Breaking Down Hughes' Shot | FEATURE

Jack Hughes carried the puck down the right side. With a quick snap of his wrist and a twist of his torso, Hughes projected the puck over the glove of goaltender Tristan Jarry and into then netting.
And with that, Hughes became the first 30-goal scorer for the Devils since 2017-18 (Taylor Hall).
Hughes' 30 goals put him on pace for 53 goal this season. He has 23 goals in his last 26 games, nearly a goal per game. The 21-year-old posted 26 tallies last season in 49 games.
It's safe to say Hughes has put himself on the map as a top-tier NHL goal scorer.

Hughes may not look like the typical elite finisher. He doesn't have an overpowering shot. He doesn't unleash a bomb of a one-timer.
Hughes' finish can be attributed to his skating ability, hockey IQ, hands and accuracy. Here's a breakdown of Hughes' talents.

In order to even shoot a puck, one must find some open space in the offensive zone. Hughes' skating ability and edge work allow him to weave through defenders and create space for himself and scoring chances for himself.
"We all know he's a tremendous skater," head coach Lindy Ruff said. "He can log more minutes than other guys. Plays where it looks like the opposition is trying to get off the ice and he keeps going, he generated some of his own chances."
Hughes' skating was on full display on his goal against Carolina Jan. 1. He was reaching top speed coming through the neutral zone on the Devils breakout. With a beautiful display of hands, Hughes was able to reach out on the backhand to pull the puck to him without breaking stride. This allowed him to easily swerve around defenseman Jaccob Slavin (one of the best defensive defensemen in the NHL). Once Hughes had Slavin angled, he cut to the net and smartly used his body to shield the puck from Slavin. Hughes then displayed his sick hands by pulling the puck away from Antii Raanta's attempted poke-check and slid it into the net around the goalie's outstretched pad.

If you want to see some incredible hands in a tight space, watch Hughes' goal against Detroit Jan. 4. After dropping the puck to Erik Haula inside the blue line, Hughes cut through the defense and was 1-on-1 with goalie Ville Husso when Haula returned the puck. He deked Husso to his knees and went to pull the puck around him. Hughes ran out of room at the goal line but still had the presence of mind to bank the puck into the goal from behind the net. Most players may have panicked and tried a tough angle shot or wrapped around the net. It was a creative and highly intelligent play.

Speaking of intelligence. Did you ever notice that Hughes has the puck a lot? And sometimes it seems like the puck just finds him? That he always seems to be in the right place at the right time? That is no coincidence. It's part of Hughes' hockey intelligence. Hughes is playing a game of chess, planning several moves ahead. He doesn't focus on where the puck is in real time, but anticipating where the puck will be as the play develops. That foresight allows Hughes to find the best spots on the ice for scoring chances and space.
Look at his tying goal against the Rangers. If, after having passed the puck to Ryan Graves, Hughes drove to the net, Rangers defenseman Jacob Trouba would have picked him up. Instead, Hughes drifted toward the goal but still with some separation from Trouba. Hughes had space to be a pass option for a shot, or to pounce on a rebound. Yes, the puck hitting Dawson Mercer was a fortunate bounce. But Hughes created his own luck.

But all of these attributes are worthless if Hughes doesn't finish. And it's his shot that may be the most impressive aspect of his game. Hughes has an ability to shoot the puck from any stance and still hit his target with velocity. So, it's difficult for a goalie to judge when the shot is coming and can often catch goaltenders unprepared.
Hughes may not have an Alex Ovechkin or Victor Hedman shot, but it's explosive and on point.
"Jack doesn't have the hardest shot in the world, but he's very quick with his release and he can shoot it at any point of stick handling it," goaltender Mackenzie Blackwood said. "So basically, he doesn't display to you where or when he's going to shoot it. He kind of catches you mid-stickhandle or a quick push-and-pull. He's always moving the puck. He can release it at any point. It catches goalies with the speed and deceptiveness of the shot."
Hughes' career-best five-game goal-scoring streak began with a power-play goal against Pittsburgh. Hughes carried the puck and placed a shot so perfect that it sailed just over the shoulder of Jarry and under the crossbar. In fact, the shot was so powerful that it hit the back part of the top post inside the net and exited the goal as fast as it went in.

Which brings us back to Hughes' 30th goal of the season, also scored against the Penguins and Jarry. The tally is a perfectly display of Hughes' attributes: skating ability, Hockey IQ, hands and accuracy. He used his speed (skating ability) to pedal around two players to create some open ice and separation. He stopped above the circle and pivoted his body facing the opposite side boards. Look at Hughes' stance right before ripping the shot.

Jarry is square to the puck. But since Hughes isn't in a natural shooting position, he can fool (Hockey IQ) Jarry, who may not be anticipating a shot to come. This is where Hughes' ability to shoot from any angle or point of stickhandling (hands) gives him a deceptive edge. And with a quick snap of the wrists and twist of the torso, Hughes unleashes a bullet (accuracy) for the finish. Very few players in the league have that velocity and accuracy from any angle on the ice.

Hughes' finish may be the most impressive part of his game this season. But it didn't happen over night. In fact, it happened over the course of three-plus NHL seasons, and especially over this past summer.
"My shot is something that I really focused on," Hughes said during training camp. "I want to keep that scoring touch going and continue being a really big scoring threat. That was a big focus for me this summer."
That focus has paid off 30 times this season. So far…