FrankGallagher
Registered User
- Oct 6, 2015
- 392
- 486
One of the more interesting prospect stories I have seen. Two years ago Hughes was playing house league hockey in Idaho. His local WHL team, Spokane, heard about him on recommendation from former player, Tyler Johnson who had skated with him at a local rink in the summer. The Chiefs listed him at 17 and he spent his draft year in a Jr. B league where he was dominant despite this low level being a major step up from where he was previously playing. First noticed him last year in a playoff call up where he showed a lot of compete and some flashes of skill. This year he stepped in to Spokane’s lineup, spending time centering the 2nd and 3rd lines. Hughes is still really raw but he has flashed tools in multiple areas.
The stand out trait for me are his instincts, he can quickly diagnose his options and make good reactive plays. He makes some really natural hockey plays and can operate at pace thanks to his quick decision making. There is a feel for the game here that not many have and this allowed him to make a real impact at the WHL level despite it being a completely different game than any previous level he had played. He is a pretty good skater and I don't see it being a barrier going forward, as he has showed really good fluidity and elusiveness, but he will need work on his explosiveness and balance. His skating ability plays well thanks to his ability to skate smart routes where he is getting the puck in motion. I am very confident in his ability to stick at centre as he moves up levels thanks to his strong transition game and general playstyle. His defensive game showed a lot of growth throughout the year. For such an inexperienced player he was always unafraid and competitive in every match up he took on, he was really good at taking away space and defending off the puck, making his check earn their opportunities. Hughes is willing to engage physically and should grow even more as a player as he develops strength. Offensively he did a good job down low when he was in the cycle winning board battles with his slipperiness and puck protection allowing him to make plays from down low. His hands could fluctuate with some high end dekes mixed in with some mishandles. The rawness to his game is evident, but he also flashed a level of creativity on occasion that not many possess. Without the puck it really showed that he didn’t know how to play with other skilled players and he too often would post up as the net front screen rather than making himself available to get the puck back. There were a lot of sequences where he showed a glimpse of what he can be. One of the best sequences I saw from any prospect this year came against Red Deer when he rubbed out his check along the boards to steal the puck, began skating behind his net and made a smart play to his winger on the boards, turned up ice with speed to receive the puck back, slipped through a check in the neutral zone before coming in to a 1 on 2 from outside the dots where he caught the defenceman a step outside, hard cut to the middle and drew a trip from the second defender all the while managing to get a shot off while falling. This highlighted a lot of the traits that make him so intriguing.
Beyond this I would bet on Hughes trajectory, it is such an outlier to see someone on this kind of upswing and I don’t think the progress will stop for him. It’s an insane adjustment to play at the WHL level from the background this kid has, let alone to play at the level Hughes did, and as he adapts to the style and pace of play I think what are flashes now will become every shift occurrences. This isn’t the kid who has been training to be a hockey player his whole life, there is so much more to gain from exposure to top training and coaching here. Stats alone cannot beat watching games, understanding the context, and projecting what a player can be. I personally have Hughes as my #9 prospect out of the WHL ahead of much more highly touted prospects, and see him as a 4th round level prospect (would be in the 50s on overall team list). If I am trying to find a possible Cirelli/Dvorak type out of nowhere top prospect this would be a good lotto ticket.
Bear Hughes at eliteprospects.com
Spokane Chiefs’ Bear Hughes took unusual path to success in Western Hockey League
The stand out trait for me are his instincts, he can quickly diagnose his options and make good reactive plays. He makes some really natural hockey plays and can operate at pace thanks to his quick decision making. There is a feel for the game here that not many have and this allowed him to make a real impact at the WHL level despite it being a completely different game than any previous level he had played. He is a pretty good skater and I don't see it being a barrier going forward, as he has showed really good fluidity and elusiveness, but he will need work on his explosiveness and balance. His skating ability plays well thanks to his ability to skate smart routes where he is getting the puck in motion. I am very confident in his ability to stick at centre as he moves up levels thanks to his strong transition game and general playstyle. His defensive game showed a lot of growth throughout the year. For such an inexperienced player he was always unafraid and competitive in every match up he took on, he was really good at taking away space and defending off the puck, making his check earn their opportunities. Hughes is willing to engage physically and should grow even more as a player as he develops strength. Offensively he did a good job down low when he was in the cycle winning board battles with his slipperiness and puck protection allowing him to make plays from down low. His hands could fluctuate with some high end dekes mixed in with some mishandles. The rawness to his game is evident, but he also flashed a level of creativity on occasion that not many possess. Without the puck it really showed that he didn’t know how to play with other skilled players and he too often would post up as the net front screen rather than making himself available to get the puck back. There were a lot of sequences where he showed a glimpse of what he can be. One of the best sequences I saw from any prospect this year came against Red Deer when he rubbed out his check along the boards to steal the puck, began skating behind his net and made a smart play to his winger on the boards, turned up ice with speed to receive the puck back, slipped through a check in the neutral zone before coming in to a 1 on 2 from outside the dots where he caught the defenceman a step outside, hard cut to the middle and drew a trip from the second defender all the while managing to get a shot off while falling. This highlighted a lot of the traits that make him so intriguing.
Beyond this I would bet on Hughes trajectory, it is such an outlier to see someone on this kind of upswing and I don’t think the progress will stop for him. It’s an insane adjustment to play at the WHL level from the background this kid has, let alone to play at the level Hughes did, and as he adapts to the style and pace of play I think what are flashes now will become every shift occurrences. This isn’t the kid who has been training to be a hockey player his whole life, there is so much more to gain from exposure to top training and coaching here. Stats alone cannot beat watching games, understanding the context, and projecting what a player can be. I personally have Hughes as my #9 prospect out of the WHL ahead of much more highly touted prospects, and see him as a 4th round level prospect (would be in the 50s on overall team list). If I am trying to find a possible Cirelli/Dvorak type out of nowhere top prospect this would be a good lotto ticket.
Bear Hughes at eliteprospects.com
Spokane Chiefs’ Bear Hughes took unusual path to success in Western Hockey League
