T.J. Hughes hitting his stride after slow start to season

Ten games into this season, the No. 10 Michigan hockey team’s leading returning scorer hadn’t yet scored a goal.

Junior forward T.J. Hughes was making noise on the ice and had recorded several assists, but was inexplicably unable to find the back of the net. Despite breaking through with five goals in a late November series against Penn State, Hughes still couldn’t find consistency, going pointless over the following five games. Now, he’s finally hitting his stride.

Hughes is currently riding a seven-game point streak dating back to Dec. 14, with an assist in all seven games and a goal in each of the last three. As Hughes has added to the stat sheet, the Wolverines’ offense has blossomed along with him, scoring at least three goals as a team in six of the last seven games. In the process, Hughes surpassed 100 career points.

“He’s really good with the puck, he doesn’t force plays, he’s really smart,” junior forward Jackson Hallum said Jan. 5. “The biggest thing is his possession time and just poise with the puck.”

With experience comes poise, and that’s exactly what a young team like Michigan needs. Calm and collected with the puck, Hughes rarely rushes into decisions and instead errs on the side of patience with his passing. He has a knack for positioning too, always creating just enough space to get shots off in the offensive zone.

Hughes has played a big role in the Wolverines’ recent power-play revitalization, producing six points with a man advantage in the last six games. It’s with the advantage where Hughes’ patience and positioning especially shine, as he’s helped catapult Michigan’s power play up to fifth in the nation. Hughes leads the Wolverines with six power play goals, good for seventh in the country.

“Having so many new pieces, it takes time to adapt and just to see where guys are and be in the right spots for each other,” Hughes said Jan. 14. “The power play is all about predictability. … With such a new unit it takes time, and it’s starting to click.”

On Jan. 3 against Ohio State, Hughes used his positioning to set up the Wolverines’ second goal. With Michigan on the power play, the puck went behind the goal line and Hughes recognized that the Buckeyes lost track of him. He crept from the high slot toward the net front, primed and ready to shoot and score when the puck inevitably found him there.

Against Michigan State on Friday, Hughes again positioned himself perfectly for a goal. Slowly weaving across the right faceoff circle, he found room in a congested slot to make himself available for a pass before potting the puck.

“For T.J. and that line, you could see the momentum coming in each shift because we were playing in their O-zone. That was a big goal,” Wolverines coach Brandon Naurato said Friday.

Saturday against the Spartans, when none of his teammates could seem to get past goaltender Trey Augustine, Hughes did. It wasn’t a good night for many Michigan skaters, but for Hughes, his consistency prevailed.

The further the Wolverines get into the season, the more comfortable Hughes seems to get, and Michigan is now reaping the benefits. Especially with the Wolverines not getting regular depth scoring, being able to rely on Hughes and his offensive consistency has been — and will continue to be — crucial.

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