Prospect Info: Jack Hughes

Does he stay in single digits? Or into the football #s


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mtnet

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That could be a problem.

Depends on the other team

Lots of goals are given up even in the NHL to guys camping the side of the net or a casual move to the slot down low while the defense is caught gawking or lured out of position. Our D did a TON of that dumb stuff this past year and paid for it.

Shouldn't be that easy for the offense to exploit but you see it all the time, and Hughes is precisely the type of player that exploits substandard D. That said, obviously he'll need to prove his game translates just as well in the big leagues before credit is due but I'm feeling confident he will get it done.
 

Patrik26

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Depends on the other team

Lots of goals are given up even in the NHL to guys camping the side of the net or a casual move to the slot down low while the defense is caught gawking or lured out of position. Our D did a TON of that dumb stuff this past year and paid for it.

Shouldn't be that easy for the offense to exploit but you see it all the time, and Hughes is precisely the type of player that exploits substandard D. That said, obviously he'll need to prove his game translates just as well in the big leagues before credit is due but I'm feeling confident he will get it done.

I probably wasn't clear on this. I don't doubt Hughes will draw the opposition. My concern is will there be anyone that will find those high scoring chance spots on a consistent basis.
 
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mtnet

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I probably wasn't clear on this. I don't doubt Hughes will draw the opposition. My concern is will there be anyone that will find those high scoring chance spots on a consistent basis.

Ahh gotcha.

I'm still wishing for another winger with the scoring touch and instincts to help get it done.

If not, Bratt is one of our more creative players so I could see playing him with Hughes. I just don't know who else will go on that line. I wonder if we should trial Zacha on the wing with those two, would take away some of the responsibility of playing center and he looked to start breaking out at the end of the year.

I'm guessing they'll keep rolling with Hall-Hishier-Palmieri on top next year...presuming we sign Hall. Zajac and Coleman could be our bottom 6 centers. I know we should really be slotting Zacha in the bottom 6 as a center but I'm curious about trying him on wing with someone like Hughes. Any line with Jack probably needs at least one heavy body anyway, especially if Bratt is on the other side. Outlandish as it sounds, maybe Wood could even be that guy.

Ideally though, maybe Shero can score a decent winger on the market. I'd like Skinner but he won't be cheap so I'm a little less so inclined to have his next contract. I'd rather spend big on a difference maker on D.
 
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danito

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Hughes has spectacular vision, so if there is an open guy or even half open jack will find him.

Also he is more of a pass guy but not by much. He shoots quite a lot, he is just not a very good scorer. More muscle and him just getting older will help his shot and the rest of his game.
 
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Triumph

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Or it could be that when you're the primary line driver and carrying the puck a lot, the best scoring opportunities are more often passes than shots. Players like Hughes draw defenders to themselves and then pass to the open man.

I absolutely agree with this. That does not change the fact that if the Devils take Hughes, I will read here next year that Hughes passes too much, and that Hughes should've shot when he passed. This is because hockey fans have it drilled into their heads that any pass that doesn't result in a shot on goal where a shot was possible, even if that shot is low percentage, is bad.
 

PKs Broken Stick

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Our D did a TON of that dumb stuff this past year and paid for it.

Our D was also amateur league-level. I didn't mean to counter your point but I felt like saying that lol.

I probably wasn't clear on this. I don't doubt Hughes will draw the opposition. My concern is will there be anyone that will find those high scoring chance spots on a consistent basis.

Finally someone who gets it. A playermaker can be f***ing jesus and it wouldn't matter if the other players on the team just stand in one lousy spot that's not a good spot to score (something the devils do quite a lot, though it's been improved).

I remember watching one powerplay where Johansson was moving around trying to get opponents out of positon and the rest of the team was just standing still so he couldn't even pass to anyone for a good scoring chance.
 
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kiwidevil

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Cordell did a decent write up with some stats on like 10 full games he tracked (not a huge sample but still). You’re correct, he is not a pass first player. He took 28% of shot attempts in the games he tracked with primary shot assists on 24% of shots. Very balanced split.

Oh, right. Good to know.

I think they mean he isn’t going to pass up a good shooting attempt to force a pass.

Something our forwards do a bit too often.

