EDMONTON, AB - With all eyes on the flair and playmaking ability of Jack Hughes, the projected first-overall pick attested that he wasn't the most creative set of hands on the United States National Team Development Program roster this season.
That mantle, for the top prospect at this year's NHL Draft, belongs to Trevor Zegras.
"He's the most creative player on our team," Hughes said of his USNTDP teammate. "He thinks outside the box, he's really smart and super crafty with his hands and movements. He's really slippery. He's an easy guy to play with knowing he'll always give you great passes."
The USNTDP was stacked this past campaign, boasting five projected top-10 picks in this year's draft class that could benefit any franchise looking to profit from the program's deep talent pool.
Zegras, an offensive weapon whose playmaking, goalscoring, and two-way ability can be deployed at centre or on the wing, became one of the principle players tasked with feeding the likes of Hughes, Cole Caufield, Matthew Boldy and Alex Turcotte while chipping in a number of his own markers with 26 goals and 61 helpers in 60 contests for the U-18 program.
PROSPECT PROFILE: Trevor Zegras
On a stacked U.S. National Team Development Program roster this past season, it was Trevor Zegras that earned the title of "most creative" from projected number-one pick Jack Hughes