In Craig Button's latest rankings for the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, TSN's resident scout and general manager has Jack Hughes as the first name to be selected at this year's draft in Vancouver.
The younger brother of Canucks 1st-rounder Quinn Hughes recently won a silver medal with his brother for the United States at the 2019 World Juniors.
Hughes missed three games in the preliminary round of the tournament, but still managed to produce four assists in the four games he suited up in.
While scoring at a point-per-game feat as a 17-year-old while competing against NHL prospects two years older than Hughes is impressive from a statistical point of view, some people in the hockey world feel that Hughes may need another year of seasoning before jumping up to the NHL.
The takes ruffled some feathers on Twitter, as supporters downplayed Hughes' 5'10" and 168-pound frame as the rationale behind the knock on Hughes. But, if you look at the current point scorers in the NHL, there's a ton of players with similar stature like Johnny Gaudreau.
From a points-per-game standpoint at effectively the same age, Hughes is actually outscoring graduates of the USNTDP -- Clayton Keller, Phil Kessel, Jack Eichel and Auston Matthews -- during his time with the program.
With the NHL changing to a game that is built on speed and skill, does Hughes really need another year outside of the NHL? Let us know what you think in our Facebook comments, or tweet us at @BarDown.
