Martin Brodeur says Jack Hughes is taking greater responsibility with the New Jersey Devils

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

Martin Brodeur says New Jersey Devils centre Jack Hughes is entering a promising new stage of his NHL career after an Olympic breakthrough. Brodeur, who won three Stanley Cups with the Devils and later added two Olympic gold medals with Canada, pointed to Hughes’ performance at the 2026 Winter Olympics men’s hockey tournament. Hughes scored at 1:41 of overtime as Team USA defeated Team Canada 2-1 in the gold-medal game on Feb. 22 in Milan, Italy. Speaking to NHL.com, Brodeur said the key change is how Hughes has come back with more mature responsibility and a desire to bring those lessons to New Jersey. Brodeur described Hughes as taking on leadership duties and “taking the bull by the horns” in games, while also stressing that learning how to win comes from experiencing what it takes to do so. Brodeur also addressed health, saying it has “always been a bit of an issue” and that Hughes takes it seriously. Hughes has played more than 62 regular-season games just once since entering the league in 2019-20, with the exception coming in 2022-23. Brodeur said Hughes has pointed to offseason additions and forward additions—including Evan Rodrigues, Luke Evangelista and Anthony Mantha—as reasons New Jersey could have one of its deepest forward groups. That depth, Brodeur said, could allow Hughes to play with less concern about the team struggling if someone misses time. Hughes is entering his eighth NHL season and is described as an assistant captain alongside Jesper Bratt, working with captain Nico Hischier and the Devils’ veteran leadership group. Hughes said his priority is helping New Jersey qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs and be ready for “big-time moments.”