C Jack Hughes - USNTDP (2019 Draft)

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Whalers Fan

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Sep 24, 2012
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Cool beans.

Year in the NTDP program (i.e. birth year) is much better for comparison sake than draft year. A player's first year in the program on the U17 team is usually an adjustment period as the players get used to playing against much older competition for the first time -- it can be overwhelming at times. The entire U17 team usually struggles in the first half of the season (sometimes all season). There is usually a huge leap in development from their U17 to U18 season.

That 's what made Jack Hughes's accomplishments so impressive this season -- as well as the accomplishments of the entire U17 team, which was the most successful U17 squad in the program's entire history.
 

DRW204

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Dec 26, 2010
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How does he relate as a prospect between the latest batch of great Cs from 15-present? ie: McDavid, Eiclel, Barzal, Matthews and Hischier?
 
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93LEAFS

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How does he relate as a prospect between the latest batch of great Cs from 15-present? ie: McDavid, Eiclel, Barzal, Matthews and Hischier?
Well, he's way ahead of Barzal at the time of Barzal's draft, remember, Dylan Strome was viewed as ahead of Barzal almost everywhere at that point.

He's clearly behind McDavid. How he sorts out with Eichel and Matthews is debatable. Matthews and Eichel are pretty much the prototypical centers every team is looking for, while it is debatable if Hughes is a center at the next level. There are very few NHL centers who succeed with his type of build (short and slight), which may lead to him being a long-term winger (similar to Kane, Keller, and Marner who at one point were labeled centers). Even if he's projected by a team as a winger though, he'd clearly go ahead of recent highly drafted centers like Kotkaniemi, Hayton, Hischier, Patrick, PLD, D. Strome, S. Reinhart, Sam Bennett, and Draisaitl.
 

forty47seven

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May 2, 2009
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No, expect him back at The Program.

From my understanding, it was an option, but it almost doesn't make sense because he'd have to do extra course work when realistically he'd only be there for one season.

Vancouver media's making it seem like it's a foregone conclusion that he's playing with Quinn in Michigan next year, assuming Quinn doesn't sign this summer. Is there anything offical yet?

I don't think the extra course load would be an issue. Seems like a somewhat common practice with top end draft eligible American these day anyhow. Werenski and Hanifin accelerated their graduations.
 
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Pavel Buchnevich

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Vancouver media's making it seem like it's a foregone conclusion that he's playing with Quinn in Michigan next year, assuming Quinn doesn't sign this summer. Is there anything offical yet?

I don't think the extra course load would be an issue. Quinn did it last year. Seems like a pretty common practice with top end draft eligible American these day anyhow. Werenski, McAvoy, Eichel, Tkachuk all accelerated their graduations.

Makes sense. Just tell the Vancouver media to relay the message to him before they decide for sure.
 

93LEAFS

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Vancouver media's making it seem like it's a foregone conclusion that he's playing with Quinn in Michigan next year, assuming Quinn doesn't sign this summer. Is there anything offical yet?

I don't think the extra course load would be an issue. Quinn did it last year. Seems like a pretty common practice with top end draft eligible American these day anyhow. Werenski, McAvoy, Eichel, Tkachuk all accelerated their graduations.
It was not in the plans from what I heard a month ago. Plans can change quickly, so it isn't concrete, but I wouldn't expect it. Quinn also didn't accelerate graduation. Due to going to school in Toronto for grade 9 and 10, he entered the USNTDP in grade 11.

There is also a big difference between accelerating a grade over 3 years, which a bunch of kids do, and trying to do it this quickly and last minute.
 
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Filthy Dangles

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Oct 23, 2014
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I think Hughes is more comparable to Patrick Kane and Phil Kessel than he is to Auston Matthews or Jack Eichel.

Kane was 2.26 PPG in his D-1 USN-U18 season in 15 games vs 2.16 in 18 for Hughes. And like Kane, he's gonna play on the wing when he gets to the show
 

ijuka

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May 14, 2016
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I think Hughes is more comparable to Patrick Kane and Phil Kessel than he is to Auston Matthews or Jack Eichel.

Kane was 2.26 PPG in his D-1 USN-U18 season in 15 games vs 2.16 in 18 for Hughes. And like Kane, he's gonna play on the wing when he gets to the show
Judging a u18 age limit group by "D-1" instead of u17 vs u18 makes "a lot" of sense.

Hughes's production approximately doubles Kane's at this point in time.
 
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justafan22

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Judging a u18 age limit group by "D-1" instead of u17 vs u18 makes "a lot" of sense.

Hughes's production approximately doubles Kane's at this point in time.

Unlike Matthews and Eichel, Hughes doesn't have the prototypical 1C size. He'll likely be a franchise winger
 

WonderTwinsUnite

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Unlike Matthews and Eichel, Hughes doesn't have the prototypical 1C size. He'll likely be a franchise winger

I mean, he's 5'10, 159 lbs right now according to his official listing from the IIHF U18s in April. Given that he wasn't quite yet 17 at the time, it's pretty conceivable that he could be 5'11, 175 by the time he's drafted, and around 5'11, 190 by the time he's 21-22.

Obviously, it's not the ideal 6-2, 210 lb frame that Matthews and Eichel have, no argument there, but I don't think it will be a hindrance.
 

Pavel Buchnevich

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Dec 8, 2013
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I mean, he's 5'10, 159 lbs right now according to his official listing from the IIHF U18s in April. Given that he wasn't quite yet 17 at the time, it's pretty conceivable that he could be 5'11, 175 by the time he's drafted, and around 5'11, 190 by the time he's 21-22.

Obviously, it's not the ideal 6-2, 210 lb frame that Matthews and Eichel have, no argument there, but I don't think it will be a hindrance.

This isn't just about heights and weights. He plays like a winger.
 
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