Hughes 'not even close' to being great for Devils as No. 1 pick in Draft

NEWARK, N.J. -- Jack Hughes knows he has plenty to improve on in order to reach his potential with the New Jersey Devils.

"It's been a frustrating season for sure, but I'm learning a lot and hopefully will have learned enough and be more ready to go next season," the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft said after practice Thursday. "I'm not a great player in this League yet ... not even close. But I'm 18 years old and have a lot of room to grow."
The forward entered the League to much publicity after becoming the first player from the USA Hockey National Team Development Program Under-18 team to go directly from the draft to playing in the NHL. (The program's first season was 1997-98.)
But things haven't come easy for Hughes, who has 21 points (seven goals, 14 assists) in 58 games and has been moved from his customary center position to left wing for the past nine. He is on pace to finish with 26 points. The last No. 1 pick to score fewer than 30 points in his first NHL season was Patrik Stefan, who had 25 (five goals, 20 assists) in 72 games for the Atlanta Thrashers in 1999-2000. Two of the No. 1 picks in that span were goalies (Rick DiPietro, New York Islanders, 2000; Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins, 2003).

"I think one of the biggest things I've learned is probably to just put pucks on net and to not try to be so cute," Hughes said. "When the puck goes on net, good things usually happen, so in the games I shoot more, we get more good looks, and that's something I've really taken a lot from."
Hughes has no goals in his past 11 games and one goal in his past 23. He ranks sixth on the Devils (26-28-12) with 119 shots on goal and seventh in missed shot attempts (39) entering their home game against the St. Louis Blues on Friday (7 p.m. ET; SNE, SNO, SNP, TVAS, MSG+, FS-MW, NHL.TV).
"I think I've had some unlucky bounces [but] at the same time, hit a lot of posts, missed open nets, so my point total could be higher," he said.
Hughes already has been through a coaching change (the Devils replaced John Hynes with Alain Nasreddine on Dec. 3) and a change in general managers (Tom Fitzgerald replaced Ray Shero on Jan. 12). He's also been part of several line combinations but is staying positive.
"Playing wing, you have the puck less, and you're not coming up the middle of the ice as much, but I like it and want to continue to grow there and potentially play wing the rest of the year," Hughes said. "Whether it's wing or center, it's the same thing for me. ... I just have to go out and try to help the team."

Nasreddine said, "Is he going to stay on wing full time? Absolutely not, but I think for now there's nothing wrong with a young player going to wing, where your responsibilities are a little less and you're forced to work on those habits that make you a successful NHL player, and we've seen a lot of growth."
Nasreddine is particularly encouraged by Hughes' determination to reach the hard areas of the ice in creating offense. Hughes said he believes he's adjusted well to playing against bigger, older skaters.
"When you're playing against a skater like Jack, who is highly skilled, you better play the body because he's going to make you look bad," Nasreddine said of Hughes (5-foot-11, 170 pounds). "That's the reality of where he's at. He's expecting that, and when you're going into the 1-on-1 battle, you have to expect some physicality. He's 18 and he could put on a few pounds, but he's competitive and if you watch his game, he keeps going (to tough areas).
"At this point, it's maybe using his body a little more as a leverage and there's different techniques that he can do, and that's what we're working on."
Hughes said he will create an offseason plan to prepare for a better 2020-21.
"At the end of the season, I'll take some time off and get into the specifics in order to really dial it in," he said. "I'm excited for the summer, to get better and allow my game to grow. It was nice to reach the NHL level this year, but once you're there, you kind of forget about all that.
"It's important and cool, but at the same time you're in the moment and you have a game every other day, so you really don't let your mind wonder that much. I've learned what to do and what not to do, what works and doesn't work. Every day I've picked up something else, and I'm confident I'll only get better."