C Jack Hughes - USNTDP (2019, 1st, NJD) Part 6

[zharkenby]

no kidding, yes hughes is small and needs to put on weight but if you watch him instead of stat watch you can see the skill ooze off of him. he will be fine, even if he has like a 30 pt season. also the yakupov comparisons are funny even if they're in a joking manner because yak's best season was his rookie season.

jack has a ton of talent, but the devils have much bigger problems than him, the entire team is junk...and this is a coaching/goaltending problem for the most part imo.

Honestly my biggest issue with any of the adds has been PK. He’s awful

 

[Orfieus]

Has he looked comfortable out there? You can throw statistics and whatever at me but is he confident/comfortable and getting chances? If the answer is no then there is no question he should be sent down

 

[Blender]

Has he looked comfortable out there? You can throw statistics and whatever at me but is he confident/comfortable and getting chances? If the answer is no then there is no question he should be sent down

The answer isn't no. He had a pretty bad first 2 games, and has been much better in the next 4.

 

[tealhockey]

Has he looked comfortable out there? You can throw statistics and whatever at me but is he confident/comfortable and getting chances? If the answer is no then there is no question he should be sent down

It's pretty subjective but I think he looks comfortable. Sometimes he looks a little lost out there, and he's not super effective, but he doesn't look glaringly out of place or anything. When he does look 'bad' it's usually predictable stuff, incidental contact and turnovers, things like that. I don't think that is too concerning.

 

[Bourdon]

You know how players like Gaudreau and Kane, you scream at your tv telling your guys to just hit him? But those guys are so smart, so slippery and just roll off hits even along the boards. I was quite shocked when I saw Hughes not only being caught, but shoved down onto the ice constantly. He is weak, but unlike other small players, it does seem to hinder his play.

Now, I'm not saying that this isn't something that Jack will learn from, or that he isn't going to be a star, but maybe there's a reason why these players aren't centres. I can't think of too many off the top of my head, other than Point who are undersized at centre. Point doesn't really fit the traditional mold of small but highly skilled, as he undoubtedly has benefited playing in the WHL and tends to rely more on his fantastic hockey smarts and his heavy, down in the trenches play.

Time will tell, but I think Hughes' future is on the wings.

 

[Thebesthockey]

too funny all these comments
the moment he starts scoring this all disapears
what a waste or time

 

[Snowsii]

we should probably stop defending him until he does something tbh... come on now.

Sure he was alright today. Missing the empty net also could be the reason we lost the game.

People saying hes playing poorly aren't watching the games, we know that. stop making it so easy to get trolled. at this point any time a finn comments in this thread you shouldn't respond. Jack hasn't really given us much to defend him, so i'm not going to do that either.

to sum it up, he's been OK. not good. not the main problem either.

And / Or stop being in denial mode... Hughes may have been one of the best players from devils, it just doesnt remove the fact, that he had couple turnovers etc... I dont want him to suck, it's allways pleasant to watch great hockey..

Hughes surely has his moments, but is still learning.. maybe, i were just expecting more of him ( first game I saw fully) That's why a little dissapointed from showing from Devils.

 

[Auto Pilot]

Has he looked comfortable out there? You can throw statistics and whatever at me but is he confident/comfortable and getting chances? If the answer is no then there is no question he should be sent down

yes he has looked confident and the past 3 games has probably been their most dangerous player and the most consistent play driver, he’s just snake bitten as hell. Two games in a row he’s hit the post. Today was a result of a good defensive play that tied up just stick which interfered with him getting a clean chance at the puck.

he probably should have a handful points and two goals at the moment.

his first two games were not pretty, but that was mostly on the coaching staff for who they matched him up with and who was in his line. He’s an 18 year old kid still figuring the game out at a hard position. No way in hell should he be playing with two smaller forwards (Bratt Gusev), one also new to the NHL (Gusev) like him. And they should not be getting matched up against the Laine Connor line at home (means Hynes is intentionally doing that foolish match).

since he has some stable line mates that play a bit more physical and are bigger, he’s been really good.

He’ll be fine. I’m also not worried about his size.

I’m more worried about the coaching staff the Devils have holding him back.

 

[Bankerguy]

I am a long time lurker but a recent poster, so I am trying to choose my words carefully & with due respect ( I do not understand the humour of many Members).

It is not for me to suggest nor recommend how another Member should express their opinion. However, as a long-suffering fan of the Canucks (as an infant I was swaddled in a 1970 roster poster & gifted an Orland Kurtenbach Captaincy hockey card for my 3rd B-day FWIW - true story)

I think that Vancouver fans are one of the last franchises that should be implying how to handle a prospect and a minority of our fanbase gives the majority a tough look. I want to believe that you are joking, as the Canucks have never had the blessing/burden of managing a 1st OA pick.

