New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes turns 21 years old

One of the New Jersey Devils' youngest is finally 21 years old, with Luke Hughes hitting the legal American drinking age.

Budding star defenseman Hughes was selected fourth overall by the Devils in the 2021 NHL Draft at just 17 years old. He signed his three-year, entry level contract just two days after being eliminated with the University of Michigan from the NCAA Frozen Four.

On the Devils' roster, the youngest players are either 20 or 21 years old. Hughes just aged up to that odd number 21.

What he brings to the ice

Luke Hughes’ offensive game was one of his primary reasons he was drafted so high. And this year he absolutely delivered with nine goals, 38 assists, and 135 shots on net. He finished tied in points by a rookie defenseman in the NHL, Brock Faber — at 47 points a piece. 

In each category of shot attempts, shots on net, and expected goals, the Devils out-performed their opponents in 5-on-5 when the youngest of the three Hughes brothers was on the ice. In other words: Luke Hughes was good for the defense last season.

He also finished third for the Calder Trophy behind Minnesota's Brock Faber and the winner, Chicago's Connor Bedard.

But let's see where Hughes' age stacks up with the rest of the Devils' roster:

On the current Devils roster, there are only four players under Hughes' age of 21 — goaltender Tyler Brennan, left wing Josh Filmon and defensemen Seamus Casey and Simon Nemec

There are three other players rounding out the younger players on the ice at Hughes' age. Those three are right winger Chase Stillman and fellow defensemen Mikael Diotte and Topias Vilen.

Speaking of playing with other on the ice, Hughes also plays with his older brother and center Jack Hughes. Luke is the youngest of the three, with Jack being 23 and Vancouver Canucks' Quinn Hughes at 24.

Where we go from here

According to leftwinglock.com, the average age of a Devils player is 27. And in most cases the average age of a NHL player is the same age. A young star like Luke is exactly what the Devils — and, quite frankly, the league — need.