Devils center Jack Hughes was named to his second NHL All-Star Game on Thursday night.
This season, the NHL had one player from each team represented in the festivities, which take place Feb. 3 and 4 in the home of the Florida Panthers.
Entering Thursday, Hughes has 22 goals, 22 assists in 38 games played for the surprising Devils. The 21-year-old leads the team in both categories and is on pace for 48 goals after scoring 15 in his last 18 games.
“Well-deserved,” Damon Severson said of Hughes’ selection. “Jack’s a helluva player. You see him grow. He’s fun to play with. Everyone in the room is happy for him.”
“He’s come a long way. He keeps elevating his game, competitive,” coach Lindy Ruff said after Thursday’s game against the Oilers. “There are areas of his game that we’ll keep working on to make him a better player. But he has come a long way and he puts the work in.
“You have to give him a lot of credit from where he was at and how his shot has developed. It’s a nice reward for the type of year he’s having. You love to see a guy like that rewarded on our team.”
Hughes is one of 32 All-Stars announced on Thursday.
The other Eastern Conference representatives joining Hughes in Florida include Igor Shesterkin, Linus Ullmark, Johnny Gaudreau, Nikita Kucherov, Dylan Larkin, Mitchell Marner, Nick Suzuki, Brady Tkachuk, Matthew Tkachuk, Andrei Svechnikov, Kevin Hayes, Tage Thompson, Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby and Brock Nelson.
