HUGHES ALREADY HEAD OF THE DRAFT CLASS
American forward the latest in a long line of generational talents at world juniors
The head of NHL Central Scouting will not be in British Columbia to watch the No. 1 prospect play at this year’s world junior championship.
Dan Marr said he doesn’t have to be.
The scouting report on Jack Hughes was written last summer when Marr spent the day watching the American-born centre at a skills camp in Toronto. Also on the ice that day were Connor McDavid, Taylor Hall and John Tavares.
That would be impressive company for any NHLer. But Hughes, who is 17 years old and built like a younger version of Mitch Marner, didn’t look out of place. If anything, the projected top pick for the 2019 NHL Entry Draft was the one pushing the pace.
“Jack was out there doing everything at the speed and precision with those players there,” said Marr. “He is one of those types who plays the same way and contributes the same way at every level he’s at, regardless of who’s out there with him. I don’t have any worries about him performing in this tournament.
“Seriously, you don’t need to spend a lot of resources and run around to watch Jack Hughes to know where he should be in the rankings.”
It’s another way of saying that Hughes heads into the world juniors with larger-than-life expectations. It’s nothing new for Hughes or any other top pick for that matter.
The under-20 event is still a tournament that is dominated by 19-year-olds. But like the NHL, which is increasingly skewing younger and younger, a similar shift has occurred at the world juniors.
Connor McDavid tied for the scoring lead as a 17-year-old in 2015. The following year, four of the top five scoring leaders were draft eligible, including Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine. Before being selected as the No. 1 overall pick, Sweden’s Rasmus Dahlin was named the top defencemen in the 2018 tournament after picking up six assists in seven games.
“I remember those guys being great,” Hughes said of McDavid and Matthews. “Obviously they’re great players. Even though they were young, they were probably the best players on the team and were the reasons they had a lot of success. That’s something I’ve looked at to do for myself.”
It’s not just the generational talents who have found success against older competition. Whether you are Nail Yakupov (nine points in seven games), Nico Hischier (four goals and seven points in five games) or Filip Zadina (seven goals in seven games), the expectation is that you will make an impact.
Even Hughes’ older brother Quinn, a defenceman who was selected seventh overall in last year’s draft, managed to pick up three assists during last year’s tournament.
“We’ve seen a trend now in the last seven or eight years where draft-eligible kids and 18-yearolds can make a difference,” said North American Central Scouting’s Mark Seidel.
“You think of Laine and (Jesse) Puljujarvi and even Nico Hischier and Filip Zadina, a bunch of them have really stepped up. I think Hughes, by the end of the tournament, people are going to go, ‘Wow, this kid is really special. He’s worth losing 26 in a row if we have to.’”
No pressure, kid.
Then again, a bad tournament probably won’t affect Hughes’ draft ranking even with Finland’s Kaapo Kakko — the top-ranked European skater — breathing down his neck.
“There’s always an opportunity for an unsung hero to show up,” said Marr. “Kaapo is going to play a game similar to what Brady Tkachuk plays. But Hughes is at the top of the class right now. He is going to give you more of a Marner type of performance. You’re talking top-end skill.”
Six years ago, Nathan MacKinnon had no goals and just one assist in six games for a Canadian team that lost in the bronze-medal game. Seth Jones, meanwhile, won gold with seven points in seven games. But by the time of the draft, MacKinnon was still the No. 1 overall pick, while Jones fell to fourth overall.
Part of MacKinnon’s poor showing in 2013 was because of a lack of opportunity. On a deep Canadian team, MacKinnon and fellow draft-eligible winger Jonathan Drouin were relegated to secondary roles. That won’t be the case with Hughes.
If the U.S. is going to challenge Canada for a gold medal, it will be because Hughes is leading the offence. After all, he has been leading the way since he arrived at the U.S. National Team Development Program as a 16-yearold and started shattering the scoring records of Matthews and Patrick Kane.
“Even though he is younger and smaller, I’m expecting him to go out and compete,” said American head coach Mike Hastings. “Let’s put it this way, he’s not intimidated by the environment.”
“As an expectation standpoint, we know we’re getting a creative playmaker who plays with a lot of courage,” said USA Hockey’s
Even though he (Jack Hughes) is younger and smaller, I’m expecting him to go out and compete. Let’s put it this way, he’s not intimidated by the environment.
John Vanbiesbrouck, who is the vice-president of hockey operations.
“But we also understand we have a younger guy who we need to be very conscientious of as to how he’s used. These tournaments are a sprint. If Jack is really producing and creating, of course he’s going to rise to the level of being a top player. We won’t hold him back.”
Indeed, Hughes had 12 points in seven games at this year’s under-18 championship. He then picked up five points in seven games during the summer’s four-team world junior showcase against Canada, Finland and Sweden.
In other words, don’t expect Hughes to dip his toes in the water. He knows why he was selected to the team.
And it wasn’t to be a 13th forward.
“I’m not coming here to just be a part of the team,” said Hughes. “I want to be a big member on the team and help the team win. It will come down to my play and how the coaches think of me. The rest will take care of itself.
“I’m confident in myself. I think coming into something like this, you want to be the best. That’s something I aspire towards.”