GDT: 2019 Prospects Challenge Weekend

[Hockey Man]

I'm personally wondering who these people are 'cause they seem to be coming out of nowhere (or some place called "The Woodwork") and saying "Hughes was bad and I was disappointed and blah blah blah....."

I get there will be growing pains but expecting VETERAN PLAY at this point out of him is just plain silly and just reminds me of those who are fans of Kakko that came in here earlier to bash Hughes (seems now they've disguised themselves as Devils fans under new accounts, though I hope I'm wrong).

this sounds like a veiled shot at me, which is pretty stupid because my first ever post on this account is deliberately spelling kakko’s name incorrectly just to poke at finnish fans.

i have been on the jack hughes train prior to the 2018-2019 season. someone making valid criticisms of a prospect’s game shouldn't just be shrugged aside as a reactionary or a bad actor. people should try to contend with what is actually being said, but because most fans of teams have blind allegiance towards their top prospects, they arent accepting of criticism and just toss valid points aside while using tired excuses as coping mechanisms because they cant deal with the fact that maybe there are real and valid criticisms to be made about 99.9% of all hockey players.

i believe jack hughes has the most potential out of any player in the 2019 draft, this prospect tournament does not change that. it is completely reasonable for me to point out that he had a bad 2 games. he was not average, he was bad. i have explained myself in previous posts. this does not make him a bad player, this means he had a bad 2 games. i then stated that IF those two games are any indication of his preparedness for the NHL or higher than junior competition, we arent going to be looking at a very pretty rookie season for him to say the least.

and i have also said that it could have just been a bad two games, and that hughes could live up to or even exceed expectations come main camp/preseason.

 

[BenedictGomez]

I'm more concerned with Jack Hughes seeming to be almost annoyed or at least disinterested that he had to do a 5 minute interview with Matt Loughlin than anything he did in these games. Which is to say I'm not all that concerned.

 

[Blackjack]

I'm more concerned with Jack Hughes seeming to be almost annoyed or at least disinterested that he had to do a 5 minute interview with Matt Loughlin than anything he did in these games. Which is to say I'm not all that concerned.

Jack Hughes is not an easy interview.

 

[BenedictGomez]

Jack Hughes is not an easy interview.

I show up for root canal with more eagerness.

 

[kiwidevil]

I think the big takeaway from this is the lack of Dmen we have.
On offense it reminded me of the Devils from 5+ years ago, where it essentially is only a 3 man attack as you have White and Mottau on the back end playing every second shift.

Add to this, with Smith seemingly playing a very conservative, reserved style.

Playmakers like Hughes need all the options as a threat to be able to exploit an opponent. But when our Dmen don't even seem to be able to get into a shooting position, or get open for a pass it leaves very limited options. I think Subban is going to love having Hughes feeding him.

Not sure about the McLeod love. He tries hard, i'll give him that.
But, it seems like he has taken the advice to slow things down a bit. Now, he is a slower guy who doesn't really seem to be able to perform any other skill very well.

 

[ninetyeight]

I'm personally wondering who these people are 'cause they seem to be coming out of nowhere (or some place called "The Woodwork") and saying "Hughes was bad and I was disappointed and blah blah blah....."

I get there will be growing pains but expecting VETERAN PLAY at this point out of him is just plain silly and just reminds me of those who are fans of Kakko that came in here earlier to bash Hughes (seems now they've disguised themselves as Devils fans under new accounts, though I hope I'm wrong).

I don't think being a little critical and not overly optimistic is a bad thing. For what it's worth I always thought the devils should draft Hughes. I'm not expecting veteran play, but considering that he was playing mostly against 24 year old nhl rejects and unproven nobodies, I would have wanted to see more. With all the Barzal and Patrick Kane comparisons and all. I get that he's still far from his peak/prime, but if he doesn't make the team this year is it fair to assume most if not all of us would be disappointed?

No need to keep bringing Kakko up anymore, we drafted Hughes period, and he is what he is regardless of what us fans write about him. No need to overhype him just for the lurking rangers fans, the results will speak for themselves and nothing that anyone has written will matter.

 

[TBF1972]

Was it called porn then or was it just women's tennis?

You should ask my mother.
It was a lazy afternoon with me as a young adult watching Monica Seles against Anke Huber and my mother storming in the living room, asking me, what I am watching in TV.

 

[NjDevs4994]

He’s done a million interviews this past year. Im sure he’ll show more enthusiasm once the real games start

 

[TBF1972]

im a relatively new user. ive been browsing the site since around 2017 but only made an account in 2018. i shouldve said my “other” account not my old account. i still use the other one but this one is supposed to be my more heavy handed account where instead of trying to be diplomatic and fair to everybody i just say what i think.

something like a suspense account?

