The New Jersey Devils used their fourth-overall pick to take defenseman Luke Hughes of the U.S. National Development Team Program. He is obviously the brother of Devils center Jack Hughes, who likely had a big push for his team to bring the brothers together. The Hughes family watched the draft together, and Jack was excited, to say the least.
Obviously, putting the brothers together is marketing gold. It will be something the Devils can lean on for as long as they play together. The excitement in getting them together is palpable. However, there’s something brewing before that for Luke Hughes’ development that is more exciting than that. He’s about to play for one of the most stacked college hockey teams we’ve seen in a long time.
Hughes is going to Michigan for his freshman season in 2021-22. He joins a freshman class that includes fellow Devils prospect Ethan Edwards and interesting draft prospects Dylan Duke and Mackie Samoskevich. Those four make a really good class, but when considering who they will be playing with, Michigan is insane.
Michigan Hockey being a powerhouse is great news for Luke Hughes.
Number-one overall pick Owen Power announced he would be returning to Michigan this season to join the blue line. They join fellow top-five picks Matty Beniers and Kent Johnson. This is going to be an amazing season for Michigan, who has the makings of a National Champion in Hughes’ freshman season. Hughes is likely going to spend more than one season at Michigan. This gives him the chance to learn from guys like Power while taking that knowledge and making him a top-line player in year two. Even though a lot of these players are going to be NHL-bound during Hughes’ sophomore season, we learned that the Wolverines aren’t done adding prospects.
BREAKING: Source says center Adam Fantilli, top prospect for the 2023 @NHL Draft, has made a verbal commitment to the University of Michigan. Big news in hockey circles. @NHLNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) August 25, 2021
One of the big names of the 2023 NHL Draft has already made his committment to Michigan for the 2022-23 season. Adam Fantilli joins his brother with the Wolverines. It shows Mel Pearson and his squad will not be done adding top-tier talent despite how good this year’s team is. Resting on their laurels is not like the Michigan hockey team, so don’t expect it to happen.
The Devils must love how this is going for Hughes. He doesn’t have to do too much too fast, and he can eventually play a key role on a championship-level hockey team.