Hughes Named Calder Finalist | BLOG

Devils defenseman Luke Hughes was named a finalist for the NHL’s rookie-of-the-year Calder Memorial Trophy, which is given “to the player selected as the most proficient in his first year of competition.”

Hughes, Chicago’s Connor Bedard and Minnesota’s Brock Faber are the three finalists for the award. The NHL will hold its annual Awards ceremony on June 27 in Las Vegas.

Hughes, 20, set a Devils’ team record for points by a rookie defenseman in 2023-24 after posting 47 (9g-38a) while appearing in all 82 games on the campaign. Hughes’ 47 points ranked second (tied) in the entire NHL among rookies.

Hughes’ nine goals were the most scored by a rookie defenseman in the NHL while his 38 assists ranked second. Hughes, who quarterbacked the Devils’ No. 1 power-play unit all season, led all rookie skaters with 25 power-play points while finishing third among all rookies in average ice time per game (21:28).

Hughes, the fourth-overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, recorded a career-best seven-game scoring streak (March 24 – April 7) with one goal, six assists and seven points during the run. He also posted a five-game assist streak in that stretch. Late in the year, Hughes posted 14 points (1g-13a) in a 12-game period from March 19 to April 11. He notched a career-high 32:49 minutes of ice time at the NY Rangers on April 3, while topping 24 minutes in 13 games.

Hughes made an immediate impact for the team as soon as he joined New Jersey at the end of the 2022-23 season. After finishing a stellar two-year career with the University of Michigan, Hughes made his NHL debut with New Jersey on April 11, 2023 vs. Buffalo. In his second career game, Hughes played in the club’s season finale at Washington on April 13. In that contest he recorded his first career point/assist, helping set up a goal by his older brother Jack. Luke next punctuated his performance by scoring his first career NHL goal, which happened to also be the overtime winner on a spectacular individual effort. Luke’s two-point effort helped the Devils secure their franchise record 52^nd win and 112^th point on the year.

Hughes made his NHL postseason debut that spring, appearing in three games. In his first career playoff game – Game 3 of the Second Round against Carolina – he recorded two assists in a Devils’ 8-4 win. In Game 6 of the series, he logged 25:02 minutes of ice time.

Hughes played two years with Michigan in the NCAA, helping the Wolverines advance to the Frozen Four in each season. In 80 career games, Hughes posted 27 goals, 60 assists and 87 points with a plus-50. He was named to the 2023 NCAA (West) First All-American Team and 2022 NCAA (West) Second All-American Team.

Hughes, who will represent Team USA at the upcoming IIHF World Championships in May, captained the United States to a bronze medal at the 2023 World Under-20 Junior Championship after scoring four goals and five points in seven games. And he would love one day to compete in the Olympics.