Jack Hughes is seemingly closing in on a return for the New Jersey Devils. Hughes, who's been dealing with an upper-body injury,  was on the ice at practice Monday, per Devils reporter Amanda Stein.

“Jack is in a non-contact jersey. He's on the ice with everyone else. Only players that remain missing now are Jonas Siegenthaler, Brendan Smith and Dougie Hamilton,” Stein wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Jack Hughes' emergence as a star

Hughes has emerged as one of the better players in the NHL despite being jus 22 years old. He's made the All-Star team in back-to-back seasons. Through 32 games in 2023-24, Hughes has scored 15 goals and recorded 30 assists.

In 2022-23, Hughes finished with 43 goals and 56 assists, both of which were career-highs. It was a big year for Hughes, and gave hope to Devils fans.

New Jersey has dealt with ups and downs this season, however. They currently hold a 24-20-3 record. The Devils are sitting in sixth place in the Metropolitan Division as of this story's writing.

New Jersey is certainly hopeful that Jack Hughes can return to game action as soon as possible. With that being said, they will proceed with caution. The last thing the Devils want to do is rush Hughes back too soon and risk further injury.

Monday's update is a promising one, though. It remains to be seen when Hughes will officially return. New Jersey will play the Colorado Avalanche on Tuesday at 7:30 PM EST.

We will continue to monitor and provide updates on Jack Hughes' injury status as they are made available.