“Gearing up my body this summer” – Devils prospect Luke Hughes gains experience through intense schedule ahead of 2022 World Juniors
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Luke Hughes
American ice hockey defenceman and the New Jersey Devils prospect Luke Hughes has such an intense schedule and sometimes faces a hard time keeping it straight. The youngster had played just one game for the United States of America at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta, before the tournament was cancelled on December 29 due to coronavirus concerns.
“Just gearing up my body this summer and trying to get ready for the season at Michigan — or, well, no, for world juniors now and [to] try to win a gold medal,” Hughes said with a laugh at the National Junior Evaluation Camp at USA Hockey Arena last week, as quoted by NHL.com.
“… I don’t really want to focus too far away or anything like that. I just go game by game and event by event, starting with world juniors. I’m super happy about that.”
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“Want to get better in the ‘D’ zone”
The 18-year-old Hughes finished his freshman season at the University of Michigan and went to the Frozen Four. Following this, he played 10 games for the USA at the 2022 IIHF World Championship in Helsinki and Tampere, Finland. The New Hampshire native will now move back to the 2022 World Juniors, which have been rescheduled for Edmonton from August 9-20.
Hughes, who was the only freshman to finish among the Top 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, has come a long way in a matter of months.
“It was an unreal experience for me,” Hughes said. “Yeah, I mean, it’s super valuable. I learned a lot. It would have been nice to medal, but that’s the goal in these next two tournaments.
“I want to get better in the ‘D’ zone. I want to work on my hands, work on my shot, and get better at everything. Stick detail, closing. It’s not just one area or anything like that.”
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Sachin Arora
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