C Jack Hughes - USNTDP (2019 Draft)

[Whalers Fan]

Pretty cool to live in a small city and have the NTDP based there - would rather have that than an OHL team.

There are pros and cons to each team. With the OHL, we were guaranteed to see elite level talent every season. In the past decade or so, we saw such players as Patrick Kane, Steven Stamkos, John Tavares, Taylor Hall, Connor McDavid and Aaron Ekblad playing for opposing teams, and had Tyler Seguin, Rickard Rakell, James Neal, Vincent Trocheck and others playing for the home team Whalers. There was also postseason play -- the Whalers qualified for the OHL playoffs for 25 straight seasons -- and much larger crowds. The arena has a capacity of about 3,500, and we would occasionally get over 4,000 people with standing room. For the NTDP, other than for a special event most nights the attendance is usually somewhere between 800 - 1,500.

With the NTDP, the program will sometimes have an elite talent like Patrick Kane, Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews or now Jack Hughes, but you do not see that type of elite talent on the opposing USHL teams -- that is the biggest difference between the OHL and USHL, IMO. The USHL gets a lot of its players drafted by the NHL, but rarely in the first round (other than from the NTDP). The 1st round is loaded with OHL players.

With the NTDP we do get to see players being developed for Team USA, which is very cool. The international tournaments are unique, as well. Since the program relocated here, it's hosted a 5 Nations tournament every season (sometimes U18, other times U17), two IIHF U20 World Showcase tournaments in August, and the IIHF Women's World Championship last spring. They are hoping to get the IIHF U18 World Championship here in the future, too.

USA Hockey has also invested a lot of money in the facility since purchasing it in early 2015. They built a multi-million dollar addition with modern training facilities, expanded and remodeled the locker rooms, spent $1 million for new boards and glass, updated the sound system and installed video replay screens.

 

[Beukeboom]

I guess it is safe to bet on Hughes being somewhere between Keller-Matthews/Eichel? Probable #1.

Can't see why size would be a problem in today's league. That idea still lives on even tough hitting/physical play is dying and the players are getting smaller.

 

[93LEAFS]

I guess it is safe to bet on Hughes being somewhere between Keller-Matthews/Eichel? Probable #1.

Can't see why size would be a problem in today's league. That idea still lives on even tough hitting/physical play is dying and the players are getting smaller.

Smaller size while not limiting for a career these days, tends to get guys shifted to the wing at the next level. It will be interesting to see if Hughes can stay at center, as franchise centers are always highly valued at the top of the draft, more so than scoring wingers.

 

[Tryamkin]

Smaller size while not limiting for a career these days, tends to get guys shifted to the wing at the next level. It will be interesting to see if Hughes can stay at center, as franchise centers are always highly valued at the top of the draft, more so than scoring wingers.

I do agree with this fact though, instead of centres that are too small busting out, they are just moved to the wing, which probably should have been done before

 

[Whalers Fan]

AA nice setup by Hughes on a goal last night. Check out the play, stating at the 0:27 mark in the highlight reel below:

 

[CaseyMitts37]

Hughes had a goal and 4 assists last night in a World U17 Challenge exhibition game vs Canada Red

 

[Newfoundland]

why isnt he playing for canada

 

[Daximus]

why isnt he playing for canada

If I had to take a wild stab in the dark, I'd say it's because he's American.

 

[JiggsNY]

why isnt he playing for canada

Father is from New York, and Mother from Texas. They just moved to Toronto area when he was growing up. Brother Quinn went thought the USNTDP and now plays for Michigan and Jack is following. I can't remember who, but i remember someone tweeting that they didn't even have options, they're Americans. And I think the whole family lives in Michigan now, with Quinn at Ann Arbor, Jack with USA hockey in plymouth, and the younger brother playing for Little Ceasers Bantam.

 

[JackSlater]

If I had to take a wild stab in the dark, I'd say it's because he's American.

He is also a Canadian citizen, based on what I have read, and was raised primarily in Canada.

 

[William H Bonney]

He is also a Canadian citizen, based on what I have read, and was raised primarily in Canada.

They aren’t dual citizens.

 

[Daximus]

He is also a Canadian citizen, based on what I have read, and was raised primarily in Canada.

He's not dual citizen. He's just American.

 

[93LEAFS]

He is also a Canadian citizen, based on what I have read, and was raised primarily in Canada.

Didn't have Canadian citizenship.

I also heard he wanted to go the CHL route but only to one specific team, but he wasn't willing to pull a Domi or a Marner to force it.

 

[JackSlater]

They aren’t dual citizens.

He's not dual citizen. He's just American.

My mistake. I remember reading that he was from some Ontario newspaper prior to the OHL draft, but McKenzie noted that he is not a dual and thus I am clearly wrong.

 

[Arizonan God]

His numbers look pretty insane so far.

10 pts in 4 USHL games as a 16 year old.

 

[JiggsNY]

2 goals in the opener for the U17s vs Czech Republic

 

[JiggsNY]

3 point night vs Canada White. 1 goal and 2 assists including some pretty passing to set up the OT winner.

