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Two Wins Tucked Away: Mercer Powers Devils to Victory Ahead of Home Opener

  Photo: Andrew MacLean The New Jersey Devils survived a chaotic, late-game flurry in Columbus to secure their second straight victory on Monday night, defeating the Blue Jackets 3-2 to cap off their opening road trip. The star of the dramatic finish was forward Dawson Mercer, who netted a pair of goals—including the decisive empty-net marker—that momentarily gave the Devils a two-goal cushion before the Blue Jackets scored with 20 seconds left to keep the tension high until the final horn. Having collected four points out of a possible six on the road, New Jersey now turns its focus to the familiar roar of the Prudential Center crowd. The team finally heads home to Newark, where they will open their home slate on Thursday night with a pivotal early-season clash against the formidable Florida Panthers. New Jersey Devils Lineup: Palat - Hughes - Bratt Meier - Hischier - Mercer Gritsyuk - Glass - Brown Cotter - Glendening - Halonen Hughes - Pesce Siegenthaler - Hamilton Dillon - Neme...
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Luke Hughes: Calder Finalist

 






   On Tuesday, April 30th, the NHL announced the three Calder Trophy Finalists - Connor Bedard, Brock Faber, and Luke Hughes. All three rookies have had an amazing season and put in effort to finish their rookie seasons as the top three. The annual Awards ceremony will be held on June 27th in Las Vegas.

Hughes follows his brother Quinn Hughes (2nd in 2019-20) as a Calder Trophy finalist, which makes the duo the first brothers in NHL history voted for the award as finalists. 



   Luke Hughes, who appeared in the 2022-23 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs, recorded two assists in the New Jersey Devils' 8-4 victory against the Carolina Hurricanes. In Game 6, he had 25:02 minutes on the ice.

He played for the Michigan Wolverines for two years in the NCAA. In both seasons, he helped the Wolverines advance to the Frozen Four. Hughes recorded 27 goals, 60 assists, and 87 points in 80 career games with a plus-50. He was named to both the 2023 NCAA (West) First All-American Team and the 2022 NCAA (West) Second All-American Team.


 




   In the 2023-24 season, Luke Hughes had set a Devils' franchise record for points by a rookie defenseman. He finished off the season with a total of 47 points (nine goals, 38 assists) while appearing in all 82 games for New Jersey. With his 47 points, he ranked second (tied) among rookies in the entire NHL.

His nine goals were also the most scored by a rookie defenseman and his 38 assists ranked second. Hughes led all rookie skaters with 25 power-play points, finishing in third among all rookies in average ice time per game (21:28).



   Luke Hughes recorded a career-best seven-game scoring streak from March 24th to April 7th with one goal and six assists (seven points). During that stretch, he also posted a five-game assist streak. He recorded 14 points (one goal, 13 assists) during a 12-game period (March 9th-April 11th) late in the year. On April 3rd against the New York Rangers, he hit a career-high 32:49 minutes of ice time while topping 24 minutes in 13 games.

When he joined the Devils at the end of the 2022-23 season, he made a huge impact for the team as soon as he joined. After he finished an incredible two years with the University of Michigan, Luke Hughes made his NHL debut on April 11th against the Buffalo Sabres. He played his second career game in the season finale in Washington on the 13th of April and recorded his first NHL point/assist. Hughes helped set up a goal by his brother, Jack Hughes, and scored his first NHL career goal. His first career goal had been an overtime winner on a breathtaking individual effort. With Luke's two-point effort, he helped New Jersey secure their franchise record 52nd win and their 112th point on the year.



   Luke Hughes will represent Team USA at the upcoming IIHF World Championships in May. He captained the United States at the 2023 World Under-20 Junior Championship to a bronze medal after he had scored four goals and recorded five points in seven games.



 

 

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