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Highly rated prospect Luke Hughes, the No. 4 pick of the 2021 NHL draft, signed his entry-level contract with the New Jersey Devils on Saturday.

The decision to sign the 19-year-old defenseman was widely expected after Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald said after the trade deadline that Hughes would join the team once his season ended at Michigan. Hughes, a sophomore, helped Michigan reach a second consecutive Frozen Four only to fall to Quinnipiac in the national semifinal on Thursday. Hughes finished the season with 10 goals and 48 points in 39 games.

Now that he has signed with the Devils, he will join his brother Jack Hughes as the two look to help the team make an impression in New Jersey’s first playoff appearance since the 2017-18 season. He becomes the third Hughes brother to reach the NHL with the oldest of the trio, Quinn Hughes, playing for the Vancouver Canucks. Jack, a two-time All-Star, was the No. 1 pick of the 2019 NHL draft. Quinn, who also played two seasons at Michigan, made the All-Star Game in 2020.

When will the youngest Hughes brother debut? Fitzgerald told ESPN that the Devils are playing for home-ice advantage, which could play a role in determining whether Hughes will play. The Devils entered Saturday second in the Metropolitan Division, just one point behind the Carolina Hurricanes for the division lead with three games left in the regular season. Fitzgerald also said that the plan for Hughes is to be around the team, be involved with practices, learn the system and be ready in the event he could play.

Devils coach Lindy Ruff told reporters that Luke Hughes will not play Saturday night against the Boston Bruins, but he is practicing with the team.

Whenever Hughes does enter the lineup, he will be part of a team that has boasted one of the NHL’s strongest defensive structures. The Devils, in 5-on-5 sequences, were in the top five in scoring chances allowed per 60 and high-danger chances allowed per 60, according to Natural Stat Trick. They were also seventh in high-danger goals allowed. It’s a team that has mainly used the same six defensemen — Ryan Graves, Dougie Hamilton, John Marino, Damon Severson, Jonas Siegenthaler and Brendan Smith — for most of the season with Kevin Bahl operating as a seventh defenseman.

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Michigan star TE Loveland ruled out vs. Trojans

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Michigan star TE Loveland ruled out vs. Trojans

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Michigan star tight end Colston Loveland has been ruled out of Saturday’s game against No. 11 USC with an undisclosed injury.

Loveland suffered an apparent shoulder injury in last weekend’s win over Arkansas State. Michigan coach Sherrone Moore hasn’t specified the nature of the injury.

A preseason All-American, Loveland leads the Wolverines with 19 catches for 187 yards; no other Michigan pass catcher has more than nine receptions.

The No. 18 Wolverines also changed starting quarterbacks this week, moving from Davis Warren to Alex Orji. Warren had thrown six interceptions in three games, including three last weekend. He threw two picks in a 31-12 loss to Texas on Sept. 7.

Orji has only seven career passing attempts but has rushed for 58 yards in a relief role this season.

Moore said this week that he wants to see Orji “take the reins” of the Michigan offense with his opportunity.

“Excited for him,” Moore said. “I know he’s chomping at the bit.”

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Sources: Nats demote All-Star after all-nighter

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Sources: Nats demote All-Star after all-nighter

The Washington Nationals demoted All-Star shortstop CJ Abrams to the minor leagues after he stayed out all night at a Chicago-area casino, leaving only hours before a Friday day game against the Chicago Cubs, sources told ESPN’s Jesse Rogers.

The 23-year-old Abrams led off for the Nationals and went 0 for 3 with a walk and strikeout in Friday’s game, which started at 1 p.m. CT. He was informed of the demotion Friday night, sources said. He will be sent to West Palm Beach, home of the Nationals’ minor league complex.

Because Abrams has been with Washington for the entirety of the season, the demotion will not affect his service time. Players earn a full year of service with 172 days on the major league roster, and Abrams already has exceeded that threshold.

Abrams could, however, file a grievance through the Major League Baseball Players Association to fight for lost pay if he believes the demotion unjust. He would lose around $30,000 of his $752,000 salary for missing the season’s final week. Abrams will be arbitration-eligible this winter, entering the system for the first of four times as a Super 2.

Acquired as one of the centerpieces of the Juan Soto trade two years ago, Abrams parlayed a breakout first-half into an All-Star selection, hitting .268/.343/.489 with 15 home runs and 15 stolen bases over the Nationals’ first 89 games. He struggled significantly in the second half, slashing .203/.260/.326, and Abrams’ defense has been a weakness throughout the season.

Still, the Nationals did not intend to send him to the minor leagues until they learned of his time spent at the casino, which was first reported Friday by CHGO.

“I just want it to be known it wasn’t performance-based,” Nationals manager Dave Martinez told reporters Saturday. “It’s an internal issue. I’m not going to give specifics.”

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Clemson DE Woods (leg) sidelined vs. NC State

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Clemson DE Woods (leg) sidelined vs. NC State

CLEMSON, S.C. — Clemson defensive end Peter Woods will not play for the 21st-ranked Tigers against NC State on Saturday because of a leg injury.

The team announced Woods’ status about 90 minutes before kickoff. Woods, 6-foot-3, 315 pounds, got hurt two weeks ago on a chop block below the knee in a 66-20 victory over App State. Woods came back in briefly after getting checked then missed the second half.

The Tigers were off last weekend.

Clemson coach Dabo Swinney has said Woods’ playing status was day-to-day. Swinney said Woods had not missed a practice. But Woods came out to the field for warmups in sneakers and sweatpants while other defensive linemen went through drills.

Woods leads the Tigers with 2½ tackles for loss.

Third-year sophomore Jahiem Lawson is listed as Woods’ backup on the depth chart.

NC State will be without starting quarterback Grayson McCall, who was hurt last week in a win over Louisiana Tech. Freshman CJ Bailey started for the Wolfpack.

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