 

[glenwo2]

I don't think being a little critical and not overly optimistic is a bad thing. For what it's worth I always thought the devils should draft Hughes. I'm not expecting veteran play, but considering that he was playing mostly against 24 year old nhl rejects and unproven nobodies, I would have wanted to see more. With all the Barzal and Patrick Kane comparisons and all. I get that he's still far from his peak/prime, but if he doesn't make the team this year is it fair to assume most if not all of us would be disappointed?

No need to keep bringing Kakko up anymore, we drafted Hughes period, and he is what he is regardless of what us fans write about him. No need to overhype him just for the lurking rangers fans, the results will speak for themselves and nothing that anyone has written will matter.

The point is that us Devils fans do recognize that there will growing pains with Jack Hughes but we like to focus on what he CAN DO in a Positive way for the team right NOW.

You want to be critical of someone who hasn't even played one single NHL game yet? Knock yourself out then.


Just don't expect many to echo your pessimistic outlook on Hughes.


And @Hockey Man , that was not a veiled shot at you.

That was an observation of seeing many Devils fans whom I've never seen around here before when we were struggling in 2014-2015 just coming out of nowhere and getting on the soapbox about Hughes.

That's all.

 

[Spoiled Bratt]

this sounds like a veiled shot at me, which is pretty stupid because my first ever post on this account is deliberately spelling kakko’s name incorrectly just to poke at finnish fans.

i have been on the jack hughes train prior to the 2018-2019 season. someone making valid criticisms of a prospect’s game shouldn't just be shrugged aside as a reactionary or a bad actor. people should try to contend with what is actually being said, but because most fans of teams have blind allegiance towards their top prospects, they arent accepting of criticism and just toss valid points aside while using tired excuses as coping mechanisms because they cant deal with the fact that maybe there are real and valid criticisms to be made about 99.9% of all hockey players.

i believe jack hughes has the most potential out of any player in the 2019 draft, this prospect tournament does not change that. it is completely reasonable for me to point out that he had a bad 2 games. he was not average, he was bad. i have explained myself in previous posts. this does not make him a bad player, this means he had a bad 2 games. i then stated that IF those two games are any indication of his preparedness for the NHL or higher than junior competition, we arent going to be looking at a very pretty rookie season for him to say the least.

and i have also said that it could have just been a bad two games, and that hughes could live up to or even exceed expectations come main camp/preseason.

If you’re being realistically honest about the play of someone wearing a NJD jersey, and it’s not all that positive, you’ll get called out for it... unfortunately.

There’s nothing wrong with giving a fair assessment, let it be positive or negative. Hughes didn’t look amazing in those 2 games. He showed glimpses of his elite skills but didn’t take over a game, a period or a shift for that matter. He’s blazing fast but plays the game like he’s still at the US development program and that’s something he has to work on in the next couple of weeks because it won’t fly at the NHL level and even at the AHL level.

My expectations aren't all that high for his 1st season and I can see him being dropped to the "3rd line" from time to time. The NHL isn’t a learning league and Hynes won’t tolerate mistakes that might/will cost us points just to make Jack understand what he can and can’t do.

Do I think he’ll be the best player out of the 2019 draft, absolutely, but I think we’ll be able to say so in the next 2 to 3 years. I might be wrong but that’s how I see it.

 

[RangerDoggo]

We’re seriously re-litigating Hughes vs. Kakko again, huh

 

[HischierSeDgewOrk]

We’re seriously re-litigating Hughes vs. Kakko again, huh

I think this will happen for a while....only because Kaako happens to be across the Hudson. Sure would have been nice for Chicago to get that 2nd pick. Would have made our lives a lot less stressful.

 

[My3Sons]

We’re seriously re-litigating Hughes vs. Kakko again, huh

I'm not seeing anyone go that far. Just some criticism of Hughes' showing in the rookie tournament and whether that suggests he has more to work on to be effective in the NHL than people initially expected. I don't think that those folks are suggesting NJ should have taken KK. At least that is how I'm reading the comments.

 

[Spoiled Bratt]

We’re seriously re-litigating Hughes vs. Kakko again, huh

I’m assuming you saw the name of Kakko and posted what you did.

You should read the posts that are making you jump to conclusions before making a statement.

 

[glenwo2]

If you’re being realistically honest about the play of someone wearing a NJD jersey, and it’s not all that positive, you’ll get called out for it... unfortunately.

Here's something that's "realistically honest" :

Wait until after the Regular season starts (and Hughes plays several games) before passing Judgement on whether Hughes is ready to play in the NHL or not.