Now has 5 points in 2 games in the WHC U17 (in addition to his 4 point night in the pre-tournament game, which i believe counts towards his NTDP stats, but not the tournament)

 

[DoingItCoolKiwi]

The kid is gooood. The rebuilding teams better get their tanks ready next Summer because he is the player they need

 

[William H Bonney]

3 point night vs Canada White. 1 goal and 2 assists including some pretty passing to set up the OT winner.

Now has 5 points in 2 games in the WHC U17 (in addition to his 4 point night in the pre-tournament game, which i believe counts towards his NTDP stats, but not the tournament)

NTDP does count the pre-tournament game towards their stats and he actually had 5 points in that game.

Right now, Hughes is at 29 points in 12 games, a 2.25 ppg clip. If he can keep up that pace, and if you assume he only plays the same 60 games as Matthews did in 2014/15 (averaged 1.95 ppg), he'd end up with 135 points, beating Auston's NTDP single season record by 18 points -- as an U17.

The top 8 single season points records at the NTDP all happened when the player was a member of the U18 team in their second season with the NTDP. One hurdle Hughes will face to keep up that pace is he's doing this as an U17 player and he'll no doubt end up on the U18 team at some point this season for good.

Joining the U18s as an U17 player will make the single season record chase an even tougher climb. The NTDP single season points record for an U17 player is 82 (Keller in 14/15 and Kessel in 03/04) and Kessel's came when the NTDP still played in the NAHL. Barring an injury, Hughes should definitely obliterate the U17 record at minimum.

 

[Daximus]

This kids hype train is building up speed fast. Off to one of the best starts in NTDP history.
If you count USHL games he's at 39 points in 16 games. Crazy.

 

[JiggsNY]

This kids hype train is building up speed fast. Off to one of the best starts in NTDP history.
If you count USHL games he's at 39 points in 16 games. Crazy.

I'm pretty sure those USHL numbers are included in the NTDP numbers and you don't have to add them. Someone correct me if i'm wrong though. The NTDP website has him at 12 games with 27 points.

http://www.usahockeyntdp.com/stats/...0&tab=team_instance_player_stats&tool=2674976

 

[Daximus]

I'm pretty sure those USHL numbers are included in the NTDP numbers and you don't have to add them. Someone correct me if i'm wrong though. The NTDP website has him at 12 games with 27 points.

http://www.usahockeyntdp.com/stats/...0&tab=team_instance_player_stats&tool=2674976

EP has them separated. 27 points in 12 USDP games and 10 points in 4 USHL games.

 

[JiggsNY]

EP has them separated. 27 points in 12 USDP games and 10 points in 4 USHL games.

I know EP has them separate. I'm pretty sure the USHL is kept a separate statline and the NTDP statline includes USHL games as well as all other competitions. So you shouldn't add them together, cause the NTDP number is already USHL plus everything else.
Look on the NTDP schedule, he's only played 12 games, USHL + other games

http://www.usahockeyntdp.com/schedule/team_instance/3003963?subseason=435040

so he's played 12 games for 27 points, not 16 gamse

 

[Breakers]

I'm pretty sure those USHL numbers are included in the NTDP numbers and you don't have to add them. Someone correct me if i'm wrong though. The NTDP website has him at 12 games with 27 points.

http://www.usahockeyntdp.com/stats/...0&tab=team_instance_player_stats&tool=2674976

It's pretty complicated
The NTDP selects the top 22 players for 2 teams & are classified as either U18 or U17

The U17 Team play a majority of a 60-game junior schedule in the USHL (35 games)
The U18 Team ‘shares’ the junior schedule with them, playing about 25 games in the USHL, they also play against NCAA Division I.

The combined records of the U17s and U18s are shown within the USHL standings as one team.

So his stats are broken up for when he plays against NAHL teams (which is division 2)
and when he plays against USHL (which is division 1)

 

[JiggsNY]

Here's a comparison of the leading scorers/ notable players from the NTDP during their U17 seasons over the last 5 years. I'm comparing U17 NTDP numbers (so USHL games + NAHL games + International Tournaments etc.) Don't use this to compare goals/ assists/ or points, because a few of these guys got called up to the U18 team because they were killing it on the U17s. No U18 stats are counted. It's ordered by PPG, to compare the scoring paces of all of these players.

U17 Season Scoring Comparison

Name	GP	G	A	Pts	PPG
Jack Hughes (17-18)	16	11	26	37	2.31
Auston Matthews (13-14)	24	12	21	33	1.38
Jeremy Bracco (13-14)	54	16	58	74	1.37
Colin White (13-14)	47	33	31	64	1.36
Clayton Keller (14-15)	45	25	34	59	1.31
Scott Reedy (15-16)	49	19	33	52	1.06
Jack Eichel (12-13)	36	19	15	34	.95
Sonny Milano (12-13)	56	20	27	47	.84
Joel Farabee (15-16)	42	17	14	31	.74
Matthew Tkachuk (13-14)	53	13	20	33	.62
Oliver Wahlstrom (16-17)	43	14	11	25	.58
Brady Tkachuk (15-16)	55	9	16	25	.45

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

I might update this table as the season goes on, and take these numbers as they are. I'm not trying to claim that Hughes will be twice the player Matthews is, it's strictly just comparing their U17 seasons and not a projection. And take into account other factors like teammates/ line mates, age, less sample size etc. This years U17 team is one of the best all around in a long time.