Nico, Jack and Lindy Talk Awards Nominations in Nashville | NOTEBOOK

NASHVILLE, TN - A day before the 2023 NHL Awards, two Devils players and their head coach got to stand shoulder to shoulder with the NHL's elite on Awards Media Day.

Hughes Attends the First of Potentially Many Awards Shows

Last season, Jack Hughes went the entire season without getting a penalty minute while also averaging greater than a point per game. He didn't get nominated for the Lady Byng Trophy for most gentlemanly player but after a 43-goal, 99-point season and only six penalty minutes, he finally got everyone's attention this year.

"Anytime you're up for an award it's a big deal. It's exciting and it's good to be here," said Hughes. "There's two other pretty good guys who are well-deserving, too."

Hughes is nominated alongside the Kings' Anze Kopitar and Tampa Bay's Brayden Point. Hughes had more points than either of them and his six penalty minutes was less than Brayden Point's seven but Kopitar had only four PIMs. Point also had 51 goals but perhaps his fight on February 7 against the Sharks may see some more votes go Jack's way.

"It's just kind of how I played and how I do it," Hughes said of his relatively few penalties. "Can't say I'm really proud of myself about that, it's more how I play."

Hughes was also asked about the potential of returning to the awards in future years as a nominee of one of the other prestigious titles.

"It's so tough. There's so many good players. So many guys have great years every year. It's tough to do. Of course, you're motivated and hungry you want to come to this event for other awards as well but it shows how good everyone is right now."

Devils captain Nico Hischier, nominated for the Selke, had similar thoughts about this not being the only time people will see Jack at the Awards.

"Jack had an unbelievable year. It's not the last time he'll be here. There will be other awards he'll be nomainted for as well. He's just getting better and better. We can enjoy this together and hopefully more to come. Happy to be his teammate and see him progress in teh right direction. Fun to watch him play hockey," said Hischier.

Coach Lindy Ruff added that the discipline that Hughes brings is so valuable for the club.

"It's the type of game he plays. Very disciplined player," said Ruff. "Lot of good things about him. Real good person and I think he's getting recognized for it."

Hischier Prides Himself on Defense

As a first-time Selke Trophy nominee for NHL's top defensive forward, Nico Hischier is soaking it all in.

"It's definitely pretty cool to be here. Looking around and the kind of players walking around here. It's an honor to be here and being nominated proves you did a good job. That's my goal, I want to be the best Nico I can be for my team. It was an all-around fun year for myself and the team."

To hold that first awards nomination for top defensive player is also extra special for the Devils captain.

"It's' the kind of player I always wanted to be. I really enjoyed watching Pavel Datsyuk, he's won it before, and watched (Patrice) Bergeron. Seeing my name next to him being nominated is something I wasn't really thikning about growing up. It's a cool feeling to be here. Defense was always a big part of my game and I take pride in it."

Bergeron of Boston and Toronto's Mitch Marner were the other two nominees. For Bergeron, he's looking for a record sixth Selke. Often, the winner of the Selke puts up good offensive numbers as well. Hischier did just that with a career-high 31 goals and 80 points.

"Could definitely be that puts a little bit more attention on a player," he said. "I've always tried to work as hard as I could on both sides of the ice. This year it really worked out well for me."

Hughes added that he's very excited for his teammate.

"We're all really proud of Nico for what he's accomplished," said Jack. "The fact he's getting the recognition now. He's a really deserving winner. We're all pulling for him. He had a great year and I think he's in a really good spot. It's like giving him his flowers a bit. Everyone in New Jersey knows how special and important he is and the League is starting to know it now, too."

Coach Ruff added an interesting perspective, having coached a prior Selke winner in Michael Peca.

"Michael was a really good player for me. Real good captain. When you look at Michael's game and Nico's game, very similar. Two gjuys good on face-offs, both killed penalties, both power play guys. A lot of similarities in every aspect of the game."

Ruff Sees Jack Adams Nomination as a Team Award

Lindy Ruff wanted to make it clear his thoughts on what the Jack Adams Trophy means. It's officially the trophy awarded to the best coach in the NHL season but he said it goes far beyond that when talking about a team that had a 49-point year-over-year improvement -- an NHL record for an 82-game season.

"First, it just tells you the job the coaching staff did. It's not a one-man job," Ruff began. "All the guys around me did a heck of a job to get us where we were at. And right under that, the players did a heck of a job for us."

Ruff has won the award before. He did so in 2005-06 coaching the Buffalo Sabres. He was asked what similarities he saw between this year's Devils and those Sabres.

"A lot of similarities. a lot of speed, a lot of skill. Four lines deep. Night after night, any line could win us the game. Back end we got a lot of offensive production from. Hockey's become a five-man group out there and the D have to be involved."

Jack Hughes praised his head coach when asked about his nomination and potential accolade.

"He had a great year and did a really good job moving us forward in the right direction," Hughes stated. "As a team, it was a massive jump."

Captain Nico Hischier echoed Jack's statement.

"I always said, Lindy's always been really fair to us. He's been coaching us and teaching us some good things. So much experience. Real young group of guys. We took a big step this year and want to take another big step next year. He's done a really good job making us take that step."

Ruff on Travis Green Hiring

Earlier this week, the Devils announced that the club has hired Travis Green as associate coach.

"He's going to bring a lot of energy. He's got a ton of coaching experience. We've spent a lot of time talking about managing young players. It's more than about systems or anything else, it's about how you manage people," Ruff said, noting how coaching has changed over the years since the time he won the Jack Adams in 2005-06.

"From the first interview I had with him and talking with Tom (Fitzgerald), we knew that this could be a guy that we could hire and it turned out we did. And I think we got a great acquisition."

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