Imagine if Elias was forced to start in the NHL as an 18 yr old, I think that he would have struggled even more than Jack. I'm probably over-thinking this, but I have watched as many of the Devils games available to the B.C. Hinterland as possible and see continual improvement. I probably should not give a **** what is happening in NJ, but Cory Schneider is a fellow Ginger & as much as Bo has helped Vancouver, I still cheer for Cory, even in the red/emerald& white.

i was jk, dude.

 

[Kaako Kappo]

we won't be getting unbiased opinions from a guy name kaako kappo on this topic, nope. never. LOL

Wow. Okay. I root for the kid, not against him. But I also dont like it when people blatantly lie. Believe what you want.

It's not like Kakko's lit the league on fire either.

 

[teravaineSAROS]

You know how players like Gaudreau and Kane, you scream at your tv telling your guys to just hit him? But those guys are so smart, so slippery and just roll off hits even along the boards. I was quite shocked when I saw Hughes not only being caught, but shoved down onto the ice constantly. He is weak, but unlike other small players, it does seem to hinder his play.

Now, I'm not saying that this isn't something that Jack will learn from, or that he isn't going to be a star, but maybe there's a reason why these players aren't centres. I can't think of too many off the top of my head, other than Point who are undersized at centre. Point doesn't really fit the traditional mold of small but highly skilled, as he undoubtedly has benefited playing in the WHL and tends to rely more on his fantastic hockey smarts and his heavy, down in the trenches play.

Time will tell, but I think Hughes' future is on the wings.

Kane was significantly thicker than Hughes in the WHCs, he definitely needs to (and will) add strength before he call roll with the hits better.

He'll be fine once he's physically ready

 

[tuozzi]

we won't be getting unbiased opinions from a guy name kaako kappo on this topic, nope. never. LOL

Seriously? There sure are a lot of homers around, which is a problem. But it's also a problem when people start painting with a broad brush and thinking everyone's out to dis Hughes. I mean Kaako Kappo only disagreed with Hughes being the best devil out there and complimented his power play.

Btw, I'm Finnish and I also think he was good on power play, but not great 5on5. Go ahead hfboards, crucify me.

 

[NJ DevLolz]

Seriously? There sure are a lot of homers around, which is a problem. But it's also a problem when people start painting with a broad brush and thinking everyone's out to dis Hughes. I mean Kaako Kappo only disagreed with Hughes being the best devil out there and complimented his power play.

Btw, I'm Finnish and I also think he was good on power play, but not great 5on5. Go ahead hfboards, crucify me.

Nobody on the Devils has been good 5v5. They're rocking a cool 45% Corsi on the year. Hughes, btw, now has a relative Corsi of +2% with an xgf of about 50%. Keep in mind the Devils are s***. If you're gonna say Hughes hasn't been good 5v5, then you need to also call out the 3/4 of forwards he has better underlyings than.

If he doesn't hit 3 posts, and Hall doesn't get robbed by Hart, we aren't having these conversations lol

 

[Albatros]

Hughes also has the second worst point share in the entire league after Jonathan Quick, tied with Yannick Weber. While it's clear that there's no one authoritative stat for determining the exact value of a player to his team, it's clear that he hasn't been very good.

 

[tuozzi]

Nobody on the Devils has been good 5v5. They're rocking a cool 45% Corsi on the year. Hughes, btw, now has a relative Corsi of +2% with an xgf of about 50%. Keep in mind the Devils are s***. If you're gonna say Hughes hasn't been good 5v5, then you need to also call out the 3/4 of forwards he has better underlyings than.

If he doesn't hit 3 posts, and Hall doesn't get robbed by Hart, we aren't having these conversations lol

So, if I want to say that Jack Hughes has not been great 5on5, I need to list all other devils that have not been good 5on5? On a thread about Jack Hughes? That's a bit baffling.

 

[NJ DevLolz]

Hughes also has the second worst point share in the entire league after Jonathan Quick, tied with Yannick Weber. While it's clear that there's no one authoritative stat for determining the exact value of a player to his team, it's clear that he hasn't been very good.

Of course his point share is awful. He has an on-ice shooting percentage of 3.3

 

[aessi]

Nobody on the Devils has been good 5v5. They're rocking a cool 45% Corsi on the year. Hughes, btw, now has a relative Corsi of +2% with an xgf of about 50%. Keep in mind the Devils are s***. If you're gonna say Hughes hasn't been good 5v5, then you need to also call out the 3/4 of forwards he has better underlyings than.

