Likely No. 1 NHL pick Hughes sets U.S. record
ORNSKOLDSVIK, Sweden — Jack Hughes, the consensus No. 1 prospect for the 2019 NHL draft, had a record-breaking day at the IIHF World Under-18 Championship.
Hughes scored three goals and added an assist during a 6-0 win over Finland on Thursday, setting the United States record for career points and tying the U.S. record for points in a single tournament.
Hughes has 28 points in 12 career games at U18 Worlds, passing Phil Kessel, who had 26 points in 14 games at the event in 2004 and 2005. The U.S. advanced to the tournament’s semifinal with the victory over Finland.
Hughes currently leads all players in the tournament with 16 points in just five games. That tied Kessel’s U.S. single-tournament mark from 2005, when he had 16 points in six games.
“To be honest, I didn’t even know those numbers,” Hughes said when asked if he used the records for motivation. “We’re here for gold medals. I just try to produce to help my team win. I usually know those stats, but this tournament I only have one thing on my mind.”
The Orlando, Florida, native is now three points shy of tying Alex Ovechkin‘s career scoring record of 31, set over 14 games in two tournaments in 2002 and 2003. The single-tournament points record is held by Nikita Kucherov, who had 21 in seven games at the 2011 event.
Hughes already set the U.S. National Team Development Program’s career points record, shattering Clayton Keller‘s previous record of 189. Hughes is at 224 points in his two years at the NTDP. Kessel, Patrick Kane and Auston Matthews are among the other players Hughes has passed on the career list.
In addition to Hughes’s scoring barrage, Cole Caufield added another goal to his single-tournament total. His 12 goals rank second only to Ovechkin’s 14, scored during the 2002 World U18 Championship.
The U.S. will meet Russia in the semifinal Saturday.