Hurricanes defenseman knows firsthand how ‘special’ Devils forward Jack Hughes can be
Brady Skjei’s first association with Jack Hughes came with Team USA at the 2019 World Championships in Slovakia.
Hughes was 17, slight, boyish, already viewed as a hockey prodigy and the one everyone believed would be first overall pick in the NHL Draft.
“Special,” Skjei said Tuesday.
Four years later, Hughes is 21, still slight, still boyish in appearance and still an emerging hockey star with the New Jersey Devils, who did make the forward the No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft. They’re now the team standing in the way of the Carolina Hurricanes, who face the Devils in the second round of the Stanley cup playoffs, which begins Wednesday at PNC Arena.
Many believe it could be a fast-paced series, and many eyes will be on No. 86, Hughes, That includes Skjei, one of the Canes’ defensemen who should be on the ice defending Hughes’ line during the series.
“Obviously he has elite-level skill,” Skjei said. “You could see that, even at 17 and about to get drafted. He was young but you could tell he had that skill, that confidence.
“You knew he was going to be a good player and he’s absolutely shown that. He’s an elite player in this league and a great young guy.”
Skjei was with the New York Rangers in 2019 when he competed with Team USA and Hughes coming off a season with the U.S. National Team Development Program, having broken the points record set by Clayton Keller. The U.S. World Championship team had among its forwards Patrick Kane, Johnny Gaudreau and James van Riemsdyk, but Skjei said Hughes, even as a junior, fit in well with the older guys.
“He had a good youthful energy about him,” Skjei said “We knew who he was. Yeah, he was this tiny guy but we knew he would probably be No. 1 in the draft.”
Vancouver defenseman Quinn Hughes, Jack’s older brother, also was on Team USA that year, Skjei calling them “two great kids from a great family.” A third brother, Luke, was a first-round pick by the Devils (fourth overall) in 2021 and the defenseman played his first two NHL games this season.
The 2019 IIHF World Championship did not end well for the U.S. team. Seeded seventh entering the quarterfinals, Team USA suffered a 4-3 loss to Russia.
Skjei scored the first goal for the U.S., and Hughes assisted on goals by Noah Hanifin and Alex DeBrincat in the loss. Finland won the gold medal, Canada the silver and Russia the bronze.
Skjei was traded to the Canes in 2020 just before the pandemic brought the season to a halt. Oddly, the Canes were in New Jersey when the news came the NHL was postponing all games because of the burgeoning coronavirus threat.
At 5-11 and 175 pounds, Hughes will always be one of the smallest players on the ice. He might be the fastest and often the most agile, with a keen hockey sense.
“He’s fun to watch,” said Canes forward Martin Necas, another fast guy on the ice. “They like to go, go, go and he can go.”
The Canes don’t mind a faster-paced game, especially after the slow grind of the series with the New York Islanders. Coach Rod Brind’Amour has been tinkering with different looks with his lines in practice this week: Jordan Staal with Jack Drury and Necas, and Jesperi Kotkaniemi centering Jordan Martinook and Jesper Fast.
Hughes, in his fourth NHL season, put up some big-time offensive numbers: 43 goals and 99 points in 78 games. In the Devils’ playoff series win over the Rangers, he had three goals and two assists in the seven games.
“I’m not surprised,” Skjei said. “I was impressed when I first saw him in the World Championship and nothing has surprised me with him. It’s hard to get close to 100 points in this league. It takes a while to figure it out but he has figured it out,
“And the Devils have got other dynamic, high-end speed players. They play fast and obviously want to go up and down the ice. It will be a good challenge.”
