T.J. Hughes finally has the first NHL goal off his back, and the Colorado Avalanche rookie did it with some serious star power behind him.
In Denver, Hughes cashed in on a setup from Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, scoring the first goal of his NHL career and giving his early run with Colorado another clear sign of progress. Through eight games, he has two points - a goal and an assist - a line that may not jump off the page but does fit the picture of a young player still learning the league.
Hughes came to Colorado with plenty of offensive credibility already attached. At Michigan, he was a standout and finished as a top-three finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, the annual honor for college hockey’s best player.
The scoring touch was never the question. The challenge has been carrying that game into the NHL, where the pace hits different and the window to make a play shrinks fast.
He made his debut on Sept. 30 against the Los Angeles Kings and flashed the skill that made him productive in college and with the Colorado Eagles. Since then, the adjustment has been about speed, timing and comfort. Hughes said he can feel that progress building.
"Felt really good," Hughes said. "I think it was a big goal, big time of the game.
They gave me a great pass. I think the power play just expired, but the power play was good.
(Nathan MacKinnon) just made a great play, and I was able to score."
The fact that MacKinnon and Makar were the ones feeding him made the moment stand out even more.
"Yeah, it's really cool," Hughes continued. "Just elite players, best players in the world right there, and just trying to get open for them when I can."
That’s the job for Hughes right now: find space, be ready, and let elite teammates do what elite teammates do. Colorado wants to see that offensive instinct become a regular part of his game as he settles into the lineup.
Hughes says the game feels easier now than it did in his first outing, though he knows he’s still in the middle of the learning curve.
"I do definitely feel more comfortable than, like, let's say, game one," Hughes said. "But I just feel like the comfort just keeps getting up each game."
Jared Bednar has seen enough to know the goals will come if Hughes keeps creating the way he has. The Avalanche coach said there will be some uneven stretches as the rookie adjusts, and he pointed to the physical grind of the league as part of that process.
"He's gonna improve, and there may be some ebbs and flows to his game," Bednar said. "Fatigue is a real thing for players."
Bednar has liked the way Hughes thinks the game and keeps finding himself in dangerous areas, even when the finish hasn’t always been there.
"Smart player, tries to do the right things," Bednar said. "He's got to keep working on picking up the pace, but he sees things, and he makes plays."
He also singled out Hughes’ work against Dallas on Wednesday, when the rookie put together a couple of strong third-period plays to create chances in a game the Stars won 3-2 in a shootout. He backed it up in the next outing and finally got the payoff.
"Tonight he's all over the scoring chance sheet again," Bednar said. "It's gonna come for him."
That’s the encouraging part for Colorado. Hughes is still figuring out when to attack, when to keep things simple and how fast he needs to process everything around him at this level. But the looks are there, and now he’s getting rewarded.
His college résumé already showed the offensive tools. The next step is proving he can deliver them over and over in the NHL.
"It's just experience, playing in the league, and knowing what he can do and what he can't do, and then consistently going out and competing hard," Bednar said.
Eight games in, Hughes has one goal and one assist. It’s a modest start, but for a rookie settling in, it also looks like a player moving in the right direction.
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