Canadiens GM Hughes not tipping his hand about draft
We know one player the Canadiens won't be selecting with the No. 1 pick at this year's NHL draft.
“Jack (Hughes) is not going to be our No. 1 overall pick,” GM Kent Hughes said with a chuckle when asked about his son after the Canadiens won the NHL draft lottery Tuesday night. "I can promise you that.”
Jack Hughes (not to be confused with the New Jersey Devils player of the same name who was selected first overall in 2019) is a six-foot, 170-pound centre. He's ranked 26th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting after posting 7-9-16 totals in 39 games this season with Northeastern University.
Riley Hughes, the younger Jack's older brother, was selected by the New York Rangers in the seventh round (216th overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft. Riley, a six-foot-two, 175-pound right-winger, had 2-1012 totals in 31 games this season at Northeastern.
Kent Hughes knows what it's like to be a hockey dad and a player agent, which he was for more than 20 years before becoming GM of the Canadiens in January.
Tuesday night, Hughes was asked what's the best advice he has for young players such as top-rated prospect Shane Wright as they await the NHL draft, slated for July 7-8 at the Bell Centre, knowing which teams hold the first 16 picks.
“From a player perspective, at least, I've often described the draft as the most anxious-filled event that you might look back on fondly," Hughes said. “Because it's a lengthy process, going from (picking) first to fifth, that could be 30 to 45 minutes when people are waiting and they don't know what's going to transpire.
“At the end of the day, it's a recognition of what they've accomplished to this point in time, but there's a lot of work to be done,” Hughes added. “People are going to remember less where you were picked and more what you accomplish.”
Hughes didn't want to tip his hand about who the Canadiens might take with the No. 1 pick. The GM said he was willing to listen to trade offers for the pick, but it's not something he had discussed yet with Jeff Gorton, the executive vice-president of hockey operations, assistant GM John Sedgwick or the scouting staff. Hughes said it's not in the team's plans to trade the pick.
Wright, a six-foot, 191-pound centre, is ranked No. 1 among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting after posting 32-62-94 totals in 63 games with the OHL'S Kingston Frontenacs. In 2019, Wright became only the fifth player in OHL history granted exceptional-player status, that allowed him to join the league at age 15. In his first OHL season, Wright had 39-27-66 totals in 58 games.
“I believe that's where I should go,” Wright told Sportsnet's Sam Cosentino about the possibility of being the No. 1 pick at the NHL draft. “I believe that I'm the best player. I believe that throughout my play, throughout my entire life it has shown that I'm the best player. I'm a competitive guy and I want to be (in) that spot. I don't want anyone to take that from me.”