Cameron Hughes (ice hockey)

Cameron Hughes (born October 9, 1996) is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward currently playing with the Texas Stars in the American Hockey League (AHL) while under contract to the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Cameron Hughes
Hughes with the Coachella Valley Firebirds in 2023.
Born (1996-10-09) October 9, 1996 (age 28)
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb)
Position Center
Shoots Left
NHL team (P)
Cur. team
Former teams
Dallas Stars
Texas Stars (AHL)
Boston Bruins
NHL draft 165th overall, 2015
Boston Bruins
Playing career 2018–present

Personal life

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Hughes was born on October 9, 1996, in Edmonton Alberta,[1] to parents Brian and Pauline.[2] Hughes has three younger brothers; Ryan, Liam, and Ethan, who all play ice hockey.[3] Growing up in Edmonton, Hughes played with the Canadian Athletic Club Midget Hockey program of the Alberta Midget Hockey League (AMHL) and the Spruce Grove Saints of the Alberta Junior Hockey League.[4] During his time in the AMHL, Hughes was drafted by the Swift Current Broncos of the Western Hockey League (WHL).[5] Instead of joining the Broncos, he played with the Saints and tallied 31 points in 60 regular season games and 9 points in 14 playoff games as he helped the Saints to the AJHL finals.[6] In 2014, Hughes was named to the Reebok North Division All-League Team.[7] Later that year, he committed to play collegiate ice hockey for the Wisconsin Badgers men's ice hockey team.[4]

Playing career

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Hughes played for the Wisconsin Badgers at the University of Wisconsin from 2014 to 2018. There, he majored in agricultural and applied economics/agricultural business management.[2] The Badgers had a disappointing 2014–15 season and began the year with the second-worst record amongst the 59 schools competing in NCAA Division I. As a result, during the winter break, Hughes debated joining the Broncos in the WHL instead of returning to college.[8] However, he returned to the University of Wisconsin and finished the season with three goals and 10 assists for 13 points through 34 games.[1] Following his freshman season, Hughes was ranked 196th overall amongst North American skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau.[9] He was eventually drafted 165th overall by the Boston Bruins in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.[10] After attending their development camp,[11] Hughes returned to Wisconsin for his sophomore season.[2]

During the offseason following his sophomore season, Hughes participated in the Bruins' 2016 Development Camp.[12] Upon returning to the Badgers, Hughes tallied a 12-game point streak which tied the programs longest streak record.[13] At the conclusion of his junior season, Hughes had tallied a team-high seven goals and 25 assists, earning him the teams' Fenton Kelsey Jr.-Mike Richter Most Competitive Award.[14] He was also appointed team captain for the 2017–18 season.[15]

Prior to returning for his senior season, Hughes underwent shoulder surgery during the offseason and spent the first three weeks participating in limited team practices.[16] On March 10, 2018, Hughes concluded his collegiate career by signing an entry-level contract with the Boston Bruins.[17]

Professional

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Hughes made his NHL debut with the on November 4, 2019, during a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins as a replacement for fourth-liner David Backes.[18]

On July 7, 2021, Hughes signed a one-year, two-way contract extension to remain with the Bruins organization.[19]

As a free agent from the Bruins after parts of five seasons, Hughes signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Seattle Kraken on July 13, 2022.[20]

Hughes scored the first ever goal at the Coachella Valley Firebirds' home arena, Acrisure Arena, on December 18, 2022.[21] Hughes would also be part of a Firebirds team that made it to the Calder Cup final in their inaugural season, before they fell to the Hershey Bears in seven games.

