The NHL announced eight new inductees to the Hockey Hall of Fame who changed the game, whether due to their on-ice production or their ability to grow and build the game.

And we have one former Vancouver Canuck who (finally) was recognized for his contributions to the game and awarded his own spot among the rest of the hockey greats.

We’ll start with the aforementioned Mogilny, who waited his fair share of time to earn the honour.

Mogilny was drafted in the fifth round (88th overall) by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1988 draft. The Russian forward did not head overseas until he defected from the Soviet Union in 1989.

In his rookie season, Mogilny scored 15 goals and 43 points in 65 games. The following two seasons were when he began to make a name for himself in the league, finishing above a point-per-game. But then in his fourth season, Mogilny elevated his game alongside those considered in the upper echelon of the league.

In the 1992-1993 season, Mogilny erupted by scoring 76 goals and 127 points. Oddly enough, he did not lead the league in goals this season, as he tied rookie phenom Teemu Selanne with 76. He would also finish behind Mario Lemieux (160), Pat Lafontaine (148), Adam Oates (142), Steve Yzerman (137), Pierre Turgeon (132) and Selanne (132) in points.

After one more season in Buffalo, the Sabres traded Mogilny and a 1995 fifth-round pick (Todd Norman) to the Canucks for Michael Peca, Michael Wilson and a 1995 first-round pick (Jay McGee).

Mogilny had his best season as a Canuck in his inaugural season, scoring 55 goals and 52 assists for 107 points in 79 games. The Russian sniper would continue steady play in Vancouver, but would not surpass any of those totals in a season again. Throughout the following three and a half seasons with the Canucks, Mogilny scored 84 goals and 117 assists for 201 points in 233 games.

The Canucks then traded Mogilny to the New Jersey Devils in exchange for Brendan Morrison and Denis Pederson in 2000. He would play the following six seasons between the Devils and Toronto Maple Leafs, before retiring as a member of the Devils in 2005-2006.

He was first eligible to be inducted with the 2009 class, and after over 15 years of being snubbed, Mogilny is now officially a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame. Mogilny accumulated 473 goals and 1,032 points through 990 games across his four teams and 16 years in the NHL.

Five other players were inducted alongside Mogilny: Brianna Decker, Duncan Keith, Jennifer Botterill, Joe Thornton and Zdeno Chara. Two other builders round out the class, with Daniéle Sauvageau and Jack Parker joining the eight inductees for the stacked 2025 Hockey Hall of Fame class.