Hughes thriving for United States at World Junior Summer Showcase

KAMLOOPS, British Columbia -- Jack Hughes has excelled against older, more developed competition his entire hockey career, so it's not surprising the 17-year-old forward is thriving with the United States at the World Junior Summer Showcase.

Hughes has shown in practice and games against players two years older than him this week at Sandman Centre why he's considered the best player available for the 2019 NHL Draft.
"As a kid, I always played a year up," Hughes said. "I was always playing with 2000 (born players), which pushed me and brought me to their level.
"For me, [World Junior Summer Showcase] is kind of the same. I've played my game. I can adjust to any pace, whether it's a fast game or a slow game. I can vary my game to certain situations."
That game features an offensive skill set, skating ability and hockey sense all considered to be at elite levels.

"There's a factor with Jack that's different than a lot of other players," said John Vanbiesbrouck, general manager of the United States for the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship. "He's pretty captivating as a player. When you watch him, he wants the puck all the time. There's no playing on the perimeter for him; he's right in the middle and gets to the middle of the ice. I think there's something emerging there.
"And he's not just a great hockey player. He's getting better every day. He's absorbing what's going on here. He's taking it all in and that's what great players do."
Hughes has had no shortage of good hockey to watch; his older brother, defenseman Quintin Hughes, was selected by the Vancouver Canucks with the No. 7 pick of the 2018 NHL Draft. His father, Jim Hughes, was director of player development for the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2009-15, and is now director of player development for Creative Artists Agency.
"He was telling things to us when we were 10 and 11 that he was saying to his 20-year-old prospects," Jack said. "He always treated us like we were much older. The amount of times we were sitting on the couch watching a hockey game and he'd pull out the rink board and show us plays, what to do, where to go. We had a lot of video sessions just watching the game with him. A game could take two hours, and with him it would take four or five."
The extra work has paid off; Hughes had 116 points (40 goals, 76 assists) in 60 games split between USA Hockey's National Team Development Program Under-17 and Under-18 teams. That's one point off the single-season NTDP record set by center Auston Matthews in 2014-15. Matthews was the No. 1 pick in the 2016 NHL Draft by the Maple Leafs.
Hughes also helped the United States win the silver medal at the 2018 IIHF World Under-18 Championship. He was named the tournament's best forward and most valuable player after he led the tournament with 12 points (five goals, seven assists) in seven games.
"He's so smart on the ice," said Joel Farabee (Philadelphia Flyers), Hughes' linemate at the NTDP and the World U-18s. "He's got all the intangibles, he's got the hands, he's got the skating. What separates him is how he thinks the game. I think that will really help him heading into his draft year."

He's had no problem showcasing his well-rounded skill set during the WJSS. In United States White's 7-5 win against Canada Red on Tuesday, his strong forecheck forced a turnover behind the Canada net, and he found Quintin alone in the right face-off circle for the game-winning goal.
Then in the first period against Sweden on Thursday, Jack (5-foot-9, 157 pounds) got the puck from Quintin in the middle of the offensive zone in traffic, took a hit and scored with a hard, low, off-balance shot.
"Very rarely does he surprise me because I grew up with him and I can pretty much tell when he's going to do," Quintin said. "But there's always these plays where I'm like, 'Wow. Did that just happen?' "
Prior to this week, the brothers had played together in one organized game.
"Quinn was in his minor-midget year with the (Toronto) Marlies and they called me up two years," Jack said. "He would have been 15 and I would have been 13."
Quintin remembered the game because Jack, of course, stood out.
"I was a little nervous for him because he's playing two years up," he said. "All these guys hit puberty and he [hadn't]. He ended up scoring that game."
Quintin long ago stopped being surprised at Jack succeeding against older competition.
"Since he was 3 or 4 years old, he was always the best," he said. "He was the kid in novice who would have six goals and could lift the puck before anyone else. He was pretty much ahead of the curve from the get-go."
Jack knows what's coming this season after watching Quintin go through the draft process last season. That's why despite all the talk about him being potentially the No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft, he has a relaxed mindset heading into another season with the NTDP.
"I don't really see it as pressure," he said. "I know there's a lot of great players in the draft, so it's going to be competitive. But there's so much time. The draft is a year away. I'm not too worried about where I might go. I'm just worried about my game and how I'm playing."