On July 1, 2024, Hughes signed as a free agent to a one-year, two-way contract with the Dallas Stars for the 2024–25 season.[22]

Career statistics

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2011–12 CAC Edmonton Canadiens AMHL 32 8 23 31 24
2012–13 Spruce Grove Saints AJHL 60 11 20 31 42 14 3 6 9 11
2013–14 Spruce Grove Saints AJHL 52 21 36 57 58 18 1 16 17 2
2014–15 U. of Wisconsin B1G 34 3 10 13 35
2015–16 U. of Wisconsin B1G 32 5 20 25 12
2016–17 U. of Wisconsin B1G 36 7 25 32 16
2017–18 U. of Wisconsin B1G 37 8 14 22 18
2017–18 Providence Bruins AHL 14 0 3 3 6
2018–19 Providence Bruins AHL 52 13 15 28 28 4 0 0 0 0
2019–20 Providence Bruins AHL 44 6 10 16 17
2019–20 Boston Bruins NHL 1 0 0 0 0
2020–21 Providence Bruins AHL 25 5 16 21 14
2020–21 Boston Bruins NHL 1 0 0 0 0
2021–22 Providence Bruins AHL 59 14 31 45 39
2022–23 Coachella Valley Firebirds AHL 61 19 37 56 57 26 4 19 23 14
2023–24 Coachella Valley Firebirds AHL 69 25 32 57 56 18 0 16 16 9
NHL totals 2 0 0 0 0

Awards and honours

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Award Year
AJHL
South All-Star Team 2014

References

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  1. ^ a b "Cameron Hughes". Elite Prospects. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c "Cameron Hughes". UW Badgers. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  3. ^ Zary, Darren (January 17, 2019). "'I played for him': Saskatoon Blades newcomer Ryan Hughes motivated by cancer survivor brother, as hockey-playing family helps shape who he is". The Star Phoenix. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Hughes Commits to University of Wisconsin". Alberta Junior Hockey League. February 5, 2014. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  5. ^ "Draft Rewind: 2011". Swift Current Broncos. April 7, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  6. ^ "Hughes Facing Decision After Big Year". Swift Current Online. May 9, 2013. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  7. ^ "AJHL Announces All-League and All-Rookie Teams". Alberta Junior Hockey League. March 6, 2014. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  8. ^ Baggot, Andy (January 9, 2015). "Badgers men's hockey: Talented freshmen Cameron Hughes, Jack Eichel face off". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  9. ^ "NHL Central Scouting's 2015 final rankings". National Hockey League. April 8, 2015. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  10. ^ Switaj, Caryn (June 27, 2015). "Bruins Add Depth, Flexibility During Busy Draft Weekend". National Hockey League. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  11. ^ "Boston Bruins announce 2015 Development Camp Roster". National Hockey League. July 8, 2015. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  12. ^ Russo, Eric (July 22, 2016). "Hughes Soaked it all in at Development Camp". National Hockey League. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  13. ^ Weyant, Chris (February 20, 2017). "Bruins Prospects Frederic, Hughes Pacing Wisconsin". National Hockey League. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  14. ^ "Men's hockey holds public awards banquet". UW Badgers. April 1, 2017. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  15. ^ "Hughes named 2017-18 men's hockey captain". UW Badgers. May 10, 2017. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  16. ^ Milewski, Todd D. (September 27, 2017). "Badgers men's hockey: Cameron Hughes back from offseason shoulder surgery". Wisconsin State Journal. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  17. ^ "Bruins Sign Cameron Hughes To Entry-Level Contract". National Hockey League. March 10, 2018. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  18. ^ "Bruins rookie Cameron Hughes set to make NHL debut Monday vs. Penguins". NBC Sports. November 4, 2019. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  19. ^ "Bruins Sign Cameron Hughes and Joona Koppanen To Contract Extensions". National Hockey League. July 7, 2021. Retrieved October 30, 2021.
  20. ^ "Four cups, Three new Kraken signed". Seattle Kraken. July 13, 2022. Retrieved July 13, 2022.
  21. ^ https://theahl.com/stats/game-center/1024284 [bare URL]
  22. ^ "Stars sign Cameron Hughes to a one-year, two-way Contract". NHL.com. July 1, 2024. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
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