Nearly four years after being selected with the first-ever overall pick of the 2019 draft, New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes is about to have his first playoff experience.
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The 21-year-old American’s team finished their 2022-2023 regular season in second place in the Metropolitan Division and now has an appointment with the New York Rangers for the first round of the spring dance.
“I’ve been in this league four years now so I don’t need to test myself anymore but playoff hockey is exciting and most importantly there’s a collective aspect to the playoffs so you want to push the team forward,” Hughes said , whose comments were reported by the National League website.
“Your playstyle might change a bit, but I don’t have all the answers either. I don’t have any playoff games behind the tie so I’ll learn. I hope that we have a long journey and that I can gain experience.”
Proud of him
Hughes has had the best season of his career. In 78 games, he netted 43 times and provided 56 assists for 99 points. A native of Orlando, Florida, he is particularly proud of his achievement as a goalscorer.
“Even in USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program (2017-19), I never scored 43 goals, and I scored a lot there,” Hughes said.
“It was impressive to have a good streak in January and February. When I got into the league I thought everyone knew I was a playmaker but I don’t know if people expected me to score 40 goals or maybe not that fast. That’s probably the most surprising thing.”
According to his brother Luke, who is also a member of the Devils, this is not the tip of the iceberg.
“He’s the player who will take his game to the next level in important games,” said the defender. That’s probably a question you should ask him because I haven’t played with him much this season but I know how competitive he is and how badly he wants to win.”