Switzerland and major junior Hischier participated in the 2011 and 2012
Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournaments with a youth team from
Zürich. He grew up playing in the
EHC Visp program. At the age of 15, he moved from his native
canton of
Valais, in the south of Switzerland, to
Bern and joined
SC Bern, following his brother Luca, who had done the same at that age; this allowed Hischier to play at the top levels of the Swiss under-17 and under-20 leagues. He began the 2015–16 season with
EHC Visp, an affiliate of SC Bern, in the
National League B, the second-highest Swiss league. However, due to several players being out with injuries in Bern, Hischier was brought to the top team on 13 November that year, playing with his brother. Hischier would play 15 games with Bern, spending most of the season with Visp. The
Halifax Mooseheads, a
major junior team in the
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), selected Hischier sixth overall in the 2016
Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Import Draft, conducted between the three Canadian major junior leagues (the QMJHL, the
Ontario Hockey League, and the
Western Hockey League). After discussions with both Halifax's general manager and Swiss former Mooseheads player
Timo Meier, Hischier committed to joining Halifax. He also led all QMJHL rookies in both goals and points. For this Hischier was awarded the
RDS Cup for being the QMJHL Rookie of the Year and the
Michael Bossy Trophy as the best professional prospect in the league. He was additionally named to the QMJHL Rookie All-Star Team. He would also be named the
rookie of the year for the
CHL, which oversees the three major junior leagues. In the playoffs he led Halifax in scoring with seven points in six games. Regarded as a top prospect going into the
2017 NHL entry draft, by the conclusion of the season Hischier was regarded as a candidate to be selected first overall. Ranked the second-best North American skater in the
NHL Central Scouting Bureau final list prior to the draft, Hischier was highly regarded as a tremendous offensive talent with exceptional hockey sense. Hischier was also regarded as a strong
two-way player, and well-regarded for his strong skating abilities. In the lead-up to the draft Hischier was regarded as a consensus top-two pick along with
Nolan Patrick.
New Jersey Devils in January 2022 Hischier was selected with the first overall pick in the
2017 NHL entry draft by the
New Jersey Devils, becoming the first Swiss player to be drafted first overall. He signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Devils on 15 July 2017. After a strong training camp and preseason, where he led the Devils in scoring with seven points in four games, Hischier made the opening-day roster. His NHL debut came on 7 October against the
Colorado Avalanche. He recorded his first point, an assist, on 9 October in his second game, against the
Buffalo Sabres, while his first two goals came ten days later against
Craig Anderson of the
Ottawa Senators. Hischier finished the regular season as the Devils' second best scorer (behind
Hart Trophy-winning linemate
Taylor Hall) with 52 points, including 20 goals and 32 assists. His performance helped the team secure their first playoff berth since
2012. After the Devils were eliminated from the
2018 Stanley Cup playoffs in five games by the top-seeded
Tampa Bay Lightning, Hischier revealed he had been playing with a hand injury that kept him out of the
2018 IIHF World Championship. In his sophomore season with the Devils, Hischier completed the
2018–19 season with 47 points in 69 games. With an injured Hall out of the lineup for a large portion of the season, he recorded a team leading Corsi-For percentage, scoring chances for percentage, and high-danger chances for percentage. Despite this, the Devils performed poorly as a team and missed the
2019 Stanley Cup playoffs. Prior to the
2019–20 season, Hischier played with the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation national team prospects camp. On 16 October 2019, the Devils announced Hischier suffered an upper-body injury during a game against the
Florida Panthers. Two days later, the Devils signed Hischier to a seven-year, $50.75 million contract extension, despite the ability to become a
restricted free agent. The Devils' performance woes continued through 2019–20, and saw Hischier's linemate Hall traded from the team. The season was shortened by the
COVID-19 pandemic; having finished in the bottom seven teams at the time of the regular season's pause and eventual cancellation, the Devils were eliminated from playoff contention by default. Hischier played a total of 58 of the team's 69 games, scoring a total of 14 goals and 36 points in the abbreviated season. in 2023 Due to a leg injury suffered prior to training camp, Hischier missed the start of the
2020–21 season. Hischier made his season debut on 20 February 2021, against the
Buffalo Sabres, where he was announced as the 12th captain in the Devils' history before the game. As such, he became the youngest captain in the league. Hischier would play only five games before suffering another injury against the
Washington Capitals when a shot from Devils defenceman
P. K. Subban hit Hischier in the face. Although the injury initially only projected him to miss three weeks of NHL action, the surgery for Hischier's broken nose ended up sidelining him a total of 24 games. Despite playing only 21 games that season, he would finish with six goals and five assists as the Devils once again missed the playoffs. In the
2022–23 season, Hischier put up a career high 31 goals, 49 assists, and 80 points, which was second to
Jack Hughes for most points on the team. Hischier was nominated for the
Frank J. Selke Trophy, which is an award for the "forward who demonstrates the most skill in the defensive component of the game." On 27 October 2023, Hischier suffered an upper-body injury resulting from a check to the head by
Buffalo Sabres defenceman
Connor Clifton. Clifton received a match penalty and a two-game suspension. On 25 November 2024, Hischier recorded his first NHL
hat trick, which was a natural hat trick, in a 5–2 win against the
Nashville Predators. ==International play==