The New Jersey Devils know that they have a very impressive player in Jack Hughes. He is clearly their best player but the rest of the league is still figuring it out. He was amazing in 2021-22 and he will be even better in 2022-23.
He had a problem staying healthy for some parts of the year but was amazing when he was out there. If New Jersey is any good in the upcoming year, Jack Hughes is going to be the biggest reason why.
Jack Hughes is an elite player for a variety of reasons. He is a very good skater that finds his way around the ice. He is also a pass-first playmaker that has a very good shot that he is still developing. Becoming a duel-threat offensive player is his thing and it is working nicely.
The league, as mentioned before, is still somewhat taking notice. There was a step in the right direction, though, as he was named to be a top-20 center in the National Hockey League by NHL Network. That is certainly some very high praise for the young forward.
The New Jersey Devils have a truly elite player with Jack Hughes on their team.
Of course, Connor McDavid and Auston Matthews came in at number one and two. Those are the two best players in the league, let alone just at the center position. Nathan MacKinnon, Leon Draisaitl, and Sidney Crosby rounded out the top five.
Jack Hughes came in at number 17 and is surrounded by guys like Jack Eichel and Evgeni Malkin. It is a list loaded with amazing talent and Hughes is right there in the middle of it all. It is well deserved for him to be on this list.
The NHL Network released the Top 20 Centers in the game right now and #NJDevils Jack Hughes makes the list at 17: pic.twitter.com/AJaQn4oqHY
— Amanda Stein (@amandacstein) August 15, 2022
He can only go up from here as he enters his fourth full season in the NHL. Last year was a big one but this could be the year where he really goes off and helps the New Jersey Devils reach the postseason. If that happens, the top ten could be on the horizon.
Jack is surrounded by lots of other great young talents on this team as well. Nico Hischier, Jesper Bratt, Dawson Mercer, and a couple of other prospects on the way are going to help him lead this team for a long time.
He might even get another boost when his brother Luke joins the team over the next 8 months. It is exciting to think about this team’s future and Jack is the main catalyst of it all. Seeing him on this list is a great start but there is more climbing to do.