Just three days ago, New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes headed to Plymouth, Michigan to take part in the U.S. Olympic Men’s Hockey Orientation Camp. He, along with 43 others including his brothers Jack and Quinn, are hoping to be part of a group in Milan, Italy that can lead the stars and stripes to their first Olympic gold since 1980.
Related: Projecting the United States’ Roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics
Just because a player is invited to camp, however, does not mean they are guaranteed to make the squad. The final roster will carry 25 players, meaning at least 18 that attended camp won’t make the cut.
Hughes’ Olympic Chances
The youngest Hughes had a pretty respectable 2024-25 season on paper: 44 points in 71 games. The Hockey Writers‘ Tony Wolak projected the following defensemen to make the U.S. roster: Quinn Hughes, Charlie McAvoy, Zach Werenski, Adam Fox, Jaccob Slavin, Seth Jones, Jake Sanderson and Brock Faber.
If healthy, the roster will undoubtedly feature Q. Hughes and McAvoy (who are already confirmed) along with Werenski and Slavin. The other four spots are potentially up for grabs. L. Hughes wouldn’t have been invited to Orientation Camp if USA Hockey brass didn’t feel he had at least an outside shot.
But here’s the thing: L. Hughes was a different player to end the season, finishing the 2024-25 campaign with 20 points in 22 games — tied for fourth among NHL defensemen. In fact, it was more than both his brother Quinn and Werenski, who each had 18 points in their final 22 games.
Young Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson similarly had 20 points in that span (another one who deserves a long, hard look for Milan). No American had more than he or L. Hughes.
Now, obviously, building a successful Olympic team is about more than just point production. But with the Olympic-sized ice, which is slightly wider than an NHL sheet, speed should be a priority. According to NHL EDGE, L. Hughes’ top skating speed of 23.58 miles per hour (MPH) is in the 97th percentile of the entire league and leads all American defensemen but Q. Hughes and Hutson.
It also shouldn’t be overlooked that for a majority of last season, L. Hughes quarterbacked a Devils power play that finished second in the league with a 28.2% success rate. When he went down with injury in the playoffs, their man advantage looked entirely out of sorts with Dougie Hamilton replacing him.
While national teams always emphasize defensive ability (rightfully so), Hughes took some major strides as a 21-year-old. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Devils allowed 24.65 scoring chances per 60 minutes (SCA/60) when Hughes was on the ice, which is better than 75.3% of NHL defensemen to play 1,000+ minutes. While some of that credit certainly belongs to his D partner Brett Pesce, it puts him right in the same ballpark of some of the more seasoned United States’ defensemen (Jaccob Slavin – 24.38, Jake Sanderson – 25.40, Adam Fox – 24.04).
He uses his long reach and speed to consistently break up chances. He’ll only get better in that regard; not worse. Season-to-season, he slashed high danger chances by ~7.5% and overall goals against by 7%. If he’s anything like his brother Quinn, whose career track has been very similar, L. Hughes could take a massive leap forward during his third full season in 2025-26, becoming much closer to a point-per-game while taking huge steps defensively.
Based on his stellar end to the season, his work ethic and his raw skills, it would not be surprising in the slightest to see a massive breakout that causes him to make the Olympic squad. “You always want to be part of the 4 Nations or the Olympics if you’re lucky enough to be invited,” L. Hughes said in his 2023-24 exit interview. “I just got to keep working on my game and keep getting better.”
