The Michigan Wolverines were always going to be a powerhouse this season. They are returning three of the top five picks in the NHL Draft. Owen Power (1st overall), Matty Beniers (2nd overall), and Kent Johnson (5th overall) all just finished their freshman season at Michigan when they were selected in the NHL Draft.
One player who was also a part of that top five was US National Development Program defenseman Luke Hughes. Hughes had committed to Michigan, meaning if everyone decided to spend another year in college, the Wolverines would have four of the top five picks in the draft coming back to school. That’s exactly what happened, and the Wolverines have been a unit ever since.
Michigan is preparing to face the Minnesota Golden Gophers in the Big Ten Championship this weekend, but the honors are coming in for players on the team. That includes Luke Hughes. Many thought since he would be playing down the lineup that this wouldn’t be his year to shine. That was not the case, as Hughes was able to play 37 games this season and he recorded 36 points. To see any defenseman in the NCAA get close to a point per game is impressive. To see it from a freshman who wasn’t even considered the top defenseman on his team is beyond that.
That’s why it’s not surprising that Hughes was named Co-Freshman of the Year for the Big 10 Conference. The only truly surprising part of that is the “Co”. He’s sharing the award with Jakub Dobeš. To be fair, the Ohio State goalie won Goaltender of the Year, so we suppose it makes sense he also gets a share of freshman of the year. The difference s Dobes is 20 years old while Hughes is a true freshman at 18.
Many said that the New Jersey Devils were making a marketing ploy when the team used the fourth-overall pick on the youngest Hughes brother. The Michigan and future Devils defenseman is proving everyone wrong this year. He looks like a true superstar even without the last name. He’s shown so much growth this year, that it seems like he’d be able to jump to the NHL next season. He likely won’t so he gets a full year as the top defenseman next season, but he could if that was the goal.
The Devils hope they can see the kind of growth that Cale Makar showed in his sophomore season. Makar went from 21 points to 49 points while at UMass. Hughes could be well over a point per game next season if he continues on the same trajectory and gets more minutes across the board.
The Devils got themselves a gem in the draft, and it looks like the Hughes brothers will be running the show sooner rather than later.