NHL Central Scouting's number-one ranked North American skater Jack Hughes picked up an assist on Thursday as Team USA defeated host Sweden 6-1 on their way to a win in their tournament opener. 

Hughes assisted on Alex Turcotte's goal which was the sixth for Team USA. He had four shots on goal as well. 

Next up for USA is a game against Slovakia on Friday. Puck drop is 9:30 a.m. ET and the game can be seen on NHL Network. 

Devils goaltender Cory Schneider was named as one of the first 17 players to suit up for Team USA at the upcoming 2019 IIHF World Hockey Championships in Slovakia. 

The other goaltenders named were Thatcher Demko and Cayden Primeau. View entire roster here.

This will be the second time that Schneider has represented Team USA at the Worlds. He was also on the club in 2006 but as the third goaltender, didn't play in any games. 

Schneider previously represented Team USA at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey and the 2006 and 2005 World Junior Hockey Championships. He also played for the US National Team Development Program in 2003-04 and skated in the U18s in '04. 

Team USA gets things going at the tournament against host Slovakia on Friday, May 10. We'll have regular updates and coverage right here at newjerseydevils.com. 

The New Jersey Devils announced on Wednesday their nomination for the 2019 King Clancy Memorial Trophy. Each team in the NHL nominates one player "who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution in his community."

In 2016, Kyle created a military recognition program named Squad21 where Kyle hosts service members at Devils' games. In the 2018 off-season Squad21 expanded into The Kyle Palmieri Foundation, a full-fledged charitable organization that supports three military nonprofits. The foundation will continue to develop special events to raise funds. The original Squad21 program still lives within the foundation.

"There are endless challenges facing our nation's military service members and veterans," said Palmieri. "We hope to help ease some of these challenges by providing support through The Kyle Palmieri Foundation and through our partnerships with National Military Family Association (NMFA), Service Women Action Network (SWAN), and Pets for Vets. Each of these organizations provides invaluable support and services, and the Foundation looks to help expand their incredible work. We're proud to offer our help as a way to say thank you to the brave men and women who are serving and have served our country."

Kyle regularly meets active military and veterans at regular season Devils games as part of the Squad21 program during the season. Kyle treats his guests to complimentary tickets, a special Squad 21 t-shirt and a post-game meet and greet with the group. Kyle does not stop short of meeting military personnel at his home arena, he also makes the effort on the road to meet with members of the military, regardless of their team affiliation.

He also hosts a number of big events in support of the foundation during the season. 

One of those events is a Military Ball. On February 23rd, 2019, The Kyle Palmieri Foundation hosted its inaugural Ball at Nanina's in the Park in Belleville, NJ. Attended by all of his teammates, as well as active and retired military members, the evening raised over $100,000 to benefit the foundation and the causes that it supports. The night hosted a silent auction, where several NHLplayers and teams from around the league supported Kyle with the contribution of signed memorabilia.

The New Jersey Devils today announced that the club has signed goaltender Gilles Senn to a two-year, entry-level contract. Senn was New Jersey's sixth choice (fifth round), 129th overall, in the 2017 NHL Draft. The announcement was made by Devils' Executive Vice President/General Manager Ray Shero.

• RELATED: Gilles Senn excited to go pro 

Senn, 23, spent the last five seasons, 2014-19, with HC Davos (Swiss-A). The left-catching netminder earned the NLA Youngster of the Year award during the 2016-17 season, when he finished with a .910 save percentage and a 2.64 GAA in 34 games played. He finished his career with HC Davos with a .901 save percentage and played in 16 playoff games. Senn also helped lead HC Davos to the semi-finals at the Spengler Cup held in Davos, Switzerland, posting a .937 save percentage and 2.03 save percentage in two games played.

Video: RAW | Gilles Senn Signs Contract

Gilles Senn isn't exactly sure how he's going to tell his parents.

When the pen met paper in New Jersey Devils general manager Ray Shero's office on April 17, Senn officially signed his first NHL contract. 

He hadn't yet told his parents. Just the Devils, his agent and Senn himself were aware.

It almost seemed too emotional for the 23-year-old Swiss goaltender to think about: The moment where his family would find out his dream has come true. 

"It's still crazy," Senn reflected. "I can't really tell you now, how it really feels. I might just have to call my dad and my mom and brother to tell them now that I'm signed. To hear that from them, maybe that will get me. It's the start now." 

Of the seven Devils prospects who started post-season runs, it's Ty Smith, Mitchell Hoelscher, and Jocktan Chainey who are still battling for Championship titles. All three advanced to Round 3 of their respective playoff series and will drop the puck towards the end of this week.

Ty Smith, Spokane Chiefs, WHL (2018, 1st round, #17)

In the first round of the Chiefs' 2019 WHL Playoff run, Smith earned one goal and two assists. During the second round of the post-season, Spokane faced off against the Everett Silvertips where they started the series with a 3-0 lead but fell in Game 4 to the Silvertips to put the series at 3-1 in favor of the Chiefs.

They call it a lottery for a reason and Devils GM Ray Shero sounded like a man who had won a jackpot he was not expecting on Tuesday night. 

Barring something unforeseen, the prize is either Jack Hughes, a slick centre with the U.S. National Development Team, or Kaapo Kakko, a right-shot winger who often plays the left side with TPS in his native Finland. 

"You try and do everything with all the players that you draft but especially with the No. 1 pick," said Shero. "When you get (the No. 1 pick), it's special."

Hughes has been slotted into the No. 1 position for roughly two years and though the final evaluation and selection still needs to take place, he has not wilted under the intense glare. 

Akira Schmid
Goalie - Catches Left
Born May 12, 2000 -- Nasslau, Switzerland 
Height 6.05 -- Weight 204lbs

When Akira Schmid was eight years old, he suited up as a hockey player for the first time. Perhaps a little later than most, Schmid had previously been playing soccer as a goalkeeper. 

Although it would seem natural to gravitate towards the goaltending position as a hockey player, that's not how things necessarily started for Schmid. 

The NHL's Central Scouting released its final rankings for the 2019 NHL Draft on Monday.

It was no surprise that Jack Hughes earned the top spot among North American skaters and Kaapo Kakko was number one among Europeans. 

• READ: NHL.com's article on the top North American skaters

• READ: NHL.com's article on the top European skaters

Defenceman Bowen Byram jumped up to second from fourth as one of the biggest movers at the top of the list. Here are all the rankings: 

• Top North American Skaters

• Top European Skaters

• Top North American Goaltenders

• Top European Goaltenders

For Nico Hischier, the memories are still fresh. Although he does admit it was all kind of a blur.

"With our first selection in the 2017 entry draft, the New Jersey Devils are proud to welcome from the Halifax Mooseheads, Nico Hischier," Ray Shero, General Manager of the New Jersey Devils announced from the stage in Chicago. 

And with those words, it all began for Hischier.

Video: 1-ON-1 | Hischier on the 1st Pick

"The moment I got drafted, I can't remember it. I was just so overwhelmed." 

He would spend the next few hours and days, in a whirlwind of media, travel and exploring with his family in tow from Switzerland. All eyes were on Nico, the first-ever first overall pick in New Jersey franchise history and the first-ever Swiss-born player to take the top spot.