Jack Hughes embracing weekend as NHL's youngest All-Star
Explore More
LAS VEGAS — Jack Hughes, at age 20, is the youngest player to be selected for the NHL All-Star Game since his brother, the Canucks’ Quinn Hughes, participated in the 2020 event, also at 20.
The Devils’ Hughes isn’t even old enough to go on the famed strip here and buy a beer.
“I mean, what am I going to do, you know?” Hughes, who won’t turn 21 until May, said with a laugh on Friday. “Couple months later I’ll be 21. It is funny.”
Along with Dawson Mercer, Hughes may be the youngest member of the Devils — the youngest NHL team — but the former first-overall pick in the 2019 NHL Draft has already become an integral part of their core. That he was named as the Devils’ only All-Star in just his third NHL season is a testament to how much has already been asked of Hughes.
“It’s important,” Hughes said when asked what it meant to be the youngest All-Star. “Obviously, first and foremost, it’s an honor to represent the Devils here. To be the youngest guy here, it’s pretty special. I hope to play in a lot of these. It’s nice to be in my first one. But yeah, it’s pretty cool to be the youngest guy here.”
Despite missing 17 games with a dislocated shoulder earlier in the season, Hughes is second on the Devils with 27 points. With 12 goals and 15 assists through 28 games, the top-line center did what he could in the limited appearances he had to try and keep his team competitive in the first half.
When asked how much he feels he has been able to move away from the high expectations of being a first-overall draft pick, Hughes acknowledged that he probably will never be able to.
“Obviously that’s something that’s going to stick with you your whole career,” Hughes said. “You’re labeled as that guy. It’s special, it’s still something that’s pretty special to me, you know? There’s only one kid a year that’s first overall.
“But I’m in my third year now, I’m in my first All-Star game, I think I’ve moved away from that notion. Now, I’m just working on my game and trying to become a star in the league.”
Hughes competed in the breakaway challenge of the All-Star skills competition Friday, squaring off with the Wild’s Kirill Kaprizov, the Ducks’ Trevor Zegras, the Blackhawks’ Alex Debrincat and the Golden Knights’ Alex Pietrangelo.
Hughes competed in the breakaway challenge of the All-Star skills competition on Friday, which ended up being one of the liveliest events of the evening.
After missing on his initial shot, Hughes put on a magic trick for the T-Mobile Arena crowd and summoned a mini Hughes out of a box to take his second shot. The mini Hughes scored and the two launched their sticks into the crowd, a celebration that the Devils center has coined.
The Ducks’ Trevor Zegras, who scored a breakaway goal that was straight out of the Matrix with a nod to the movie Dodgeball, was robbed of the win. Golden Knights defenseman Alex Pietrangelo missed the net and somehow managed to earn high scores for the victory.
As for Hughes, he said the player he’s most looking forward to skating alongside in the game itself is notorious Capitals agitator Tom Wilson. He added he would like to get to know Wilson, who was a late addition to the All-Star roster after his Washington teammate, Alexander Ovechkin, tested positive for COVID-19.
Maybe Hughes has the right idea: get on Wilson’s good side to stay off his hit list when the season resumes.
“That’s awesome,” Wilson said with a smile. “It’s pretty cool, he’s such a fun kid to watch out there. He’s got a ton of skill. … Obviously that’s pretty nice of him to say.”
ncG1vNJzZmimqaW8tMCNnKamZ2Jlf3N7j2tmaWxfn66kt4yhrKCglah6prnBq5icoZ6cerixxKScp5xdlsBuuselqmaxn6q7qLHSrWSapJxiwLWt0Wg%3D