Best young U.S.-born player debated by NHL.com writers

Hockey Week Across America started Monday and will run through Sunday. Created by USA Hockey, HWAA celebrates everything special about the game of hockey from coast to coast. To help in the celebration, we asked eight NHL.com writers to give us their pick on the best United States-born NHL player 23-years-old and under.
Here are their picks:

Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils
The 20-year-old center has emerged as a scoring force and is exhibiting more confidence in his third NHL season despite missing 17 games (Oct. 21-Nov. 28) because of a dislocated shoulder. There's no question Hughes has one of the highest ceilings of any U.S.-born player 23-or-under in the NHL. He's already set NHL career highs in goals (17), assists (22), points (39) and leads all Devils forwards in average ice time (19:03). He wasn't intimidated one bit as the youngest player at the 2022 Honda NHL All-Star Game, scoring two goals in a victory against the Pacific Division in the semifinal and a goal and an assist in a win against the Central Division in the final to help the Metropolitan Division win the event. "They brought me here to make All-Star Games and do things like that," Hughes said. The No. 1 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, who was born in Orlando, Florida, has benefitted this season from shooting more while consistently creating offense with his skating and play-making ability. "By the time I'm 25, I want to be a completely different player and much better but, for now, I like where my game is at," Hughes said. -- Mike G. Morreale, staff writer

Jason Robertson, Dallas Stars
Stars coach Rick Bowness said he had a talk with the 22-year-old forward following last season after he led all NHL rookies with 28 assists and 39 even-strength points and finished second in points among rookies with 45 points in 51 games, and second in voting for the Calder Trophy as the NHL's top rookie. "I said, 'Next year will be tougher because people know who you are now, now you're going to play against top defensive pairs, you're going to play against the checking lines,'" Bowness said in October. "'It's a tough league, you find out in a hurry that they're ready for you and you have to continue to grow.'" Robertson has done just that. Born in Arcadia, California, he's Dallas' second-leading scorer with 47 points (22 goals, 25 assists) in 44 games. He leads the Stars in game-winning goals (seven), is second in power play goals (eight) and tied with defenseman John Klingberg for second in power play points (14). Forwards Joe Pavelski and Roope Hintz each has 16. -- William Douglas, staff writer
Trevor Zegras, Anaheim Ducks
The more I see Zegras play, the more impressed I become. Zegras not only has the talent to become the best up-and-coming U.S.-born hockey player in the NHL, but he also has the confidence and flair to make it a joy to watch. The 20-year-old has scored 41 points (14 goals, 27 assists) in 50 games in his second NHL season and 54 points (17 goals, 37 assists) in 74 career games. Born in Bedford, New York, Zegras dazzled in his special invitation role at the NHL All-Star Skills during the 2022 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend, when he scored blindfolded in an homage to the movie "Dodgeball" during the Breakaway Challenge. There's also that pass to Sonny Milano on Dec. 7, the alley-oop that still has the hockey world talking. And that's just the highlight-reel stuff. So, yeah, there's a lot of American talent in the NHL right now, but no one more fun than Zegras. -- Amalie Benjamin, staff writer
Jake Oettinger, Dallas Stars
That's right, I'm here to give some love to the 23-year-old goalie because he deserves it. On a team that started the season loaded with goalies, including veterans Braden Holtby and Anton Khudobin, Oettinger has had the edge. The native of Lakeville, Minnesota, is 17-6-1 with a 2.25 goals-against average, .923 save percentage and one shutout in 26 games (24 starts) this season. This is coming off a strong first NHL season in 2020-21, when he went 11-8-7 with a 2.36 GAA, .911 save percentage and one shutout in 29 games (24 starts). His stinginess has been critical; the Stars once again aren't generating a ton of offense this season (they're averaging 2.85 goals per game, 22nd in the NHL). I know the goalie isn't the flashiest position, but it's an important one and Oettinger has been outstanding. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer
Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks
Hughes has scored 41 points (four goals, 37 assists) in 51 games this season, giving him 138 points (15 goals, 123 assists) in 180 career games. He's doing it as the Canucks' No. 1 defenseman, averaging 25:12 of ice time per game while showcasing himself as one of the best two-way defenseman in the NHL. Hughes' ice time has increased in each of his three full NHL seasons. He scored 53 points (eight goals, 45 assists) in 68 games while playing 21:53 per game in 2019-20, when he was second in the voting for the Calder Trophy, and 15th in the vote for the Norris Trophy, which goes to the League's best defenseman. Hughes played 22:48 per game last season, when he scored 41 points (three goals, 38 assists) in 56 games but was minus-24. It's hard to judge a player on plus/minus, but Hughes also had a 48.9 shot-attempts percentage and 41.7 on-ice goals for percentage last season. The 22-year-old, also born in Orlando like his brother Jack, has drastically improved across the board this season, with a plus-10 rating, a 53.5 SAT percentage and 57.9 on-ice goals-for percentage. It means the Canucks control the puck and score more when Hughes is on the ice versus when he's not. His impact is growing, and a Norris Trophy is in his future. -- Dan Rosen, senior writer
There is a strong argument for Jack Hughes. But what about his older brother? Quinn, the No. 7 pick of the 2018 NHL Draft, has scored 138 points (15 goals, 123 assists) in 180 NHL games. Jack, the No. 1 pick of the 2019 NHL Draft, has scored 91 points (35 goals, 56 assists) in 151 NHL games. And Quinn is a defenseman, while Jack is a center. Quinn is eighth in scoring among NHL defensemen, second among U.S.-born NHL defensemen and first among U.S.-born NHL defensemen 23 and younger. The only U.S.-born NHL skaters 23 and younger with more points are Robertson (47) and Clayton Keller (46). -- Nicholas J. Cotsonika, columnist

