Back to the Detroit Red Wings Newsfeed

Jack Hughes is the 'generational' talent who could help save Hockeytown

Jack Hughes is projected to go No. 1 overall in the 2019 NHL draft. The Detroit Red Wings would like the rights to select him. Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press

There’s a picture in Jack Hughes’ bed room of Pavel Datsyuk, captioned, “To Jack, see you in NHL!”

Datsyuk, the former Detroit Red Wings star, knew what he was writing.

Jack Hughes has been the favorite to go first overall in the 2019 NHL entry draft for more than a year, the 17-year-old middle child in a family of hockey phenoms. He’s a "generational-type" forward who draws comparisons to Patrick Kane and a self-assured teenager who's grounded by his family even though some project him to impact the league by 2020.