Although it was only the bronze medal game, Jack Hughes had a record-setting performance at the U18 Worlds in Sweden on Sunday.
Hughes, the expected first overall pick at the NHL Entry Draft in June, scored a goal and added two assists in the United States' 5-2 victory over Team Canada.
Coming into the game, Hughes sat one point behind Alex Ovechkin's 31 points record for the most total points scored in the history of the under-18 men's hockey championship.
Hughes assisted on Alex Turcotte's goal to give the Americans a 1-0 lead before Canadian Dylan Cozens replied for the equalizer. With the game tied at 1-1 in the second period, Hughes hooked up with Cam York on a beautiful give-and-go goal to tie Ovechkin's record. Check out the pass he makes on his backhand before heading into the slot.
Later on, with the U.S. on a 5-on-3, Hughes fed York for a goal of his own to establish a new record with 32 points.
York tallied two goals on the day, while Alex Turcotte and Bobby Brink also found the back of the net for the Americans.
Canadian Nathan Légaré potted the second goal. Alex Newhook and Peyton Krebs led the team in scoring with 10 points each.
For the second straight tournament, the dominant centre Hughes won the tournament scoring title with 20 points, falling just one point shy of tying Nikita Kucherov's single-tournament record. American Cole Caufield, who's expected to be selected early in the first-round of this year's draft, tied Ovechkin's single-tournament record with 14 goals, and is now the U.S. leader in U18 goals with 18.
Canada has not won a gold-medal at the U18's since 2013 and last medalled at the 2015 tournament where they won bronze.
