from Dan Rosen of NHL.com,

Jack Hughes' initiation into the NHL regular season featured more ups, downs and educational moments than the New Jersey Devils rookie center wanted.

Hughes, the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft, finished his debut with no points, one shot, a minus-1 rating, three giveaways, a benching and a handful of almosts, including a few in overtime, in a 5-4 shootout loss to the Winnipeg Jets at Prudential Center on Friday. The Devils blew a 4-0 lead.

"I think it was nice to just play my first game more mentally just to kind of be at peace with it and say, 'I'm here and now I can buckle in and start playing,'" said Hughes, who played 15:12....

"I thought there were some things in Jack's game that he did well," Devils coach John Hynes said. "He had the opportunity, could have scored a couple goals. I think there are other components to a game as we've talked about through preseason that he's got to learn and grow and work with."...

"He's a young, developing player in the National Hockey League," Hynes said. "When you have a talented guy who competes the way he competes, you're going to have some good things but there are other components to his game that need to improve."

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