FC Rank 3
All Rankings
Luke
Hughes

Hughes is a high-end, puck-moving defenseman and brilliant when it comes to his offensive zone play in how he can create space by drawing defenders to open ice instead of making the first, impulsive play when pressure is presented. His edge work is high end and he boasts a long powerful stride when he gets…

Date of Birth
September 9, 2003
Position
Defense
Height
6'2"
Draft Year
2021
Place of Birth
Canton, MI  
Shoots
Left
Weight
182 lbs
Draft Result
1/4 (NJD)
DATE PLAYER NAME LEAGUE AUTHOR
Dec 31/22 Hughes Luke 24402 – Slovakia vs. Team USA WJC-20 by Aaron Vickers View Report
Aug 18/22 Hughes Luke 24087 – Germany vs. Team USA WJC-20 by Donesh Mazloum View Report
Apr 9/22 Hughes Luke 23712 – Denver vs. Michigan NCAA by Shaun Richardson View Report
Dec 22/21 Hughes Luke 23004 – Michigan vs. Penn State NCAA by Shaun Richardson View Report
Dec 21/21 Hughes Luke 22948 – Team USA vs. Finland WJSS by Shaun Richardson View Report
Apr 22/21 Hughes Luke 21983 – USA U18 vs. Green Bay USHL by Derek Neumeier View Report
Jan 28/21 Hughes Luke 21648 – USA U18 vs. Chicago USHL by Derek Neumeier View Report
Jan 28/21 Hughes Luke 21644 – Muskegon vs. USA U18 USHL by Justin Froese View Report
Jan 27/21 Hughes Luke 21637 – USA U18 vs. Muskegon USHL by Dylan Galloway View Report
Dec 16/20 Hughes Luke 21454 – USA U18 vs. Air Force NTDP by Josh Bell View Report
Nov 4/20 Hughes Luke 21243 – Des Moines vs. USA U18 USHL by View Report
Nov 2/20 Hughes Luke 21218 – USA U18 vs. Muskegon USHL by Dylan Galloway View Report
Nov 2/20 Hughes Luke 21200 – USA U18 vs. Muskegon USHL by Joseph Aleong View Report
Oct 27/20 Hughes Luke 21177 – USA U18 vs. Austin USHL by Brandon Holmes View Report

