Jack Hughes already had a full plate coming into this season.
First overall pick, tons of hype, potential face of the New Jersey Devils for the next decade or more.
Things, however, haven’t quite gone according to plan.
The 18-year-old went six games without a point to open his rookie campaign and has struggled to find the scoresheet ever since for a team that’s been stuck in neutral most of 2019-20.
With the franchise flailing near the bottom of the overall standings, New Jersey fired head coach John Hynes in early December, traded its best player in Taylor Hall just 13 days later, and then axed general manager Ray Shero on Sunday night.
That’s quite a six-week stretch for any professional athlete, let alone one trying to handle the weight of expectation from both the outside and within.
“It is what it is,” Hughes said Tuesday as he tried to brush off the roller-coaster campaign. “It’s a business — coach gets fired, GM gets fired, a lot of changes.”
The youngest player in the NHL this season, Hughes has been used to putting up mammoth point totals at every other level. He’s not the first young star to struggle early, but it doesn’t make it any easier.
“That’s obviously my game. I’m supposed to get points,” said Hughes, tied for 10th in rookie scoring with six goals and 17 points in 38 games heading into Wednesday. “With where my game’s at, the points haven’t translated, (but I’m) creating a lot.
“There’s a lot of season left.”
Despite the rocky journey up to now, teammates have been impressed with how he’s dealt with everything since June’s draft.
“It’s amazing, at 18, how demanding he is of himself,” said veteran goalie Cory Schneider, who had Hughes living with him and his family this fall. “When you’re accustomed to scoring three, four points a game your whole life and you come to the best league in the world, it just doesn’t happen that way.”
“He’s handled it really well, just trying to work on other areas of his game and understanding the best players in the world are a point-per-game,” Schneider added. “There’s been some tumultuous moments for him. Losing a coach, losing a GM — the guy that drafted you, the guy that got to know your family.
“That’s a lot … this is my first in-season GM change and I’m 13 years pro and he’s dealing with as an 18 year old.”
It seems Shero’s firing, which came out of the blue to those outside the organization, was the most difficult blow.
“It’s tough,” Hughes said. “He’s a guy that brought me in. I have a lot of respect for Ray and think he’s a great manager.
“It’s how it goes.”
Devils interim coach Alain Nasreddine said he’s seen improvement in his young star’s details since moving behind the bench.
“It’s not easy to be in his shoes,” Nasreddine said. “You can see him getting more comfortable with the league. The experience really helps. The more games he plays, the more he realizes what he can and can’t do on the ice.”
A native of Orlando, Fla., and phenom with the U.S. National Team Development Program, Hughes spent most of his formative years living just outside Toronto when his father, Jim, was part of the Maple Leafs’ front office.
He played at Scotiabank Arena for the first time Tuesday — Hughes was held pointless in a 7-4 loss to the Leafs — but the memories flowed back from his time wandering the halls as a kid.
“I came to so many games over the years,” he said. “Definitely a game I had circled on my calendar.”
Hughes is also proud of older brother Quinn, a 20-year-old rookie defenceman with the Vancouver Canucks set to compete in the NHL all-star game in St. Louis.
“People in Vancouver were praising him before the season,” Jack said of Quinn, who has four goals and 32 assist 46 games. “We were like, ‘Whoa … this is trouble, a lot of expectations.’ But we knew what he was going to be, he knew what he was going to be.
“It’s not surprising to any of us.”
And maybe, when everyone takes a step back, Jack’s early struggles shouldn’t be either.
“I’m happy to be in the NHL right now,” Hughes said. “I’m living out my dream.”
MORE OVERTIME A POSSIBILITY?
Schneider said that while he isn’t a fan of shootouts, he isn’t sure extending 3-on-3 overtime beyond five minutes — which has gained some traction in recent weeks — is the right move either. “You’ve got to end the games, but 10 (minutes of OT is) a lot. You see teams now that have already played 10, 15 overtime games. Your top players are the guys playing most of those minutes.” A member of the NHL’s competition committee, Schneider added there could be “wiggle room” where the extra period might one day be seven minutes in length. “Playing another half period of 3-on-3, that’s one-sixth of the game. That’s a lot more hockey that adds up over the course of the year.”
COACHING CAROUSEL CONTINUES
When the Vegas Golden Knights stunned the hockey world Wednesday with the firing of head coach Gerard Gallant, it marked the seventh change behind an NHL bench since the Leafs fired Mike Babcock on Nov. 20. Add Shero’s dismissal, and that’s eight key positions vacated in less than two months. Some moves weren’t related to on-ice performance — Calgary’s parting of ways with Bill Peters and Dallas canning Jim Montgomery were the outliers — but most were. In all, there have been 14 coaching changes in the 31-team league since the end of last season
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan 15, 2020.
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Joshua Clipperton’s weekly NHL notebook is published every Wednesday.
