The expectation for a first overall pick is an instant impact player. For the most part, that expectation isn’t too unrealistic. Many first overall picks do make an immediate impact. Jack Hughes, based on a turbo-charged high-skill game, looked like the next immediate impact first-overall pick. He’s not, but there are plenty of reasons to think he’ll become one soon.



Whatever his point totals may suggest, Hughes has adapted the crux of his game: Transition. Hughes is, above all, a dynamic puck-rusher who strings exits and entries together as good as anyone in the NHL. He’s fast and skilled, and most importantly, he attacks with so much pace and creativity. No two rushes look the same. He identifies the tiniest of seams in defenses and rips them apart with surgical precision.



The way Hughes moves laterally while steaming forward is so integral to his success. As he zigs and then zags, gears up and gears down, defenders start guessing and playing...