Clayton Keller, Arizona Coyotes
Keller is in his sixth NHL season already and flies under the radar with the Coyotes, but the forward has quietly had one of the best seasons among young U.S.-born players. The 23-year-old leads Arizona with 21 goals and 46 points in 53 games, putting him on pace to top his NHL career-highs of 23 goals and 65 points when he was a rookie in 2017-18. Keller's performance is even more impressive when you consider the Coyotes are last in the NHL in scoring 2.28 goals per game. Keller, born in Chesterfield, Missouri, is one of four Coyotes players to reach double digits in goals, along with Lawson Crouse (14), Nick Schmaltz (11) and Travis Boyd (10). Phil Kessel is their only other forward with more than 30 points (33). Despite the lack of scoring depth, Keller continues to produce; since Nov. 5, he has scored 42 points (18 goals, 24 assists) in 42 games.-- Tom Gulitti, staff writer
Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators
Tkachuk has taken the next step in his role as the centerpiece of the Senators' rebuilding effort in his fourth NHL season. The 22-year-old was named captain Nov. 5, and leads Ottawa with 38 points (17 goals, 21 assists) in 49 games. He's already matched his goal total from last season and is on pace to reach 60 points for the first time in the NHL. More than his skill set, though, Tkachuk's toughness and determination make him a special player and one of the toughest in the NHL to play against. Born in Scottsdale, Arizona, Tkachuk leads the Senators with 178 hits and 78 penalty minutes, and his willingness to go to the dirty areas to create offense and to stand up for his teammates gives the Senators' high-end offensive producers more room to operate and thrive. Josh Norris scored an NHL career-best 18 goals in 36 games playing on a line with Tkachuk before sustaining a shoulder injury Jan. 27. Tim Stutzle, who moved into Norris' spot, has scored five goals in 15 games after scoring seven in his first 36. The sign of a true star is the ability to elevate not just your play but the players around you, and Tkachuk at a young age is showing he is able to do that. -- Adam Kimelman, deputy managing editor