New Jersey Devils
NHL Names Devils Jack Hughes October’s First Star of the Month
Following a monster 18-point performance, Jack Hughes is the first star for the month of October.
The New Jersey Devils franchise forward had a monster month as the current NHL leader in points with 18. In eight games in the first month of the season, Hughes scored five goals and 13 assists. Hughes’ 13 assists also lead the NHL in the helpers category. As a result, the NHL has named him the first star for the month of October.
Hughes’ torrid month helped propel New Jersey to a 5-2-1 record that has the Devils sitting in third place in the Metropolitan Division, just three points behind the first-place New York Rangers.
According to NHL PR, “He recorded the most points by a Devils player through his first eight appearances of a season – besting the previous high of 15 by Paul Gardner in 1977-78 (9-6—15 w/ CLR) – and became the first player on any team to collect at least 18 points within his first eight games of a campaign since Thomas Vanek in 2012-13 (8-11—19 w/ BUF).”
Hughes scored in all but one game this month, recording a point in at least seven games. Five of Hughes’ seven games in which he registered a point was a multi-point effort, four of which came in a row. Hughes recorded two four-point performances, back-to-back. He tallied two goals and two assists against the New York Islanders on Oct. 20th and four helpers in the following game against the Montreal Canadiens.
The Devils’ star forward has already recorded the most points registered in a single season in New Jersey’s organization with 99 last season. He’s steadily on his way to breaking his own record by the end of the 2023-24 season.
Elias Pettersson (five goals, 11 assists) of the Vancouver Canucks received second-star honors and David Pastrnak (eight goals, six assists) of the Boston Bruins received third.