Bear Hughes

July 2023 – Hughes ended the 2022-23 season second in points for the South Carolina Sting Rays with 59 points (23G and 36A) in 66 games played. He signed a two-year AHL contract with the Henderson Silver Knights as he looks to take the long road to the NHL. Pat Quinn

February 2023 – Hughes has played very well in the ECHL for the South Carolina Sting Rays as he has 41 points in 42 games. If he keeps up the production he will likely get a two-way contract with an NHL team. He may also choose to play overseas as well. Pat Quinn

September 2022 – Hughes will go in to the 2022-23 season proving to the Capitals, and potentially the other 31 NHL teams, that he can be signed to an NHL contract. He will need to be a solid AHL player and show an NHL upside. Pat Quinn

June 2022 – Hughes was not offered a contract by the Capitals and was instead signed to an AHL contract by the Hershey Bears for the 2022-23 season. Pat Quinn

January 2022 – Hughes, the Capitals fifth round selection in 2020, has readapted exceptionally well to the WHL again after leaving last season to play in the USHL. His first season with Spokane in the WHL (2018-2019) was impressive with 47 points in 67 games as an 18-year-old. He then moved to the USHL and had 24 points in 35 games, but as a 19-year-old in the USHL he should have been much better, but at least he had more development time than others in the WHL last year. Currently, this season, he has 34 points in 32 games back in Spokane and he is leading the team in points. The only problem is that Spokane is the second worst team in the WHL, but being over a point per game on a bad squad is never a bad thing. Hughes is a tenacious forechecker and a sneaky good playmaker, those two keys may break his way to the NHL, as long as he keep developing well. Pat Quinn