In one of the most exciting draft classes in recent history, Jack Hughes and Kaapo Kakko are both battling for the #1 draft spot in June. Jack Hughes has been the favorite for the top selection since last year, but Kakko has proven this race to be much closer than many think. Hughes and Kakko have now met twice in international competition in the last 6 months: Once at the World Junior Championships in January, and now at the World Championships this past Monday. Kakko was the hero at the World Junior Championships when he scored late in the third period of the Gold-Medal game to win it all for Finland against Team USA. Hughes, now playing for Team USA at the World Championships in Slovakia, won their most recent meeting on Monday, beating Finland and Kakko in a 3-2 overtime finish. The New Jersey Devils are going to have a tough time selecting their man at number 1 because this is a difficult decision. The New York Rangers are almost in a better positions at number 2 overall, because you take whoever the Devils don’t.

So, let’s talk about Jack Hughes. Born in Orlando, FL, the 5’10’ lefty center has been the most coveted player by NHL clubs since last season’s draft. He plays for the US National Team Development Program (USNTDP) and has broken the club’s point record this past season. Notable other players that have gone through the USNTDP are Jack Eichel, Patrick Kane, Clayton Keller, and Auston Matthews. Now, looking at those names and seeing that Hughes has broken the point record for the team is impressive. Those are NHL superstars. Hughes has made a name for himself already and is barely 18 years old (he turned 18 today 5/14/19).

Now let’s discuss Kakko. Kaapo Kakko is a Finnish player. He’s 6’2” and is a left-handed winger. He plays big, but at the same time quick. He is hard to knock off the puck with his size, but he is also a fast skater. His combination of size and speed make him a possible selection for the #1 pick by the Devils this summer. The Devils were admittedly leaning towards picking Hughes 1st overall, but according to NYR and NJD Twitter (yes, very serious and credible sources) Kakko has played well enough to be considered by the Devils at #1. His recent play has proved that he can be a viable option as a winger for their team. New Jersey’s only problem with Kakko is that he’s a natural left-winger. You know who else is a natural left-winger? Taylor Hall.

When comparing both players, the two biggest differences are size and position. Hughes is a 5’10” center and Kakko is a 6’2” winger. Size shouldn't have too much of an impact when deciding between the two. The NHL has plenty of smaller superstars, like Patrick Kane for example and the league seems to be much more suited for quicker, speedy players these days. As far as positions, the Devils already have a world-class left-winger with Taylor Hall; but if they feel that Kakko is clearly the better player, they need to draft him. I’m a big believer in drafting the best available player and not picking for club needs, even though Kakko and Hughes will probably have an immediate impact on their respective new teams in October.

If you’re the Devils on June 21st in Vancouver, who would you take?

Written by Andrew Silvers

Instagram/Twitter: @asilvers55

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