Jack Hughes looks amazing so far in New Jersey Devils Training Camp.
We went into New Jersey Devils camp hoping that Jack Hughes would come in looking strong. Then, it came out quickly that he put on at least 14 pounds of muscle and spent the entire pause training hard. It seems to be showing on the ice as he is getting better with every day that passes in training camp. We know that he has superstar potential and 2021 could be the year that he starts to slowly become that. He has his flashes in 2019-20, but he didn’t really come close to his potential last season.
In yesterday’s scrimmage, Hughes played on Team Red’s top line with Kyle Palmieri and Nikita Gusev. It is hard to see Gusev sticking on that line, especially if Pavel Zacha is okay and Jesper Bratt comes back, but it was interesting to see here. Palmieri might be a guy who gets to play with Hughes a lot at even strength, which could really help both of them. In this scrimmage portion of Training Camp on Friday, this line looked really good.
In particular, Hughes looked awesome. He seems to be very comfortable with the puck and can use his vision to create for himself and his teammates. It is this type of skill that made him the number one overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. New Jersey really needs him to be an elite offensive centerman and the way this camp is going makes it feel like he is ready to go.
The game went straight to a shootout following a 1-1 tie at the end of regulation. It was one of those shootouts that the goalies started to save everything so some guys had to start shooting twice. Hughes was sent a second time and it sure was a nice way to end things. He took a blistering shot that ended it and showed just how much skill he actually has. There are things that he can do with the puck that not many in the world can.
This is all so good because they really need a lot from Hughes. When Nico Hischier comes back, they will be relied on to be this team’s top two centers for a very long time. They are both very different in terms of their play styles but they both can have a tremendous impact on their team. If each of them reaches their true potential with the Devils, this team will be a force for a long time.
We are under a week before the season starts so they need Hughes to keep playing well during camp. He looked great out there with Gusev and Palmieri and had a sweet goal to end the shootout. If he can carry some of this greatness into the season, many people on the Devils will benefit from it. In addition, it also might help them win a whole bunch of games.