C Jack Hughes - USNTDP (2019, 1st, NJD) Part 6

[Blender]

Not valid criticism, yet you confirm it.

Saying he should be sent to the AHL is a joke. Who has denied his defensive weakness? No one. As is implying that sheltering him somehow reflects poorly on him, as that happens to every single 18 year old in the NHL.

 

[Keduzin]

Jack should be playing with other children, at least this year

 

[Tralfamadore]

It's obvious a lot of his individual skills like skating, hands, etc are very NHL ready but his overall play from what I saw last night was hard to watch at times. I don't think he should be sent down by any means but he's going to need to be sheltered for awhile until he can adjust.

 

[Jersey Fresh]

What the heck did Hughes do to earn the bust label after one game? Genuinely curious.

Literally nothing.

 

[Levitate]

It's obvious a lot of his individual skills like skating, hands, etc are very NHL ready but his overall play from what I saw last night was hard to watch at times. I don't think he should be sent down by any means but he's going to need to be sheltered for awhile until he can adjust.

I think NJ tried to shelter him and will continue to do so. He looked like a kid trying to make the same plays he could make against lesser competition. Occasionally they worked or came close to working but also often resulted in turnovers in bad spots, etc.

It's a learning curve no matter how talented you are.

 

[tealhockey]

I think NJ tried to shelter him and will continue to do so. He looked like a kid trying to make the same plays he could make against lesser competition. Occasionally they worked or came close to working but also often resulted in turnovers in bad spots, etc.

It's a learning curve no matter how talented you are.

Development is a feeling-out process, see what you can get away with. Especially for a player like him, pushing his limits and making mistakes is critical. I'll be worried when he stops making mistakes at all. Last year he could just have fun and win the majority of games, it was a lot of point nights and non-competitive games until international play. I don't think last year was a year of major development for him and he's basically going to have to do a lot of development in the NHL. The ceiling is massive but he isn't even scratching the surface

 

[Levitate]

Yeah for sure, and to be clear I'm not trying to criticize him either. There's some obvious talent and some obvious growth that still needs to happen that's all

 

[tealhockey]

Yeah for sure, and to be clear I'm not trying to criticize him either. There's some obvious talent and some obvious growth that still needs to happen that's all

yeah I didn't mean to imply that you were, just adding on to your comment

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Jack's biggest crime is being the consensus #1 pick for so long that it rubbed the hot takers that wanted to take Kakko first over him the wrong way and now he's gonna get "punished" for that every time there's a turnover.

 

[Hokinaittii]

Jack's biggest crime is being the consensus #1 pick for so long that it rubbed the hot takers that wanted to take Kakko first over him the wrong way and now he's gonna get "punished" for that every time there's a turnover.

Things have been very civil between the fanbases for a good month or two already, surely one guy trashing Hughes hasn't changed that?

 

[MichaelFarrell]

Loved watching him play last night. He’s is special. Hughes and Wood got some wheels!

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Things have been very civil between the fanbases for a good month or two already, surely one guy trashing Hughes hasn't changed that?

I'm not talking about any one fanbase, country, or otherwise specifically, really; just the folks that have insanely unfair expectations because of a one-slot difference in draft position. Some people are looking for any excuse to dumpster him.

Most of the discussion has been fair criticism re: game 1, I'm just talking big picture, it's like he's being punished for being #1, while no one behind him can do any wrong. No points, -1 in his first NHL game? Oh wow, better send him to the AHL. You won't see any other prospect getting that little benefit of doubt. It's pathetic.

I trust that a kid with the IQ of Hughes will figure out speed, tendencies, and otherwise in pretty short order. He's always dominated his peers, and while grown professional men are different, it wasn't his physicality that set him apart.

 

[93LEAFS]

I don't think Hughes is put in a position to succeed. They should either ease him on the wing like MacKinnon and Larkin were, or find a guy to play him with who can help him reduce the amount of battling down-low he is asked to do. I don't think Bratt or Gusev are those types of players.

 

[tealhockey]

I don't think Hughes is put in a position to succeed. They should either ease him on the wing like MacKinnon and Larkin were, or find a guy to play him with who can help him reduce the amount of battling down-low he is asked to do. I don't think Bratt or Gusev are those types of players.

I think they should have let him take a year, but whatever, too late now. Now that he's there, I think you embrace the early sucking at center and ride it out until he's good. If he breaks in as a winger, I really doubt he becomes a top six center in the league later on.

