Max McHugh looks forward to next step

A lot of young players come to the United States Hockey League either looking for a Division I scholarship, or prepping for Division I hockey. For Max McHugh, that may not exactly be the case. In fact, it may be an understatement.

“One of the things that impressed me about him is that when we talked to him he was very up front that his goals are the National Hockey League, not Division I, which speaks a lot of the kid, that he is a driven kid,” Associate Coach Byron Pool said.

Driven is a great descriptive word for McHugh. He started last season with Wenatchee’s AAA team. By season’s end, he had worked his way up to the big club and was playing for the Wenatchee North American Hockey league contingent. McHugh scored five goals and added 13 assists in 20 games with the NAHL club.

It isn’t always the most talented players that make it all the way. It is almost always the hardest working, most driven players that do. Of course, mixing in a bit of talent doesn’t hurt either. McHugh is starting to develop a winning combination of skill and determination.

“The best part of my offensive game is my playmaking ability. I am able to read where my line-mate wants the puck before he even calls for it,” McHugh said. “I consider myself easy to play with because I will find a way to get my linemates the puck no matter what end of the ice.”

That’s the part of the game that almost goes unnoticed. He can and will put up good offensive numbers and the coaching staff is excited about his ability to contribute offensively. In 20 NAHL games with Wenatchee, he scored twice and added seven assists on the power play. He can also kill penalties.

At the end of the day, his defensive skill and grit are what stands out. Without it, he would be a talented offensive threat. Those come by about as often as a windy day in Fargo. Finding someone who is determined to excel in both ends of the rink is about as rare as a nice swimming day in Fargo.

“Everybody thinks he’s a good, young, up and coming player,” Pool said. “He’s a solid two-way type guy.

“He’s just a solid, solid hockey player. He’s one of those guys, you want to say he’s like sevens across the board. He’s not going to jump out at you, but he should be a guy that can make the transition fairly easy because he has played a year of junior hockey”

McHugh said it took him two or three games to adjust from the jump from AAA hockey to the NAHL. If he can make the jump to the USHL as quickly and seamlessly, look out. No matter how long it takes to make the transition, there is no doubt that McHugh will be working hard to get to the level he believes he can play at.

“I am excited for the challenges of the next step in my career,” McHugh said. “I expect myself to produce a point per game. I always take pride in becoming the best at each level.”

The 17-year-old Edgewood, Washington native will have many steps in his future if he accomplishes his ultimate goal of playing in the NHL. For now, both McHugh and the Force are looking forward to his next step.

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By: Tim How