The French league’s legal commission has ordered Paris Saint-Germain to pay Kylian Mbappé the 55 million euros ($61 million) in unpaid wages that he claims he’s entitled to, the league said Thursday.
The league confirmed the decision to The Associated Press without more details, a day after the France superstar rejected a mediation offer by the commission in his dispute with his former club.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former football star Reggie Bush was at his Encino home Tuesday night when three male suspects attempted to break in, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
“Everyone is safe,” Bush said in a text message to the newspaper.
The Los Angeles Police Dept. told the Times that a resident of the house reported hearing a window break and broken glass was found outside. Police said nothing was stolen and that three male suspects dressed in black were seen leaving the scene.
Bush starred at Southern California and in the NFL. The former running back was reinstated as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner this year. He forfeited it in 2010 after USC was hit with sanctions partly related to Bush’s dealings with two aspiring sports marketers.
VANCOUVER – A fresh face has been gracing the B.C. Lions‘ highlight reels in recent weeks.
Midway through his second CFL campaign, wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt has contributed touchdowns in two consecutive games.
The 26-year-old wide receiver from Loveland, Colo., was the lone B.C. player to reel in a passing major in his team’s 37-23 victory over the league-leading Montreal Alouettes last Friday. The week before, he notched his first CFL touchdown in the Lions’ win over the Ottawa Redblacks.
“It’s been awesome. It’s been really good,” Eberhardt said of his recent play. “At the end of the day, the biggest stat to me is if we win. But who doesn’t love scoring?”
He’ll look to add to the tally Friday when the Leos (7-6) host the Toronto Argonauts.
Eberhardt signed with B.C. as a free agent in January 2023 and spent much of last season on the practice squad before cementing a role on the roster this year.
The six-foot-two, 195-pound University of Wyoming product has earned more opportunities in his second season, said Lions’ head coach and co-general manager Rick Campbell.
“He’s a super hard worker and very smart. He understands, has high football IQ, as we call it,” Campbell said.
The fact that Eberhardt can play virtually every receiving position helps.
“He could literally go into a game and we could throw him into a spot and he’d know exactly what he’s doing,” the coach said. “That allows him to play fast and earn the quarterback’s trust. And you see him making plays.”
Eberhardt credited his teammates, coaches and the rest of the Lions’ staff with helping him prepare for any situation he might face. They’ve all spent time teaching him the ins and outs of the Canadian game, or go over the playbook and run routes after practice, he said.
“I’ve played every single position on our offence in a game in the last two years, which is kind of crazy. But I love playing football,” he said. “I want to play any position that the team needs me to play.”
While B.C.’s lineup is studded with stars like running back William Stanback — who has a CFL-high 938 rushing yards — and wide receiver Justin McInnis — who leads the league in both receiving yards (1,074) and receiving TDs (seven) — versatility has been a critical part of the team’s back-to-back wins.
“I think we’ve got a lot of talented guys who deserve to get the ball and make big plays when they have the ball in their hands. So it’s really my job to get them the ball as much as possible,” said quarterback Nathan Rourke.
“I think that makes it easy when you can lean on those guys and, really, we’re in a situation where anyone can have a big game. And I think that’s a good place to be.”
Even with a talented lineup, the Lions face a tough test against an eager Argos side.
Toronto lost its second straight game Saturday when it dropped a 41-27 decision to Ottawa.
“We’ll have our hands full,” Rourke said. “We’ll have to adjust on the fly to whatever their game plan is. And no doubt, they’ll be ready to go so we’ll have to be as well.”
The two sides have already met once this season when the Argos handed the Lions a 35-27 loss in Toronto back on June 9.
A win on Friday would vault B.C. to the top of the West Division standings, over the 7-6 Winnipeg Blue Bombers who are on a bye week.
Collecting that victory isn’t assured, though, even with Toronto coming in on a two-game skid, Campbell said.
“They’ve hit a little bit of a rut, but they’re a really good team,” he said. “They’re very athletic. And you can really see (quarterback Chad Kelly’s) got zip on the ball. When you see him in there, he can make all the throws. So we’re expecting their best shot.”
TORONTO ARGONAUTS (6-6) AT B.C. LIONS (7-6)
Friday, B.C. Place
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: The Lions boast a 4-1 home record this season, including a 38-12 victory over the Redblacks at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, B.C., on Aug. 31. The Argos have struggled outside of BMO Field and hold a 1-5 away record. Trips to the West Coast haven’t been easy for Toronto in recent years — since 2003, the club is 4-14 in road games against B.C.
CENTURION: B.C. defensive back Garry Peters is set to appear in his 100th consecutive game. The 32-year-old from Conyers, Ga., is a two-time CFL all-star who has amassed 381 defensive tackles, 19 special teams tackles and 16 interceptions over seven seasons. “Just being on the field with the guys every day, running around, talking trash back and forth, it keeps me young,” Peters said. “It makes me feel good, and my body doesn’t really feel it. I’ve been blessed to be able to play 100 straight.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