Career Stats

Season Team League GP G A TP PPG +/- PIM
2023-2024 New Jersey Devils nhl 35 7 14 21 0.6 -3 12
2022-2023 New Jersey Devils nhl 2 1 1 2 1 0 0
2022-2023 Univ. of Michigan ncaa 39 10 38 48 1.23 24 26
2021-2022 Univ. of Michigan ncaa 41 17 22 39 0.95 26 10
2020-2021 U.S. National U18 Team ntdp 38 6 28 34 0.89 11 14
2020-2021 USNTDP Juniors ushl 18 4 11 15 0.83 5 8
2019-2020 U.S. National U17 Team ntdp 48 7 21 28 0.58 10
2019-2020 USNTDP Juniors ushl 28 4 9 13 0.46 -14 6
December 25, 2022
Every NHL-affiliated player skating at the 2023 World Juniors
December 23, 2022
Cooley, Stramel look to aid in Team USA bounce-back at World Juniors
August 21, 2022
The top players from the 2022 World Juniors
August 10, 2022
Joakim Kemell and the things we learned on Day 1 of the World Juniors
August 8, 2022
Which prospects to watch at the 2022 World Juniors
August 7, 2022
Stramel named to Team USA’s entry for the World Juniors
April 19, 2022
Prospect Notebook: Hughes, Savoie, McTavish & More
March 16, 2022
Beniers, Hughes, Levi all among Hobey Top-10 Finalists
January 4, 2022
Predicting Team USA at the 2023 World Juniors
December 24, 2021
The prospects you need to know at the 2022 World Juniors
December 24, 2021
Three players from each team to watch at the World Juniors
December 23, 2021
All the details you need to know about the 2022 World Juniors
December 16, 2021
Bell Curve: 2022 World Juniors predictions
December 15, 2021
Beniers, Cooley to represent Team USA at World Juniors
October 12, 2021
Trio of 2021s crack NHL Opening Day rosters
July 25, 2021
BELL CURVE: Grades for each team at the 2021 Draft
July 25, 2021
2021 NHL Draft grades: Full results, analysis for every first-round pick
July 24, 2021
2021 NHL Draft Tracker
July 23, 2021
FCHockey releases 2021 NHL Draft Guide
July 23, 2021
10 storylines to watch at the 2021 NHL Draft
July 23, 2021
2021 NHL Draft – FCHockey’s Draft Directory
July 23, 2021
2021 NHL Draft: The Battle Royale for No. 1
July 22, 2021
FCHockey’s FULL Seven-Round Staff Mock
July 22, 2021
2021 NHL Draft ‘Best in Class’
July 22, 2021
Scout Survey: 2021 NHL Draft class
July 22, 2021
Froese & Revak: Breaking down Hughes game
July 21, 2021
Holmes 10 Takes: Pre-Draft Thoughts
July 20, 2021
2021 NHL Mock Draft – FINAL EDITION
July 17, 2021
Scout Series: Dylan Galloway and Dylan Krill on the USHL, OHL & NCAA
July 8, 2021
Power tops FCHockey’s Final ranking for 2021 NHL Draft
July 7, 2021
FCHockey releases Final ranking for 2021 NHL Draft
July 5, 2021
Notebook: Power, Clarke, Hughes & More
June 3, 2021
2021 NHL Mock Draft – Post Lottery Edition
May 9, 2021
2021 NHL Mock Draft – Neumeier edition
April 25, 2021
World U18s: Notable absences
April 23, 2021
Hughes tops FCHockey’s Spring ranking for 2021 draft
April 23, 2021
FC releases Spring ranking for 2021 NHL Draft
April 10, 2021
VERSUS: Brandt Clarke & Luke Hughes
April 3, 2021
2021 NHL Mock Draft – Holmes Edition
March 30, 2021
Holmes’ 10 Takes: Bedard, Cossa, Hughes & More
March 18, 2021
Rosters set for 2021 All-American Game
March 3, 2021
Holmes’ 10 Takes: Guenther, Lucius, Rosen & more
February 13, 2021
Plenty of options at No. 1 for the 2021 class
February 12, 2021
FCHockey’s Winter Rankings: 5 Risers
February 10, 2021
Hughes tops FCHockey’s Winter ranking for 2021 Draft
February 10, 2021
FCHockey releases Winter Ranking for 2021 NHL Draft
February 3, 2021
Top-10 prospects of the month – January 2021
January 27, 2021
Scout Series: Ray Napientek on the USHL draft crop
January 21, 2021
Five For Luke Hughes
December 30, 2020
Holmes’ 10 Takes: World Juniors, Beniers, Sillinger & More
December 4, 2020
FCHockey releases Preliminary ranking for 2021 NHL Draft
November 25, 2020
FCHockey’s Top-10 Preliminary Rankings – United States
November 25, 2020
2021 NHL Draft: 5 American players to watch
November 9, 2020
Notebook: Chayka, Hughes, Roy & More
November 5, 2020
FCHockey’s Top-10 Draft-Eligible Prospects of the Month – October 2020

Hughes is a high-end, puck-moving defenseman and brilliant when it comes to his offensive zone play in how he can create space by drawing defenders to open ice instead of making the first, impulsive play when pressure is presented. His edge work is high end and he boasts a long powerful stride when he gets to speed. For a player of his build, he is effective in gaining speed and maneuvering at this top speed. He sometimes creates too much upper-body motion due to pitchforking his stick but he’s much smoother and more powerful stride when he drops his stick. He shows presence of mind to get off the wall and in between the dots where he can come down the funnel to provide a second wave threat offensively, instead of just flinging low-percentage point shots. He’s got a fairly effective shot and even though his top hand could be out a little bit more to create a better lever, he’s got the heads up approach to pick an effective spot whether it be to pick a corner or to generate a rebound. He’s a creative playmaker, demonstrating crisp tape-to-tape passes or impressive behind-the-back passes. He can set up a give-and-go or makes a long, stretch pass to open up the ice. A key component to his game is shoulder checks. He is always surveying the lay of the land which is a crucial component when going back to retrieve pucks and making a play under pressure. He’s got deceptive tactics with soft hands and quick feet that allow him to create uncertainty of opponents when he’s pressured and allows him to escape. He can get caught on the wrong side of pucks when pinches up ice but he has the fortitude in his skating to slice off inside skating lanes and angle opponents off to the wall and shows an effectiveness with controlling gaps in transition. His impulses would be better served with a little more assertiveness, as he can get caught puck watching and not impose his will to block lanes. In the defensive zone, Hughes does a satisfactory job of covering his zone but definitely gets puck focused and can collapse far too often on the puck, leaving opponents open in space and making them a pass option. Through the 2020-21 season, Hughes was one of the most improved players eligible for the 2021 NHL Draft, raising his draft stock with every game played. Despite a season-ending lacerated tendon from a skate, the prospect has solidified himself as a top player in this class.

– FCHockey’s 2021 NHL Draft Guide