Making Saves Down Under

The man in the Manitoba Bisons jersey to the left is a bit of a hockey nomad. That's goaltender Liam Hughes wearing his Winnipeg Ice gear that he needed for one season prior to joining the Bisons, and it seemed like Hughes might provide some stable goaltending for the Bisons after playing in four WHL cities and one Alberta Junior League city in four seasons. Goaltending is a funny trade, though, because it always seems like teams are looking for good goalies and always trying to upgrade their current goalies when possible. Those opportunities have led Hughes all over the map, and his current situation might be his best one yet when it comes to permanence.

Hughes started his WHL career in Edmonton with the Oil Kings where he played just seven games in 2016-17. He went 1-4-0 with a 3.27 GAA and an .895 save percentage, but life in the WHL as a 16 year-old player can be tough as Hughes was injured before he could really get settled as the Oil Kings' future netminder. Before he could claim that spot, the Seattle Thunderbirds liked what they saw in Hughes, and they swung a deal with Edmonton to acquire the netminder on September 18, 2017.

Seattle seemed like the place to be as the 2017 WHL champions were looking to regroup with a number of future Canada West players on their roster including forward Noah Philp, defenceman Reese Harsch, and goaltender Matt Berlin. Hughes played in 36 games in 2017-18, recording a 16-12-1 record on the strength of a 3.15 GAA and a .909 save percentage, but the Thunderbirds would fall in the opening round of the WHL playoffs. As a side note, Berlin was dealt to Kootenay while the Thunderbirds acquired another future Canada West scorer in Jaxan Kaluski from Moose Jaw late in the season.

With Seattle contining to tinker with their roster, Hughes would find himself platooned in net with another future Canada West netminders in Cole Schweibus. The 19 year-old Hughes played in 29 games for Seattle where he was 10-16-0 with a 3.67 GAA and an .899 save percentage, but Seattle surprised everyone when they traded Hughes to the Lethbridge Hurricanes on New Year's Day. Hughes would play six games for the Hurricanes, posting a 2-3-1 record with a 3.44 GAA and an .892 save percentage as he found himself watching future Canada West star Carl Tetachuk play the majority of the minutes for Lethbridge. Again, a quick side note on the deal that sent Hughes to Lethbridge is that Seattle signed future Canada West goalie Roddy Ross to replace him!

After making a tough decision to leave Lethbridge for personal reasons, Hughes suited up in one game for the AJHL's Drayton Valley Dragons in 2019-20. He'll remain with a perfect record in that league as he was 1-0-0 when the WHL's Winnipeg Ice came calling on December 4, 2019 and signed the netminder to protect their cage. Things went very well for Hughes in the Ice crease as the 20 year-old looked to finish off his WHL career with a Memorial Cup run, but the COVID-19 pandemic shut everything down before the Ice could make their run. Even without the championship, Hughes looked very good in Ice colours as he poisted a 21-11-0 record with a 2.53 GAA and a .914 save percentage. With questions swirling about the virus and his hockey future, Hughes had some decisions to make.

Being that he had the opportunity to use his WHL scholarship money, Hughes opted to join the Manitoba Bisons for his education and to play hockey. Of course, the COVID-19 pandemic wiped out the 2020-21 Canada West season so Hughes didn't get to step on the ice for the Bisons that season, but he'd return in 2021-22. His season would be marred by an injury against the UBC Thunderbirds in October, limiting him to just eight games with the Bisons in that season. He would post a 3-4-0 record with the Herd on the strength of a 3.73 GAA and an .871 save percentage. If we're being honest, it wasn't a great season for anyone on the ice in brown-and-gold colours, but Hughes wasn't worrying about the Bisons.

As the calendar flipped to 2022, the ECHL's Fort Wayne Komets needed a netminder. On January 6, Hughes signed a contract with the Komets, ending his university career and starting his professional hockey career! He'd be in net for the Komets on January 9 as he helped the Komets win in his professional debut as Hughes stopped 26 of 27 shots he faced in a 3-1 victory over the Toledo Walleye! As it seems to be with ECHL netminders, though, Hughes' time in Fort Wayne lasted just over a week as he was released after three games where he posted a 1-1-1 record with a 2.97 GAA and an .890 save percentage. Hughes shouldn't have felt bad, though, as he was "the eighth goalie used in 29 games by the defending-champion Komets", so who knows what Fort Wayne was doing last season.

Much in the same way that Tyler Kirkup turned a soured ECHL experience into an EIHL opportunity, Hughes did the same as he left Fort Wayne only to be signed by the EIHL's Guildford Flames on February 25, 2022! The Flames looked to solidify their playoff goaltending hopes with Hughes joining them as the third netminder, but they would fall in the semifinals to the Cardiff Devils. Hughes didn't get into any playoff games, but he was 2-3-0 in six EIHL games with a 3.40 GAA and an .898 save percentage. Hughes became a free agent after his EIHL experience.

Hughes would find another opportunity as the 2022-23 hockey season neared as he was invited to the AHL's Manitoba Moose training camp. Hughes wouldn't crack an AHL roster that season, but he did get invited to an ECHL camp following his Moose experience as the Wichita Thunder brought him in for a look. However, he was released prior to the season starting. With teams setting their rosters, it seemed Hughes might be forced to watch from the sidelines this season as opportunities dried up quickly.

They say good things happen to good people, though, and it seems that a little of that has rubbed off on Liam Hughes. Just when it looked like the goaltending trade had nothing left to offer Hughes, he was signed by the Australian Ice Hockey League's Melbourne Mustangs on April 2! I can't speak for the AIHL in terms of what level of hockey to which it would be equivalent in North America, but I can tell you that former New York Islanders defender Ty Wishart is one of Hughes' new teammates on Melbourne after his 26-game cup of coffee in the NHL! What I can tell you, though, is that the Mustangs are off to an incredible start to the season thanks, in part, to the goaltending of Liam Hughes!

Melbourne currently sits in second-place with a game in-hand on the AIHL-leading Sydney Bears, and their 4-0-1-0 start has them five points ahead of the third-place Perth Thunder in the Hellyer Division. For his part, Hughes is 5-0-0 this season with one shutout and leads the league with his 1.57 GAA and his .941 save percentage. He is one of three goaltenders who have played three-or-more games without a loss on his record, and he has only allowed eight goals on 136 shots thus far. Yes, it's still early in the season, but it appears that the Mustangs have their net defender for the foreseeable future.

I'm happy to see Hughes doing well after landing in Australia. It's not a normal place where one imagines hockey, but the AIHL is growing each and every year in terms of talent. Having Hughes find his game there is good for both him and the Mustangs as they capitalize on his success, but it seems he elevates his game whenever he find a place where he put down a few roots. I'm not saying that Hughes won't get other opportunities, but perhaps we're talking about a future naturalized citizen of Australia if the Mustangs want to keep him around long-term.

I'll keep an eye on Hughes as the AIHL season continues, but things are going peachy in Melbourne for the former Bisons netminder as it stands. Even if peaches aren't in season right now in Australia.

Until next time, keep you sticks on the ice!