Jack Hughes will play in his first competitive games since the NHL draft lottery when he and the United States U18 team compete in the 18-year-old IIHF World Championships, starting on Thursday in Sweden.

Hughes and the U.S. team will open play against the host country at 1:30 p.m Eastern.

With Hughes projected as the potential No. 1 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, it will give the Devils another chance to scout the prospect after winning the first overall pick at the lottery. The Rangers will also have their eyes on him since they hold the No. 2 selection in June’s NHL Draft.

For Devils and Rangers fans, this might be the first time to get a serious glimpse at Hughes. If you’re watching him for the first time, here’s a quick overview of what to watch in his game.

Hughes’ skating

When people explain Hughes’ game and what makes him special, it always starts with his skating.

Just watching a few highlights of Hughes’ play is enough see that skating ability. He has a quick burst in his opening steps, and he can turn on a dime to evade defenders and protect the puck. Since he will be playing against other players in his age group, that speed and agility will easily set him apart.

That speed and his proficiency in using his skills at that pace have propelled Hughes to the top of the U.S. National Development Program’s all-time scoring list. Hughes has played 86 games with the U18 team over the past two seasons, through normal league play and tournaments. He has 172 points in those games.

That two-point-per-game clip shouldn’t be slowed down as he enters play in Sweden.

International ice

Since the U18 World Championships are an IIHF tournament, all games will be played on Olympic-sized rinks, rather than the smaller ice used in the NHL and North America.

That will give Hughes and his team even more ice to use, and given Hughes’ skating, he should have more freedom to be creative. With his ability to create space in tight areas with his skating, he’ll have even more options to make plays.

Building off last year’s tournament

This won’t be Hughes’ first appearance in the U18 tournament. He played with Team USA in 2018, when he was still a few weeks shy of his 17th birthday.

That didn’t stop him from being his usual productive self.

Hughes finished that tournament with five goals and seven assists for 12 points in seven games. The United States took the silver medal after losing to Finland in the final, but Hughes was still named the tournament’s most valuable player after leading all players in scoring.

That Finland team featured Kaapo Kakko, who will likely be drafted with Hughes in the first two picks of June’s draft. Kakko finished last year’s tournament with 10 points, tied for the most on his team, but he won’t appear in this year’s tournament.

Winning MVP one year before his draft season followed the trend set by a pair of No. 1 overall picks in the NHL Draft. Auston Matthews claimed that award in 2015 before the Toronto Maple Leafs took him first overall in 2016. Connor McDavid had that distinction in 2013, two full years before the Edmonton Oilers drafted him No. 1 in 2015.

This time around, Hughes is part of the oldest age group of the tournament. He has the experience of playing against 20-year-olds at the World Junior Championships in December and January. The stage is set for him to be the most dominant player in Sweden.

Chris Ryan may be reached at cryan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ChrisRyan_NJ. Find NJ.com Devils on Facebook.