Release from 04.12.2023

John Hughes cracks the 1,000-point mark

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John Hughes became only the second player in league history to record his 1,000th point in EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV's home win against Salzburg on Sunday. The 35-year-old Canadian, who was also granted Austrian citizenship last year, has so far played 864 games for three ICE teams.

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Sunday, 3 December 2023: It is the eleventh minute of the game when Andrew Desjardins puts EC iDM Wärmepumpen VSV 2:0 ahead in the top game against EC Red Bull Salzburg. The goalscorer is congratulated, then a crowd of cheers forms around John Hughes. The 35-year-old had just provided the assist for the goal - his 1000th league point.

After four years in the Ontario Hockey League, Hughes came to Europe for the first time in the summer of 2008, signing a contract in Salzburg. The newcomer gained more than one point per game in 56 matches, arousing interest in Finland and elsewhere. The Canadian spent the next season first with Tappara Tampere and later with the Hannover Indians in the DEL2. He then moved to Ljubljana for the 2010/11 season, where he spent two years. Hughes was immediately voted "Rookie of the Year" and was even crowned league MVP in his second season. After winning the Slovenian championship title with the dragons, the Canadian left for Villach.

Video: John Hughes with goals for Ljubljana, Salzburg and Villach:


Hughes also immediately took on a key role in the offence in Carinthia, even finishing the 2013/14 season with 97 points - in total, the forward has scored the most points per season three times so far. This was followed by a transfer to Salzburg, where the Canadian spent seven years and won two championships. The playmaker returned to Villach in the summer of 2021 and has been delighting VSV fans with his style of play since. In the current season of the win2day ICE Hockey League, the Austrian-Canadian dual citizen has already recorded four points (2G, 2A) in the derby win against the KAC and three assists in the victory against Pustertal. With the assist against his former club, the 35-year-old set a league milestone that only Thomas Koch has achieved since the league was newly founded. The former KAC and Salzburg crack ended his career after the 2022/23 season with 1043 points.

Video: Interview after the 1000th point in the game against Salzburg: