LD Luke Hughes (2021, 4th, NJD)

[William H Bonney]

I highly doubt Luke tries to fast track. The Hughes family are huge believers in the NTDP, what it offers, and that it's worth sticking around for its benefits.

 

[DJB]

It's interesting how a family like the Hughes' are all absolutely phenomenal skaters, then you have families like the Strome's and the Reinhart's where everyone is a poor hockey player.

Fixed

 

[AmericanDream]

Can't wait for the threads when he goes second overall to the Rangers after Aatu Räty is picked first overall by the Devils

I don't think I can survive another American/Finn #1/2 draft again...and it being Hughes again...

 

[goonybird]

what's his turning radius?

 

[Rowlet]

what's his turning radius?

he can turn in all directions

 

[goonybird]

he can turn in all directions

that's insane

 

[crazyhawk]

Genetics

Perhaps also training during childhood ... their mother worked with them on skating in particular ( past olympian )

 

[grentthealien]

Is Luke’s performance so far enough to make him an early contender for 1st overall in 2021?

 

[teravaineSAROS]

Is Luke’s performance so far enough to make him an early contender for 1st overall in 2021?

Depends what you mean by contender. I'd say it's unlikely he goes 1st because he's going to be a skinny defenseman. I'm not fully sure how he compares to Quinn Hughes but Quinn, as entertaining as he is, wouldn't go ahead of players like Dahlin, Svechnikov and Tkachuk in a redraft as of today. Defensemen take longer to develop though so who knows in the future + the 2021 draft isn't as strong as the 2018 draft was.

If you draft a defenseman 1st overall you're assuming he has the tools to potentially become a #1 defenseman and it's extremely unlikely (but not impossible) for a defenseman who's below like 6 feet and atleast 190 pounds to become one.

HFBoards Top 31 NHL Defenders

^ Most defensemen listed here are comfortably bigger than that except for Spurgeon at #29 and Krug at #30 (Krug's fairly stocky for his height though) and they're not defensemen you would've picked 1st overall.

Not saying Luke can't become a #1 defenseman but I think whoever is drafting 1st overall would feel more comfortable getting a center over him.

 

[tealhockey]

Depends what you mean by contender. I'd say it's unlikely he goes 1st because he's going to be a skinny defenseman. I'm not fully sure how he compares to Quinn Hughes but Quinn, as entertaining as he is, wouldn't go ahead of players like Dahlin, Svechnikov and Tkachuk in a redraft as of today. Defensemen take longer to develop though so who knows in the future + the 2021 draft isn't as strong as the 2018 draft was.

If you draft a defenseman 1st overall you're assuming he has the tools to potentially become a #1 defenseman and it's extremely unlikely (but not impossible) for a defenseman who's below like 6 feet and atleast 190 pounds to become one.

HFBoards Top 31 NHL Defenders

^ Most defensemen listed here are comfortably bigger than that except for Spurgeon at #29 and Krug at #30 (Krug's fairly stocky for his height though) and they're not defensemen you would've picked 1st overall.

Not saying Luke can't become a #1 defenseman but I think whoever is drafting 1st overall would feel more comfortable getting a center over him.

NTDP has him at above 6'0, just turned 16. He's going to be one of the youngest players eligible for 2021 -- a week from being a 2022 draft -- looking at vitals this early is a slippery slope.

 

[teravaineSAROS]

NTDP has him at above 6'0, just turned 16. He's going to be one of the youngest players eligible for 2021 -- a week from being a 2022 draft -- looking at vitals this early is a slippery slope.

Do you know how legit the measurement is? wasn't Jack listed as 5'11 when he was clearly 5'10 at best? I'm not saying he's not 6'0 I'm just curious.

IMO a lot will depend on what his frame looks like by the time he's drafted. If he's skinny but has a slightly wider frame (aka more room to build mass on) than the other brothers I could see him contend for #1.

 

[tealhockey]

Do you know how legit the measurement is? wasn't Jack listed as 5'11 when he was clearly 5'10 at best? I'm not saying he's not 6'0 I'm just curious.

IMO a lot will depend on what his frame looks like by the time he's drafted. If he's skinny but has a slightly wider frame (aka more room to build mass on) than the other brothers I could see him contend for #1.

Yeah I think Jack is a bit smaller than what's been reported. Luke is definitely bigger. Every inch counts and he's got a frame that is a lot more appealing for my money

 

[William H Bonney]

Do you know how legit the measurement is? wasn't Jack listed as 5'11 when he was clearly 5'10 at best? I'm not saying he's not 6'0 I'm just curious.

IMO a lot will depend on what his frame looks like by the time he's drafted. If he's skinny but has a slightly wider frame (aka more room to build mass on) than the other brothers I could see him contend for #1.

The NTDP doesn't inflate measurements, but they do round up when converting their heights from centimeters to feet/inches because they only use whole numbers for the inches, i.e. 5'10.52 becomes 5'11. They also list the centimeters measurements if you want exact accuracy.

I don't understand the height concerns. Luke is noticeably taller than both his brothers.

 

[Bologna 1]

We don't really know Jack's weight because he didn't do the combine. He is slight for sure and I imagine Luke will fill out more. Yeah I know, but I guarantee that it is on their mind, even if it may get ruled out. Two kids taken in the top 8 already. Zach Werenski figured it out. As someone who watches a lot of Michigan games, I'm fine either way. Michigan blue line with L Hughes, Owen Power and Hunter Brzustewicz in 2022~23 ish would be straight fire

don't forget about Seamus Casey, who IMO is the best of all of them....

