‘Several of the Devils’ young, accomplished players – including Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, and Jesper Bratt – have credited Ruff with aiding their development. “He set the foundation for the whole team, how all of this started,” Bratt said earlier this season. “He was a huge part of the success we had last year. For us players, trusting in his system as the way to play. He’s been extremely fair and hard on us for the right reasons, to get better. He still wants to get better every day, same as us. He sets the standard high every day. Which we love about him.”’