Exactly

Eh from what I've seen he doesn't seem like a pass first player. I think it was Necas (don't quote me if i'm wrong) at u18 but I remember him flying all over the ice and making plays left and right, but the dude literally never shot the puck, ever.

Hughes isn't like that.

Not that i know the player you mention, but this what i'm talking about. Was it Ribeiro who done the same thing at the NHL level? I think Thorton used to be like this too.
 

Tretyak 20

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People worried about Barzal having way higher assist totals than goals, I'd say that's worked out well for the Isles so far

It's worth noting that Barzal wasn't anywhere near the level of prospect Hughes is. Barzal fell to 15th overall. Hughes is considered just a hair below generational.
 

Nubmer6

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Not that i know the player you mention, but this what i'm talking about. Was it Ribeiro who done the same thing at the NHL level? I think Thorton used to be like this too.
Maybe Gomez is a former Devils example of a pass-first player. He'd give up good shot opportunities to pass.
 

HobokenIrish

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What winger do you think will benefit most from being on a line with Hughes?

Who will owe Jack Hughes the most for getting them paid come contract time?
 

mtnet

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I think we all feel pretty confident in who our top 5 would be with Hall, Hischier, Palmieri, Hughes, and Bratt.

I'm just not sure who that last winger will be as there's nothing really jumping out at me on the current roster... am I missing someone?

Seems like we're destined to sign a winger for next year.
 

Billdo

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It's worth noting that Barzal wasn't anywhere near the level of prospect Hughes is. Barzal fell to 15th overall. Hughes is considered just a hair below generational.

That reiterated what I said though. People questioned a lesser prospects future because of his goals to assist ratio. Hughes is a higher tier and ppl are still discussing him "passing first" as if it's a negative.
 

New Jersey Devils

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What winger do you think will benefit most from being on a line with Hughes?

Who will owe Jack Hughes the most for getting them paid come contract time?

Assuming they are put on the same line, I would have to say Palmieri and Zacha. Palms is probably the best sniper we have on the team and with a guy like Hughes setting him up he could sniff 40.

Hall-Hischier-Bratt
Zacha-Hughes-Palmieri
 
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HughJazz3dg

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I don’t think we’re going to spend money on a top 6 winger. We have a lot of competition from within the organization for that spot. Between Zacha, Coleman, Wood, Boqvist, and Bastian, surely someone will be able to hold that role.

I think we focus entirely on defense, moving assets for them and spending cap on them, our forwards shouldn’t be nearly as plagued this season with injuries, and i think with decent goaltending and good defence we’ll be okay if we deal with some injuries.
 

Triumph

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Maybe Gomez is a former Devils example of a pass-first player. He'd give up good shot opportunities to pass.

Scott Gomez is 160th all time among forwards in shots on goal. He also had one of the lowest shooting percentage of all time - among forwards with 1000 or more shots on goal, he is 5th lowest. If anything, he shot too much. But again, since a shot is always better than not a shot, he passed too much.
 
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Lou is God

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Scott Gomez is 160th all time among forwards in shots on goal. He also had one of the lowest shooting percentage of all time - among forwards with 1000 or more shots on goal, he is 5th lowest. If anything, he shot too much. But again, since a shot is always better than not a shot, he passed too much.
When I first read that I assumed you meant in Devils history, because that makes more sense. That's crazy he's 160th all-time.
 
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JimEIV

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Scott Gomez is 160th all time among forwards in shots on goal. He also had one of the lowest shooting percentage of all time - among forwards with 1000 or more shots on goal, he is 5th lowest. If anything, he shot too much. But again, since a shot is always better than not a shot, he passed too much.
I don't disagree with the overall premise of your last two post at all....But at times Gomez was one dimensional and defenders knew he wasn't shooting and defended as such.

I don't think that was case early on in his career but as his career progressed, Gomez would take the zone with speed and either curl just inside the blue looking for a trailer or round the net look for a pass...Defenders just started playing the passing lane and Gomez was never able to really take full advantage of the shot opportunities he did have in my opinion.

Doesn't really detract from Gomez as a player he was very good for more than a decade but I do think if he had any semblance of a shot, he would have been a "Superstar" ;)
 
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