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Ice Lab

Defence · #43

Luke Hughes

New Jersey Devils
Age
23
Shoots
Left
Height
188 cm
Weight
90 kg
Born
Manchester, USA
Draft
2021, round 1, #4 (NJD)

Career · 2022–23 to 2026–27

Games
226
Goals
24
Points
129
TOI per game
21:50
xGF% (5v5)
52.2%
Goals above expected
−4.2

Season by season

The regular-season line for each season, with the total, by team for traded players.

2022–23NJD2112016:14250.0%00.457.5%
2023–24NJD8293847−2521:281356.7%257.952.3%
2024–25NJD7173744−921:091215.8%169.252.6%
2025–26NJD6862935−423:011504.0%1310.050.9%
2026–27NJD3101024:04119.1%00.865.6%
Total1 team22624105129−3821:504195.7%5428.252.2%

Form

Rolling averages smooth out single games so the trend shows.

Form, ten-game rolling

Points and individual expected goals per game (left scale), averaged over the previous ten games. Ice time is on the second chart.

Points per gameixG per gameTOI per game (minutes)
00.5150100150200
18m20m22m24m26m50100150200Game

Player card

Model-based

How 2022–23 to 2026–27 compares with everyone else at the position over the same seasons, and the players with the most similar profile.

Overall rating

1st pair

91st percentile among qualified defencemen, blending scoring 30%, play-driving 50%, usage 20%.

  1. 1st pair
  2. 2nd pair
  3. 3rd pair
  4. Extra / AHL

Scoring

1st pair
  • Goals /600.2978th pct
  • Assists /601.2893rd pct
  • ixG /600.3493rd pct
  • Shots /605.1083rd pct

Play-driving

1st pair
  • xGF% (5v5)52.2%78th pct
  • CF% (5v5)53.8%91st pct
  • Relative xGF%+1.473rd pct
  • xGA /60 (lower is better)2.4858th pct

Usage

1st pair
  • TOI per game21:5084th pct
  • PP time share55.7%92nd pct
  • PK time share13.5%29th pct
  • Quality of competition24.7%65th pct

Percentiles among defencemen with 200+ minutes at 5-on-5 and 20+ games. Ratings rank each column's average percentile among the same players and read it as a role on a depth chart (how).

Most similar players this season

  1. Quinn HughesVAN/MIN0.95
  2. Erik KarlssonPIT0.94
  3. Shayne GostisbehereDET/CAR0.91
  4. Vince DunnSEA0.91
  5. Shea TheodoreVGK0.90
  6. Josh MorrisseyWPG0.90

Finishing

Model-based

Did the goals match the chances?

Goals against expected goals

Cumulative goals (solid) and individual xG (dashed) through the season. The gap is finishing: above the dashed line, the player scored more than an average shooter would from the same chances.

−4.2 goals above expected

-505101520253050100150200Game

Goals above expected, everyone at the same position with 20+ games

−15−10−50+5+10+15+20+25

Speed and tracking

From the NHL's EDGE tracking system (2021–22 on): skating speed, shot speed, distance and zone time, for the selected seasons and then every tracked season, to show improvement or decline.

Tracking data (NHL EDGE)

Values from the NHL's puck and player tracking, with the NHL's own league percentile for each. Missing values mean the player wasn't tracked enough.

Tracking

  • Top skating speed33.9 km/h72nd pct
  • Speed bursts over 20 mph999th pct
  • Hardest shot142.3 km/h79th pct
  • Distance skated19 km85th pct
  • Offensive-zone time46.6%87th pct
Tracking, season by season

Each season against the other defencemen that season with 20+ games. A season in progress appears once half its games are played, as provisional: season bests only grow. Bursts and distance are per 60 minutes of ice time, so seasons with fewer games still compare. Percentiles are on these rates, so they can differ from the NHL's, which are on season totals.

This playerMedian defencemanMiddle half (25th–75th percentile)Hollow dot: too few games to rank, or a season in progress (*, dashed). Dotted line: no NHL games that season.

Top skating speed

37.6 km/h96th pct

▼ −0.3 km/h since 2024–25

323436384022–2323–2424–2525–262022–23: 32.8 km/h, 2nd percentile (2 games, too few to rank reliably)2023–24: 38.9 km/h, 100th percentile (82 games)2024–25: 38.0 km/h, 97th percentile (71 games)2025–26: 37.6 km/h, 96th percentile (68 games)

Bursts over 20 mph per 60

4.596th pct

▼ −0.5 since 2024–25

0246822–2323–2424–2525–262022–23: 5.5, 99th percentile (2 games, too few to rank reliably)2023–24: 6.8, 99th percentile (82 games)2024–25: 5.0, 98th percentile (71 games)2025–26: 4.5, 96th percentile (68 games)

Distance skated per 60

14.5 km96th pct

▼ −0.4 km since 2024–25

121314151622–2323–2424–2525–262022–23: 15.0 km, 100th percentile (2 games, too few to rank reliably)2023–24: 14.8 km, 99th percentile (82 games)2024–25: 14.9 km, 99th percentile (71 games)2025–26: 14.5 km, 96th percentile (68 games)

Hardest shot

156.4 km/h86th pct

▲ +11.3 km/h since 2024–25

10012014016018022–2323–2424–2525–262022–23: 121.0 km/h, 0th percentile (2 games, too few to rank reliably)2023–24: 149.3 km/h, 47th percentile (82 games)2024–25: 145.1 km/h, 33rd percentile (71 games)2025–26: 156.4 km/h, 86th percentile (68 games)

Offensive-zone time

43.2%74th pct

▼ −0.4 points since 2024–25

38%40%42%44%46%22–2323–2424–2525–262022–23: 42.5%, 63rd percentile (2 games, too few to rank reliably)2023–24: 44.9%, 86th percentile (82 games)2024–25: 43.6%, 80th percentile (71 games)2025–26: 43.2%, 74th percentile (68 games)