 55 games with a minus-29 rating that was second-worst in the NHL.
The Islanders sent Niederreiter to Bridgeport of the American Hockey League during the 2012-13 NHL lockout, then did not invite him to their training camp when the labor dispute ended. He had 28 goals and 50 points in 74 AHL games.
On June 30, 2013, the Islanders traded Niederreiter to the Minnesota Wild for forward Cal Clutterbuck and a third-round draft pick, and he began establishing himself as an NHL regular.
He had 36 points (14 goals, 22 assists in 2013-14, then scored at least 20 goals in each of the next three seasons. Injuries limited Niederreiter to 63 games in 2017-18, but he finished with 18 goals and helped the Wild advance to the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fifth time in five seasons since the trade.
NOTES & TRANSACTIONS
- WHL West Second All-Star Team (2010)
- Traded to Minnesota by NY Islanders for Cal Clutterbuck and New Jersey's 3rd round pick (previously acquired, Minnesota selected Eamon McAdam) in 2013 NHL Draft, June 30, 2013.
