Jack Hughes

Hughes' father, Kent, is the GM of the Montreal Canadiens. "I think he wanted to avoid it as best as he could," Hughes said of his father possibly drafting him. "There's no way of really knowing, but he made it pretty clear beforehand that he was going to avoid (picking me) at all costs. I wouldn't have minded it. It wouldn't have really changed anything for me. At the end of the day, I want to play in the NHL ... that's really all that's important to me. Whether it was Montreal, L.A. or any other team, I'd be fired up." Hughe was No. 26 in Central Scouting's final ranking of North American skaters and he is poised to play for Northeastern University in his sophomore season in 2021-22.