Jack Hughes has landed in Milan, and while the spotlight on Team USA’s Olympic roster is packed with star power, all eyes are on where the New Jersey Devils forward slots into this high-octane lineup. The Americans are chasing their first Olympic gold since 1980, and with the group stage underway, the path to the podium is taking shape.
Let’s be clear: the road to gold likely runs through a showdown with Canada. Teams like Switzerland-led by Nico Hischier-and Sweden-featuring Jesper Bratt and Jacob Markstrom-have enough talent to make things interesting, but the U.S. and Canada are the clear frontrunners in their respective groups.
Both squads are expected to cruise through group play and earn a bye straight to the quarterfinals. That means a few tune-up games for Team USA to figure out which combinations click and which ones don’t.
And that’s where Hughes’ role becomes especially intriguing.
In Monday’s practice, Team USA rolled out a lineup that gave us our first real look at how the coaching staff is thinking. Hughes wasn’t in the top six.
Instead, he was skating on a line with Brock Nelson and J.T. Miller-two natural centers, just like Hughes.
That’s a trio of pivots playing together on what amounts to the fourth line. Vincent Trocheck was also rotating in, giving the Americans four centers in the bottom six.
It’s an unconventional setup, but one that gives the coaching staff flexibility and depth.
Here’s how the forward lines looked in that session:
- Tkachuk / Eichel / Tkachuk
- Guentzel / Matthews / Boldy
- Connor / Larkin / Thompson
- Miller / Nelson / Hughes
- Trocheck (rotating in)
And on defense:
- Hughes / McAvoy
- Slavin / Faber
- Sanderson / Werenski
- LaCombe / Hanifin
Connor Hellebuyck was in net during the session.
Now, let’s talk about Hughes’ positioning. He’s being used on the wing-a spot where he hasn’t looked entirely comfortable this season.
We saw him play there at the 4 Nations Face-Off, but that was in a top-six role. This is different.
This is the bottom six, and it signals that Hughes is going to have to earn his way up the lineup.
That said, context matters. Hughes has been working his way back from a hand injury suffered in November.
Since returning in December, he’s only found the net twice. That’s not the Hughes we’re used to seeing-especially not the dynamic, playmaking version that Devils fans know can take over a game.
But there’s good reason to believe he’s finally rounding back into form. If he’s close to full health-and all signs point to that being the case-then it’s only a matter of time before he starts looking like himself again.
And if that happens, don’t be surprised if he pushes his way into a bigger role. One name to watch?
Matthew Boldy. If Hughes gets hot, a swap between those two could be on the table.
Bottom line: the Americans are loaded, and this lineup is far from set in stone. These early games are about building chemistry, finding the right fits, and giving players like Hughes a chance to play their way into more minutes.
The talent is there. Now it’s about unlocking it at the right time.