Defenseman
USNTDP Juniors/USHL
Height: 6’2″/ Weight: 176 lbs.
Size/Strength Excellent
Skating Excellent
Shot/Scoring Good
Puckhandling Excellent
Physical Play Good
Offensive Play Excellent
Defensive Play Good
Hockey Sense Excellent
Competitiveness Great
Strengths
1. Silky-smooth skater; can transport the puck up ice on his stick, while generating speed through the neutral zone and attacking offensive zone
2. More than willing to roam the offensive zone a bit with and without the puck; sometimes acts as a fourth forward on the ice
3. An exciting player to watch, as he will likely find his way onto the scoresheet a fair amount
Areas for improvement
- Tries to do too much with the puck at times, which can lead to turnovers
- Needs to improve on his overall defensive awareness, if he want to be relied on to play top 4 minutes in the NHL
Scouting Report:
Luke Hughes is the younger brother of Jack and Quinn Hughes. Like his brothers, Luke is an excellent skater who has the ability to get up and down the rink with ease. Unlike his brothers, he is 6’2″ and 176lbs with room to fill out and get stronger. Luke is an offensive blueliner who plays aggressively and is constantly looking to push the pace. Hughes is most known for his skating; the young defenseman has a silky smooth stride and possesses elite edges. Luke Hughes is an excellent puck-rusher; his fluid stride and shifty edgework allow him to elude opponents as he skates up ice with the puck. He can be seen as the ‘fourth’ forward on the ice and is never afraid to jump into the play or play deep in the offensive zone to create scoring chances. Hughes shows remarkable poise with the puck at his age, sees the ice remarkably well, and is an excellent puck distributor and playmaker. Hughes will be an exciting player to watch this season as he will likely find his way onto the scoresheet a fair amount; the key to his draft stock will likely lie in the defensive zone as teams will want to know how committed this offensive-minded defenseman will be in his own end when his team is protecting the lead in the final few minutes. In a defenseman loaded with stud defenseman, Luke Hughes has the potential to be one of the best defensemen in this draft if he can improve more on the defensive side of the puck. With that said, I think Luke Hughes should be a top 10 pick in the 2021 draft.
Skill:
An Offensive Defenseman who can be one of the league’s top power play quarterbacks
Style Comparison: Roman Josi
NHL Potential: Top Pair Offensive Defenseman
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | PTS |
| 2018-19 | Little Caesars 15U AAA | U15 AAA | 71 | 22 | 83 |
| 2019-20 | U.S. National U17 | USDP | 48 | 7 | 28 |
| 2020-21 | USNTDP Juniors | USHL | 5 | 2 | 6 |
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