Jack Hughes has been back to looking like his old self for the New Jersey Devils as of late. He has 13 points in the month of November in just 11 games (as of this writing). That's a 96-point pace. Hughes is back to his superstar ways, and he's especially excelling at one stat in Sheldon Keefe's system. He's actually leading the league in this one stat. It might sound obscure, but it shows a major difference between Jack Hughes today and Jack Hughes under Lindy Ruff.
According to NHL Edge, Hughes has skated a total of just under 87 miles this season. While the Devils have played more games than every other team in the NHL, Hughes is still fifth in the league with 10.68 miles per 60 minutes.
The stat itself isn't what's the big difference. Hughes has always been someone who skates a ton. His weaving in and out of skaters, his zone entries and exits, and his raw natural ability allow him to keep the puck on his stick for much longer than other players. That's why he finished second to Nathan MacKinnon in miles skated per 60 minutes.
We were drawn to this article by the latest piece by Craig Patrick, who looked into one stat for each Devils player. He looked at a few "miles skated" stats that you might be interested in.
When looking deeper at the stat, we can see difference. Hughes skated 40 percent of his miles in the offensive zone last season. Just 30 percent of his miles skated came in the defensive zone, showing he was always looking for he breakout. This season, he's skating a little more in the defensive zone and a little more in the defensive zone. The numbers look marginal from the naked eye (less than 1% changes for each), but for a guy skating as much as Hughes, and with that speed, it does make a difference.
It's likely one of the reasons that Sheldon Keefe has been using Hughes on the penalty kill. Hughes has played seven minutes on the PK this season. That's already three more minutes than he had on the kill last season in 62 games. He's been pretty good, as well. The Devils PK has been one of the best in the league for a reason. Keefe is pressing all the right buttons.
Hughes will keep outskating the competition. We expecting him to stay in the top five for miles skating throughout the season, and we expect his numbers to keep rising because of it.