Jack Hughes and Nico Hischier are undoubtably the top two centers for the New Jersey Devils, a team many expect to contend for the Stanley Cup for the next 10+ years. They were both picked first overall in 2019 and 2017, respectively. They both extended ahead of their third year to long term deals with the Devils for similar cap hits ($8 million for Jack, $7.25 million for Nico). They can both be classified as lower-end superstars but as different types. Hughes resembles the more traditional point producer whereas Hischier would be the more well rounded jack of all trades. If either of them went down, New Jersey’s Stanley Cup hopes for that season would instantly vanish as we’ve seen the past two years once Hughes sustained major injuries. In 20 or so years, will fans remember this era of Devils hockey as the Hughes era or the Hischier era?
Offensive Dynamics
Hughes is substantially more dynamic than Hischier on offense. He is a much faster and more elusive skater than Hischier will ever be. His puck handling skills are among the best in the NHL and his goal scoring abilities are rather underrated considering he did score 43 goals in the 2022-23 campaign. On the power play, teams must respect Hughes much more, both when he does and does not have the puck. Hischier’s offense is quite underrated by the general public, however. His ability to win key faceoffs is what allows the Devils to sustain offensive zone pressures in addition to his willingness to go to the ‘dirty’ areas of the ice to battle for and retrieve loose pucks. His goal scoring ability is also criminally underrated considering he has scored 30 goals twice in the past three seasons, including a 35 goal campaign in 2025.
Edge: Hughes
Defensive & all-around play
As much as Hughes is more offensively dynamic than Hischier, Hischier is more defensively responsible and the more effective all-around player. Hischier is among the the best defensive forwards in hockey, consistently garnering votes for the Selke trophy as the best two way forward (second place in 2023, fourth place in 2025), and has the potential to win the award someday. Hughes, by no fault of his own, will likely always be a defensive liability due to his miniscule size. As he is paid to do, he prioritizes his offensive production, but this often comes at the expense of defensive coverage.
Edge: Hischier
Consistency & Availability
The edge in this category is also very obvious. Hughes has missed 20 games the past two seasons, with both injuries effectively ending the Devils’ seasons early. His availability has always been in question even going back to the shortened 2021-22 season when he only played in 49 games before undergoing season ending shoulder surgery. Hischier has missed games sparingly but has played over 70 games each of the past four seasons. On the ice, Hischier’s impact on the game is much more consistent than Hughes’s (this is usually the case when comparing a point producer to an all around player). Hughes can sometimes be taken out of the game (literally and impact-wise) through tough checking from the opponent (on full display at the Four Nations tournament) whereas Hischier is able to fight through this punishment with much more effectiveness.
Edge: Hischier
Leadership & Intangibles
Hischier was named captain during the hectic 2021 season. Ever since, he has shown quality leadership, choosing to lead his teammates by example through his play on the ice rather than motivational speeches. His composure is contagious throughout the team and can be felt each game. Hughes obviously is not in the same leadership position as the assistant captain but very clearly can spark his teammates as well, whether through a highlight reel play or a fiery outburst (he and Hischier are somewhat like fire and ice). However, this spark tends to only work noticeably well on his linemates and perhaps other players in the top six, including Hischier, and not so much for the rest of the team. Hischier’s leadership is more widespread across the team.
Edge: Hischier
Popularity
This one is admittedly the most unfair considering that it is determined by factors almost entirely out of the players’ controls (mainly by the NHL’s social media feeds, and the perception of these players from both prospective companies looking to use their likeness in commercials and the general public alike). Hughes is American and Hischier is from Switzerland. Unfortunately, since the NHL’s teams are only in North America, there tends to be more media coverage of homegrown players, like Hughes, compared to international players like Hischier. Additionally, Hughes’s playstyle (the more offensive one) tends to produce more highlights for social media, which only contributes to his popularity in a way Nico cannot really match (given that he is paid to be more defensively responsible). Of course, the fact there are three Hughes brothers dominating the NHL (Luke who plays for the Devils as well and Quinn in Vancouver) means Jack was always destined to be one of the most popular players in the NHL, even donning the cover of the NHL25 video game alongside his brothers. It also doesn’t hurt that he has a much more electric personality in comparison to Hischier’s quiet tone.
Edge: Hughes
Room to improve/future potential
Both players are still very young and are already such great players, which makes it scary for other teams to ponder how the Devils would ever be stopped if either took another step. Hughes is two years younger so logically he would be more likely to improve. However, considering the limitations that come with being his size, there is a very real chance that his 99 point 2023 season will be his peak (or very close to it). It would be very unlikely that he becomes a great, or even above average, defensive player. Hischier is already a fundamentally sound player in all areas of the ice. His physical attributes are about league average and will not constrain any improvement the same way it will with Hughes. Hischier has the potential to break into a 40 goal, 90 point Selke winner as soon as next year.
Edge: Hischier
Conclusion
Again, it cannot be emphasized enough how lucky the Devils are to have two young centers as great as Hughes and Hischier. The Devils would never agree to swap these two studs for another center duo (other than Edmonton’s of course). In 20 years, there may a few Stanley Cup banners hanging from the rafters of Prudential Center and it will mainly be derived from the contributions of their aces down the middles. As a center duo, they have the potential to be as impactful Patrice Bergeron and David Krejčí were for the Boston Bruins, or dare we say, Wayne Gretzky and Mark Messier were for Edmonton. Krejčí was a more offensively talented, flashy and cerebral player than Bergeron, similar to how Hughes compares to Hischier, but fans and media alike often remember that era of Bruins hockey as the Bergeron era due to his leadership as captain and six Selkes. In a similar sense, I see Hischier being remembered as the face of this generation of Devils hockey.
Nico Hischier is the true face of the New Jersey Devils.
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