If he doesn't hit 3 posts, and Hall doesn't get robbed by Hart, we aren't having these conversations lol

Hughes is also being sheltered and used mainly on offensive zone starts.

 

[NJ DevLolz]

So, if I want to say that Jack Hughes has not been great 5on5, I need to list all other devils that have not been good 5on5? On a thread about Jack Hughes? That's a bit baffling.

You're ignoring context. The entire team is out of sync. Whether you want to blame coaching, new pieces, or whatever, it just is what it is. It's easy to pick on Hughes because he's a 1OA with no points and gets outmuscled a couple of times a game. However, when you dig deeper, his on-ice underlying metrics are not bad at all. Especially when you compare it to the rest of the team.

 

[tuozzi]

You're ignoring context. The entire team is out of sync. Whether you want to blame coaching, new pieces, or whatever, it just is what it is. It's easy to pick on Hughes because he's a 1OA with no points and gets outmuscled a couple of times a game. However, when you dig deeper, his on-ice underlying metrics are not bad at all. Especially when you compare it to the rest of the team.

I'm not picking on him. I just didn't feel compelled to give the entire context of his less than stellar performance given that the crux of my post was rather about the level of discourse here, not Hughes' play.

To say something about that, I get that he's pulled back somewhat by his team. However, that doesn't mean that he isn't part of the failure that is the Devils at the moment. There are plenty of players that look great on bad teams and Hughes hasn't been that guy so far. Not saying that he should be at 18yo, or that he won't be. I'm sure he'll be the superstar he's projected to be, but at the moment he's not great and I'm entitled to say it.

 

[FinnishSniper]

Talent oozes from the kid, but this year he seems pretty bad at 5v5 SO FAR. On the PP you can see the talent, but he is so soft on 5v5 and makes a lot of careless mistakes with the puck

 

[FinProspects]

What talent is oozing from him, can you kindly remind me?

What I'm after for undersized kids like Hughes with high skill potential, is those glimpses of skill, talent, stardom.. I havent seen those yet, I havent seen anything from him yet to be honest. 6 games 0+0, -4, and yesterday he flat out sucked. In his first shift he turned over the puck two times.

In PP he is forcing plays, trying to find Hall no matter what. Nothing to show for thus far.

Time will tell but to me the showing in his first 6 games isnt that surprising.

 

[bigdog16]

What talent is oozing from him, can you kindly remind me?

What I'm after for undersized kids like Hughes with high skill potential, is those glimpses of skill, talent, stardom.. I havent seen those yet, I havent seen anything from him yet to be honest. 6 games 0+0, -4, and yesterday he flat out sucked. In his first shift he turned over the puck two times.

In PP he is forcing plays, trying to find Hall no matter what. Nothing to show for thus far.

Time will tell but to me the showing in his first 6 games isnt that surprising.

If you can honestly say that you dont see the raw talent in him while watching him, you are a horrible evaluator

 

[FinProspects]

If you can honestly say that you dont see the raw talent in him while watching him, you are a horrible evaluator

Raw-talent yes, but to what extent? I firmly believe, that Jack has always been overhyped player who is not close to, say, Patrick Kane (or other similar comparable). Clayton Keller perhaps could be good comparison?

Sucks for NJ that both of their #1 picks are quite underwhelming. Or maybe its just bad drafting, one could have picked up Pettersson, Makar or Heiskanen in 2017.

 

[bigdog16]

Raw-talent yes, but to what extent? I firmly believe, that Jack has always been overhyped player who is not close to, say, Patrick Kane (or other similar comparable). Clayton Keller perhaps could be good comparison?

Sucks for NJ that both of their #1 picks are quite underwhelming. Or maybe its just bad drafting, one could have picked up Pettersson, Makar or Heiskanen in 2017.

Would he be overhyped if he was from Finland? Or what would the excuse be there?

Its not bad drafting because at the time Hischier was a unanimously better pick than Pettersson, Makar or Heiskanen. Its the same reason I shake my head at people who call the Yakupov pick a bad pick. He was the best player available, hands down. The development of the pick was bad, but the pick itself was the correct pick. It could have been any player

 

[rangersfansince08]

Let's just remember its not Rangers fans hating on Hughes. I personally think he will be great and if the Rangers had got the #1 pick we damn sure would have taken Hughes. Both will be good players and there's no need for comparisons 3-6 games into their careers.