 

[93LEAFS]

I think they should have let him take a year, but whatever, too late now. Now that he's there, I think you embrace the early sucking at center and ride it out until he's good. If he breaks in as a winger, I really doubt he becomes a top six center in the league later on.

I don't think playing the wing breaking into the league is a big deal. I mean, Larkin and MacKinnon are tracking fairly well after breaking in on the wing. ROR also played the wing early on. Yes, guys like Eichel and Matthews jumped into the league and played top 6 center roles right off the bat, but they are also big guys and were quite developed.

 

[Blender]

I don't think Hughes is put in a position to succeed. They should either ease him on the wing like MacKinnon and Larkin were, or find a guy to play him with who can help him reduce the amount of battling down-low he is asked to do. I don't think Bratt or Gusev are those types of players.

He's not been put in a position to succeed. Hynes is horribly managing him 2 games in.

 

[tealhockey]

I don't think playing the wing breaking into the league is a big deal. I mean, Larkin and MacKinnon are tracking fairly well after breaking in on the wing. ROR also played the wing early on. Yes, guys like Eichel and Matthews jumped into the league and played top 6 center roles right off the bat, but they are also big guys and were quite developed.

For what it's worth, I think he has more upside on the wing, but if the plan is to have him be a center, I think you break him in as a center as early as possible. You have a fair point though

 

[Kshahdoo]

I don't think Hughes is put in a position to succeed. They should either ease him on the wing like MacKinnon and Larkin were, or find a guy to play him with who can help him reduce the amount of battling down-low he is asked to do. I don't think Bratt or Gusev are those types of players.

Look at that 3rd Buffalo's goal, it's him, who doesn't put himself in a position to succeed. I mean, he should be on that player, who scored, and he just was watching it. With his great skating he really had to be better in that situation.

 

[Roo Mad Bro]

Getting dominated so far. Ouch.

 

[Oneiro]

I mean, not much to say. Kid's got to learn.

Also, the team is playing absolute trash hockey, but he's directly responsible for (at least) two of the goals over the last two nights. Better this happens now and it's the right thing to keep him at this level. But he should probably play with Zacha or Coleman.

 

[OKOptimistic]

Does is really help when Woods and his line mates are fumbling the puck like an idiot and Hughes is already up the ice then has to skate back and defend for the entirety of his shift.

 

[HabsMD97]

What a terrible position to put him. 1st USHL player to directly make the jump if i'm not mistaking. Playing center in the top 6 while being undersized and physically weak is not a recipe for success. They should have started him on the wing further down the lineup. Ray Shero was drinking the kool aid thinking he'd be a superstar from day 1. The sensational rookies ala barzal, matthews, laine, mcdavid, pettersson, Dhalin have really fooled people into believing it's easy to just jump into the NHL and dominate. That simply isn't the case.

Play him on Zajac's wing with Simmonds

 

[TheWhiskeyThief]

Saying he should be sent to the AHL is a joke. Who has denied his defensive weakness? No one. As is implying that sheltering him somehow reflects poorly on him, as that happens to every single 18 year old in the NHL.

I won’t hold my breath for you to find the quote where I wrote he should go to the AHL.

 

[Blender]

What a terrible position to put him. 1st USHL player to directly make the jump if i'm not mistaking. Playing center in the top 6 while being undersized and physically weak is not a recipe for success. They should have started him on the wing further down the lineup. Ray Shero was drinking the kool aid thinking he'd be a superstar from day 1. The sensational rookies ala barzal, matthews, laine, mcdavid, pettersson, Dhalin have really fooled people into believing it's easy to just jump into the NHL and dominate. That simply isn't the case.

Play him on Zajac's wing with Simmonds

He's not playing in the top 6 based on ice time, which is all that really matters. Coleman/Zajac are going to play a lot, regardless of what you want to call the line.

He's essentially been put in the position where he has to be the play driver and the best defensive player on his line in 2 games so far, and that's a recipe for disaster. So no surprise he hasn't looked good, he isn't even being put in situations which give him a good opportunity to succeed.

 

[Blender]

I won’t hold my breath for you to find the quote where I wrote he should go to the AHL.

It was another poster, I got the posts mixed up. Your terrible take was that sheltering an 18 year old means they are bad, despite that being what everyone should do for an 18 year old.