New Jersey Devils star forward Jack Hughes has a lot to prove in the 2026 Winter Olympics. He’s off to a good start as of Thursday.
Team USA routed Latvia in a 5-1 victory during their first preliminary game.
Hughes registered two primary assists on two goals by Colorado Avalanche forward Brock Nelson in 11:14 of time on ice across 16 shifts.
Hughes is playing in the fourth line with Nelson and a rotation between New York Rangers forwards J.T. Miller and Vincent Trocheck.
Hughes also saw time on USA’s second unit power play.
The Devils star forward looked more engaged on Thursday vs. Latvia than he has perhaps since before he became injured in November.
He dominated puck possession and certainly elevated his line ages with some elite playmaking. Hughes was even effective in the neutral and defensive zones applying pressure on the forecheck.
Hughes made his Olympic debut alongside his brother, Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes. The Hughes and Tkachuk brothers are the first set of siblings in a USA Olympic roster since 1964.
The oldest and middle of three Hughes brothers even got a few shifts together, and nearly connected for a goal after they put in a skating clinic weaving through Latvia with puck possession.
On playing with his older brother Quinn, Jack explained the instant chemistry.
“It’s funny, we go to the same spots a little bit. … I wanted to play with him all night. It’s so fun to be doing give-and-gos with him, playing off each other,” Jack said.
We won’t overreact to one game against Latvia. However, this is the kind of start Devils fans wanted to see from their star forward.
Team USA plays again on Saturday vs. Denmark at 3:00 P.M. ET and hope to see the dominance continue then, and after the preliminary rounds when the games matter most.
