Jack Hughes joins brother Riley on potent Northeastern roster

It didn’t take long for the youngest player on the 2021-22 Northeastern Huskies roster to make another positive impression during the team’s first practice at Matthews Arena.

True freshman Jack Hughes corralled a loose puck near the right post and pulled a defenseman to him as he feigned a move to the outside. Turning his body to shield the puck, he then made a quick cut to the opposite direction to open space between him and the man covering him, forcing a quick decision by his opponent.

The moment the defender lunged and was off balance, Hughes pushed it to the tape of a wide-open Sam Colangelo off the left post. The Anaheim Ducks prospect from Stoneham, Mass., then wasted no time in burying puck in the back of the net through the back door.

It was just one practice play among many, with many more practices and games to come. However, the natural vision and poise that Westwood, Mass., native Hughes showed so early in the process is indicative of his rising stock as an expected early-round selection in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft in Montreal next summer.

Playing with older brother Riley, a New York Rangers prospect, makes the experience of being on the team all the more special for Hughes, but his commitment to Northeastern went beyond the obvious family dynamic.

“I definitely wanted to be in Boston, I wanted to be close to home,” Hughes said. “Northeastern has had a lot of success in the past years with their coaching staff. I really like the coaching staff here. They do a great job. It’s close to home and has a campus — it’s not just right in the middle of the city — and I’ve loved it so far.”

For his older brother’s part, having Jack on the team is finally a chance for the two to be teammates.

“It’s obviously exciting,” Riley Hughes said. “We were supposed to play together a couple of years ago in my senior year (at St. Sebastian’s) and he was going to be a freshman, but I ended up leaving (for the BCHL) and we didn’t get that opportunity. To finally get it feels like a long time coming.”

Prior to Northeastern, the cerebral and skilled younger Hughes was a standout performer with the Boston Junior Eagles split-season teams and at the prep level with the Arrows before making the U.S. National Team Development Program Under-17 team in 2019.

“For Jack, we’ve been watching him for a long time (with the Junior Eagles) and we felt he was one of the best ’03s in the country,” Northeastern head coach Jerry Keefe (Saugus, Mass.) told New England Hockey Journal.

“We went hard after Jack because we felt he could be a big-time difference-maker for this program. Having Riley here is a nice thing for Jack to be able to be look up to him, and I think that helped with the recruiting process, but we’re fortunate to have such a talented kid that works as hard as he does.”

While he can skate, handle the puck and shoot it at a high level, the 6-foot, 165-pound center’s vision and ability to think the game are key attributes that jump out at you on his first shift. He’s around the puck a lot and makes quick decisions to move it to the right areas with a creative, attacking mindset. His willingness to put in the on- and off-ice work to keep advancing in the sport will appeal to NHL teams tracking his progress.

“He’s an elite thinker,” said Keefe. “He’s dynamic, he wants the puck, he wants it on his stick at key times in the game. He’s very good on the power play. At the end of the day, he brings an exceptional hockey IQ. He’s a playmaker, that’s what he is.”

Growing up, the Hughes brothers had a three-year age difference, and the two had a typical sibling rivalry, but Riley said they were also supportive of one another.

“I was too old for us to play with or against each other,” Riley Hughes said. “But we played a lot of games in the basement and everything we did was competitive. We played a lot of video games and other sports, so we played a lot of things together 1-on-1. I want to say that I probably made him better, by going against an older opponent, but I’m also his biggest supporter.”

Riley also has been able to watch his younger brother enough to generate his own scouting report on Jack.

“He’s a very smart player and has an unbelievable skill-set,” Riley said. “He makes room for himself on the ice, he finds open players, creates space for others, and he can do it all with his hands. I’d like to see him skate a little bit more and use his body, but his skills are (elite) and it’s been like that since he was a little kid. He puts a lot of work into it, so it’s not a surprise, but he’s a highly talented player who reads the ice well. It’s a good combination.”

The experiences Jack had while playing for the NTDP helped set him up to come into school right away. As great as the competition was for him both in juniors against other USHL teams, and against college teams and the best international players in his peer group, he said that the holistic approach to developing players on Team USA was critical.

“It’s been huge,” he said of his time at 'The Program.' “Everybody goes out there and everyone wants to be the best player on the team, and that’s how practice is every day. It’s super competitive. That’s how it is in the weight room, too — everyone is always pushing each other. They try to treat you like pros there, and they expect a lot in return.”

Building up his body and core strength are the biggest areas in Hughes’ development that he credits the NTDP for improving.

“It definitely made me a lot stronger; we would lift after games sometimes and we’d lift four times a week every week,” Hughes said. “It was a huge part for me in my development and getting heavier and stronger. Off the ice, they hold you accountable for everything, whether it’s a small detail or a big detail. I think that helped me here, by getting used to living on my own and being away from home.”

Getting stronger and more experienced are areas of emphasis for him at Northeastern for as long as he’s a student-athlete there. Having close friend and NTDP teammate Ryan St. Louis (Riverside, Conn.) as a fellow freshman on the squad also has been beneficial for Hughes. The two lived together in Michigan and they formed a tight bond that has carried over.

“He’s a great player; he’s super creative and one of the best players I ever played with,” St. Louis said. “I’m excited to be here with him and looking forward to doing great things.”

There is much work to be done between now and the draft, but the early returns are in, and Hughes will be in demand with NHL scouts this season wherever his team is playing.

“It’s been everything I expected and more,” Hughes said. “I’m excited for what comes next.”