Snap judgements cannot be made when Jack hasn't played alongside the likes of Nico, Hall, Bratt, and the others as of yet.

Besides, this Prospect challenge was more of an evaluation toward the OTHER players *not* named Hughes, imo. #LetsNotKidOurselves

Hughes will be in the starting lineup come opening night.

What line he would be on is up to Hynes but he will be starting.

 

[Emperoreddy]

There is nothing wrong with fair assessments.

The problem is some are assuming their assessments are actually fair when in fact they are nitpicky and borderline overreactions.

 

[Hockey Man]

There is nothing wrong with fair assessments.

The problem is some are assuming their assessments are actually fair when in fact they are nitpicky and borderline overreactions.

okay so the problem with this is that youre not saying anything or pointing anything out here. who in these threads has been making vapid or nitpicky assessments? if someone is doing that you may as well take the time to dispel their criticisms head on instead of using that same time to be vague about said criticisms.

Here's something that's "realistically honest" :

Wait until after the Regular season starts (and Hughes plays several games) before passing Judgement on whether Hughes is ready to play in the NHL or not.

Snap judgements cannot be made when Jack hasn't played alongside the likes of Nico, Hall, Bratt, and the others as of yet.

Besides, this Prospect challenge was more of an evaluation toward the OTHER players *not* named Hughes, imo.

i dont like this thinking. jack hughes, as good a prospect as he is, has proved absolutely zero when it comes to any league higher than the leagues he has played in. you said yourself that it is unfair for fans to be making judgements about his readiness for the NHL until he actually plays there, while immediately turning around and saying that he IS ready based off of play that wasnt in the NHL. youre going to have to pick one of those, not both.

to clarify- either you can deduce whether or not a player is ready for the NHL based off of play outside of the NHL, or you cant.

i believe you can deduce a players relative readiness for the NHL from leagues and play outside of the NHL.

 

[Auto Pilot]

People are reading way too much into how the tournament went. He showed flashes of what he is capable of, and he did push the pace of play quite often when the defense could actually get the puck out of the defensive end & into the hands of Boqvist or Hughes.

Most importantly in actual meaningful games against a stacked team in Russia at the worlds he showed how dominant he can be. Was nominated as the best player for the US in that game.

ill wait to worry about him when the preseason nears an end and after a handful of games during the regular season. Until then how “bad” he played in a tournament the team had no time to practice for isn’t enough to make me question how ready he is for the NHL this year.

 

[MartyOwns]

I’m assuming you saw the name of Kakko and posted what you did.

You should read the posts that are making you jump to conclusions before making a statement.

that problem is getting worse and worse on hf for some reason.

person a: it’s kinda warm today

person b: really? it’s kind of chilly where i am, i hate the cold.

person c: wow people seriously hate alaskans and think they should be nuked?

person d: lmao at people in this thread discussing weather for 3 pages

 

[GameSeven]

that problem is getting worse and worse on hf for some reason.

person a: it’s kinda warm today

person b: really? it’s kind of chilly where i am, i hate the cold.

person c: wow people seriously hate alaskans and think they should be nuked?

person d: lmao at people in this thread discussing weather for 3 pages

I mean, that's a microcosm of just about any social platform these days, no?

 

[TheUnseenHand]

I think Jack knows he is making the team and was not going 100%. The couple times he turned it up, no one could keep up.

 

[Hockey Man]

I think Jack knows he is making the team and was not going 100%. The couple times he turned it up, no one could keep up.

well thats faulty thinking by Jack then. he is a prospect just like all the other players in that tournament. he has not proven more than anybody there, but he has proven less than some who have played in the NHL.

 

[Darkauron]

As hockey is a *team* game, the prospect games tend to be a mess for a lot of different reasons. No structure, no chemistry, young kids, no system, ect ect. You can take positives out of these games, but not really any meaningful negatives. Put hughes, BQ, and others with actual nhl players and a system and anyone would look better

 

[Blackjack]

well thats faulty thinking by Jack then. he is a prospect just like all the other players in that tournament. he has not proven more than anybody there, but he has proven less than some who have played in the NHL.

Honest question, have you ever played open hockey or some meaningless scrimmage where the play is essentially chaos, and you never really know where the puck is going from one moment to the next? It's much harder than you think it is to go hard on every shift and play effectively when that is going on.

Jack is not just like the other prospects, he is projected to be a star player, and he is trying to live up to that. Compare that to a Ludvig Larsson who's heaving up a midcourt shot to try to get any kind of professional career. Larsson is playing on pure adrenalin, he's going to fly around the ice and just try to get noticed. Jack is trying to hone certain things and improve certain things, he's not just going to wheel around the ice to show off his goods.