Jack Hughes is back on the ice-but not quite back in the spotlight.
The New Jersey Devils star is in Milan with Team USA, gearing up for international play under head coach Mike Sullivan. And while the roster is stacked with elite talent, Hughes isn’t currently penciled into a top-six role. At least, not yet.
Sunday marked the first official practice for Team USA, and it offered a revealing look at how Sullivan is beginning to shape his lineup. The forward group is as loaded as you'd expect-Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, the Tkachuk brothers, Jake Guentzel, and more. But the early combinations are telling: Hughes is skating outside the top six, and that’s a notable development for a player once expected to be a centerpiece of this American squad.
Here’s how the top of the lineup looked during that opening skate:
Top Forward Lines:
- Jake Guentzel - Auston Matthews - Matt Boldy
- Brady Tkachuk - Jack Eichel - Matthew Tkachuk
Top Defensive Pairings:
- Quinn Hughes - Charlie McAvoy
- Jaccob Slavin - Brock Faber
- Zach Werenski - Noah Hanifin
- Jake Sanderson - Jackson LaCombe
That top-six forward group is built for power and pace. Matthews centering Guentzel and Boldy gives Team USA a line that can dominate possession and finish chances. Meanwhile, Eichel between the Tkachuk brothers brings a physical edge with high-end skill, a combination that could wear down opponents over the course of a tournament.
But the absence of Jack Hughes from those lines is hard to ignore-especially after he opened the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament playing on Matthews’ wing. By the time the U.S. faced Canada in the final, Hughes had slid down the lineup, logging fewer minutes than veteran center Brock Nelson. That shift wasn’t necessarily a condemnation of his play-he didn’t look out of place-but it did reflect a search for better chemistry and more consistent production.
Now in Milan, Hughes is still looking to reclaim his spot. And there’s another layer to this: health.
He’s returning from a hand injury that’s clearly impacted his game. Since suffering the injury in November, Hughes has just one goal in his last 18 games.
For a player known for his dynamic skating and playmaking, that’s a concerning stretch. Sullivan has said Hughes is a full-go now, no longer limited by the injury, but the lack of recent production is still part of the equation.
What’s also interesting is where Hughes’ brother, Quinn, has landed. He’s skating on the top defensive pair with Charlie McAvoy, a bit of a surprise given how much chemistry he’s shown with Brock Faber. But it’s a testament to Quinn’s versatility and the coaching staff’s trust in his ability to adapt.
As for Jack, this is just the beginning of camp. Lineups in early practices are rarely set in stone, and with the kind of skill he brings to the table, he’s not out of the mix by any stretch. Sullivan is clearly still evaluating combinations, and there's plenty of time for Hughes to make his case.
But for now, the message is clear: the competition for top-six minutes on Team USA is fierce, and Hughes has some ground to make up.