What is Jack Hughes’ net worth and salary?
Jack Hughes is an American professional hockey player who has a net worth of $16 million.
Selected first overall in the 2019 NHL Draft by the New Jersey Devils, Hughes entered the league as a lightweight, creative playmaker with elite skating and vision. Early in his career, critics questioned whether his slender frame could withstand the physical grind of the NHL. After a few seasons, those doubts were silenced. By 2022-23, Hughes had transformed into a dynamic point-per-game center and set a Devils franchise record with 99 points in a single season. His combination of speed, hockey IQ and confidence made him the offensive engine of a resurgent Devils roster. Internationally, he cemented his legacy in 2026 by scoring the gold medal in overtime for Team USA at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics, achieving the country’s first Olympic men’s hockey gold since the “Miracle on Ice” of 1980. Hughes, still in his mid-twenties, represents both the present and the future of American hockey.
Early life and hockey lineage
Jack Hughes was born on May 14, 2001 in Orlando, Florida, into what is considered the most successful modern hockey family in the United States.
His father, Jim Hughes, is a former player and long-time coach who served as Director of Player Development for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Her mother, Ellen Weinberg-Hughes, was a standout multi-sport athlete at the University of New Hampshire and earned a silver medal with Team USA at the 1992 Women’s World Championships.
Jack is the middle child of three elite hockey-playing brothers. His older brother, Quinn Hughes, became a Norris Trophy-winning defenseman and later joined the Minnesota Wild. His younger brother, Luke Hughes, became Jack’s teammate on the Devils’ blue line.
Hughes is Jewish and had a Bar Mitzvah as a child, celebrating Passover with his family. He has since become one of the most prominent Jewish athletes in professional sports.
The path to professionals
Instead of following his brothers into college hockey, Hughes took an accelerated path through the U.S. National Team Development Program.
In the USNTDP, he broke long-standing records, finishing as the program’s all-time leader in assists with 154 and total points with 228, surpassing stars such as Auston Matthews and Patrick Kane.
In the 2019 NHL Draft, the New Jersey Devils selected Hughes first overall. He became the first player to go directly from the USNTDP to the NHL without playing in college or the CHL, and immediately came into the spotlight as a cornerstone of the franchise.
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NHL Career Milestones
Hughes’ rookie season was a physical wake-up call. Lean and young, he struggled against stronger opponents and posted modest offensive totals. Questions arose about whether he had been rushed.
Over the next few seasons, he added strength and confidence while maintaining his elite skating and creativity. His breakthrough came in 2022-23 when he recorded 43 goals and 56 assists for 99 points, setting a single-season franchise record for the Devils. That performance cemented his status as a franchise centerpiece and earned him the first of three consecutive NHL All-Star selections from 2022-2024.
Despite the MCL sprains and upper body injuries he suffered early in his career, Hughes matured into a durable, high-impact player. His game is defined less by brute force and more by anticipation, vision and precision. Manipulates defenders with edge work and puck control, thriving in tight spaces and high-pressure moments.
Olympic Gold and the “Golden Goal”
On February 22, 2026, Hughes starred in one of the most dramatic moments in modern American hockey history at the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.
In a fiercely contested gold medal matchup between the United States and Canada, Hughes took a high stick in the mouth from Sam Bennett during the third period, spitting blood onto the ice. The Americans failed to convert on the ensuing four-minute power play, and the game remained deadlocked at 1-1 heading into overtime.
The sudden death of three against three decided the championship. After a failed Canadian run led by Connor McDavid, Hughes made a crucial play to transition the puck onto the ice. Defenseman Zach Werenski took possession of the offensive zone and slid a pass through the slot. Hughes came in and finished cleanly, beating the goalie to secure the first Olympic men’s hockey gold medal for the United States since the 1980 “Miracle on Ice.”
The image of Hughes celebrating with a toothless smile as his teammates, including his brother Quinn, ran across the ice became an instant classic. In a tournament that marked the return of NHL players to Olympic competition for the first time since 2014, Hughes was the tallest among the sport’s elite. The once undersized rookie who struggled to handle the physicality of the NHL had just shed blood and teeth for his country and provided a defining moment on the international stage.
Contracts, salaries and profits
Hughes’ financial trajectory reflects a modern NHL philosophy of recruiting elite young talent early on. As of the 2025-26 season, Hughes earned approximately $37.275 million in NHL salary and signing bonuses. By the time the contract expires in 2030, his career on-ice earnings will exceed $66 million.
His initial contract from 2019 to 2022 was worth $11.325 million, including performance bonuses, with a cap hit of $925,000.
In November 2021, before recording his 99-point season, Hughes signed an eight-year, $64 million extension with an average annual value of $8 million. At that time, the demons saw it as a calculated bet. Today, it is widely considered one of the best value deals in the league.
The contract is advanced:
- 2022-23: $9 million
- 2023-24: $8.5 million
- 2024-25: $8.5 million
- 2025-26: $8.5 million
- 2026-27: $8 million, when a no-trade clause begins
- 2027-28: $7.5 million
- 2028-30: $7 million annually
Compared to other 100-point players like Nathan MacKinnon and Auston Matthews, who make more than $12 million a year, Hughes’ $8 million cap hit gives the Devils significant flexibility while receiving elite production.
Off the ice, Hughes has become a marketing focal point. She was the cover athlete for EA Sports’ “NHL 25” and appeared in national Chipotle campaigns. Other partnerships include Molecule Sleep and Great Clips, reinforcing his growing status as one of the NHL’s most marketable young stars.
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