 

[AvsCOL]

Do you know how legit the measurement is? wasn't Jack listed as 5'11 when he was clearly 5'10 at best? I'm not saying he's not 6'0 I'm just curious.

IMO a lot will depend on what his frame looks like by the time he's drafted. If he's skinny but has a slightly wider frame (aka more room to build mass on) than the other brothers I could see him contend for #1.

Pretty sure Jack and Quinn are both 5'9-5'10 at best. After the way those two look, I wouldn't be the least bit concerned if Luke is under 6'. Talent reigns supreme.

 

[tealhockey]

don't forget about Seamus Casey, who IMO is the best of all of them....

Right, how could I forget. He very well may be

 

[teravaineSAROS]

Pretty sure Jack and Quinn are both 5'9-5'10 at best. After the way those two look, I wouldn't be the least bit concerned if Luke is under 6'. Talent reigns supreme.

Definitely not worried either. Just talking about being picked #1 overall as a defenseman

 

[Artorius Horus T]

Had 2 assists in game 1. = 7 goals, 11 assists in 15 games this season.
- next game is today against Canada White

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I don't think he's anywhere near as electrifying as Jack or Quinn, based off watching one game. Good prospect though, in my opinion. He doesn't have the edges of Quinn or Jack, but is a very fast skater. I also absolutely do not agree with those that say he's the best skater of the three. I think he's the worst skater of the three, although he's still a very good skater. He will probably have the most well-rounded game of the three. Looked good in that area, and has enough skill. I wouldn't say his skill or playmaking looked anywhere near as good as either of his brothers.

 

[William H Bonney]

I think you're pretty significantly underrating his skill/playmaking.

All of the following is a comparison of them at the same U17 age. I wouldn't say he's less electrifying than Quinn, but that he plays a more mature / intentional game than either of his brothers did, a likely byproduct of having played with Quinn and Jack as his older brothers. He often looks just like Quinn, pirouetting around defenders with the puck, utilizing spin-o-ramas quite often, etc., he just relies on it a lot less than his brother did. He plays less like WJC Quinn and more like WHC/NHL Quinn. His shot is much better than Quinn's too.

They're obviously all different in their own ways, but he looks like a high-end NHL draft pick to me.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I think you're pretty significantly underrating his skill/playmaking.

All of the following is a comparison of them at the same U17 age. I wouldn't say he's less electrifying than Quinn, but that he plays a more mature / intentional game than either of his brothers did, a likely byproduct of having played with Quinn and Jack as his older brothers. He often looks just like Quinn, pirouetting around defenders with the puck, utilizing spin-o-ramas quite often, etc., he just relies on it a lot less than his brother did. He plays less like WJC Quinn and more like WHC/NHL Quinn. His shot is much better than Quinn's too.

They're obviously all different in their own ways, but he looks like a high-end NHL draft pick to me.

Yeah, don't get me wrong, I think he looks like a high pick. I want to stress that I saw one game, and I could be wrong. But I'm commenting on what I saw. His brothers are two of the more skilled, better playmaking and better skating players in the sport. From my first viewing, he looked like a high-level prospect, somewhere in that same ball-park as the other two, but a different style of player from his brothers. Not as dynamic, but more well-rounded, not as frantic of a pace to his game.

 

[RedHawkDown]

How’s he doing this year ?

 

[Artorius Horus T]

How’s he doing this year ?

21 points (7 goals) so far this season in 25 games. Highlights can be found from USA Hockey twitter, USNDP twitter
from their respective websites, from USHL twitter, USHL's website.

 

[Whalers Fan]

I don't think he's anywhere near as electrifying as Jack or Quinn, based off watching one game. Good prospect though, in my opinion. He doesn't have the edges of Quinn or Jack, but is a very fast skater. I also absolutely do not agree with those that say he's the best skater of the three. I think he's the worst skater of the three, although he's still a very good skater. He will probably have the most well-rounded game of the three. Looked good in that area, and has enough skill. I wouldn't say his skill or playmaking looked anywhere near as good as either of his brothers.

I have attended a few of the U17 home games so far this year, and I would agree that he ranks lowest in skating ability of the three Hughes brothers. That's not to say he is not a good skater, but it's just that those two are tough to top. I still remember the first time I saw Quinn Hughes play for the program and saw him skate. I went to look for his measurables on the lineup sheet, and was confused when I couldn't find him. I was looking under the forwards section, because I just assumed someone who skated like that was a forward.

So far, Luke has shown some offensive abilities, but he does need to work on the defensive part of his game (but what player this age doesn't?). He gets caught in bad positions on occasion. With John Wroblewski as his coach, though, he's in fine hands for improving this part of his game.

 

[Pavel Buchnevich]

I have attended a few of the U17 home games so far this year, and I would agree that he ranks lowest in skating ability of the three Hughes brothers. That's not to say he is not a good skater, but it's just that those two are tough to top. I still remember the first time I saw Quinn Hughes play for the program and saw him skate. I went to look for his measurables on the lineup sheet, and was confused when I couldn't find him. I was looking under the forwards section, because I just assumed someone who skated like that was a forward.

So far, Luke has shown some offensive abilities, but he does need to work on the defensive part of his game (but what player this age doesn't?). He gets caught in bad positions on occasion. With John Wroblewski as his coach, though, he's in fine hands for improving this part of his game.

I've now watched him play more and I think I actually like Luke's game the most of the brothers, but it's not going to be as exciting as the other two. Quinn and Jack play two of the more unique styles of play you will see for players at their position in the sport of hockey. And with it comes some parts of the game they notably struggle with, in my opinion. Luke plays nothing like his two brothers. I think he has pretty good two way potential and projects as a two way defensemen who is very good in most areas, but not elite in any area.