New Jersey Devils: How Do We Feel About Luke Hughes Now?

After all the hype and the fanfare, Luke Hughes has finally made it to New Jersey. While finishing up a spectacular sophomore year at Michigan, where he scored 48 points in 39 games, national media has almost done a 360° on the youngest of the Hughes clan. The ever-clear picture of Hughes coughing up the puck at center ice to Canadian prospect Joshua Roy faded into the backdrop as Luke Hughes made his NHL and playoff debuts. While there is a minimal sample size, let’s take the time to analyze what Hughes could be this coming season and for years beyond.

Firstly, the basics. What kind of player is Luke Hughes, and what is his style of game?

Despite popular consensus, Hughes is not in that Karlsson mold of hockey player, a player who is creating chances left and right while giving some quality looks on the end. He is much more of a cerebral player, a pass-and-go type who likes to keep possession and move pucks up ice.

His unique skating at his height makes him special, being able to glide past players at will sometimes. Where the misconception occurs is what he tends to do when he does beat a man. He is a lot safer than a Simon Nemec or an Olen Zellweger.

Perhaps it was the added pressure of being the certified #1 defenseman in Michigan, but Hughes certainly matured in his passing decisions. Most of his assists at Michigan came off set plays or “the obvious pass.”

This isn’t a bad thing, however. Making the easy play is something the majority of youth players cannot seem to execute. However, if one is hoping for an 80, 90 point defenseman, they will probably be disappointed. At this point, Luke Hughes does not have that elite creative mind that Makar, Quinn Hughes, and Adam Fox showed in their collegiate years. Could he improve? That natural feel for playmaking is definitely very hard to replicate.

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He is capable of the odd “goofball” play like the Roy incident mentioned previously. While in certain game states, he can be a calming presence, in others, he can be rash and try to do everything by himself. This is something that happened at the 2023 U20 Worlds, where there were plays where he would ring around the zone for what seemed like ages and not find a pass or create a chance.

This was less of an issue at Michigan, as he was happy to put most of the creative duty to Adam Fantilli and Gavin Brindley. Maybe this was something the USA coaching staff told him to do or just Hughes taking on the responsibility himself, but it was something that, at least in the last couple of years, has led to some very poor individual decisions.

There are a lot of Makar comparisons thrown around, and frankly, the evidence isn’t there. He lacks the upper-echelon edgework (though at his height, it is very difficult to do so) to manufacture the angles that Makar can. He doesn’t manipulate the blueline in the same way, nor does he have the raw power in the shot.

A much more apt comparison is Miro Heiskanen. In fact, Luke Hughes mentioned in an interview that he models his game after Heiskanen, and there is a clear inspiration. The way they defend, particularly on the rush, the almost effortless skating technique that can make one question whether the player even cares about the game, and the knack for just making everything seem so easy.

There is a lot of Heiskanen in Hughes’s game. Will he be as good as Heiskanen? Perhaps. In terms of pure raw tools, Luke has the edge, but the calmness in & out of possession and the consistency make the Stars’ star’s game a very difficult level to reach. Hughes does have that level, and hopefully, it shouldn’t take him too long to reach it.

So what should the New Jersey Devils do this coming season? I have been an advocate for an L. Hughes-Marino pairing for some time now. When purely looking at it from a developmental perspective, it would be beneficial for him to play that 3LD role next to Miller, just to get him some experience and ease his way into the NHL. He did play big minutes for the team in the playoffs, but if the Devils have the option to take the less stressful role with him early in his career, it is something they should definitely consider. If he plays so well that he can handle the Marino™ minutes, the team will be better overall.

While Hughes has some flaws in his game, he is trending to be a top-tier defenseman, capable of being a 1D on a Stanley Cup contender. Whether or not he reaches that potential is up to his work ethic and smart management.