The Hughes brothers have a future in the NHL

Were you really looking for the happiest hockey parents overseas? Visit Jim and Ellen Hughes. Parents of three now famous brothers, Quinn, Jack and Luke, who are slowly but surely starting to conquer the best hockey league in the world – the NHL.

It was clear from the start what direction they would take their sons. They both come from the hockey world. The father didn’t break through as a player and made one start in the AHL in his career, but he thrived later in other capacities. He was an assistant coach in Boston for Robbie Ftorek and Mike O’Connell. He later appeared in the same role on the Toronto farm, where the Maple Leafs groomed him for the role of player education manager. He held that position for six seasons.

As a player, Mama Ellen made the national team, with whom she celebrated a silver medal in the 1991/1992 season, and as one of the best defencemen of the entire tournament, she deservedly made the All Stars selection alongside Canadian Geraldine Heaney, who is crowned with all the achievements and several gold medals from the Women’s Hockey World Championships.

Having a son in the NHL is a huge accomplishment in a hockey family. To have two there is a sensation – we can see a few of them, the Sedin brothers, David and Ondra Kaše, the Tkachuk brothers, the Nylanders and the Svechnikovs. But to have three of them there? It may seem like science fiction. Just think of the Czechoslovak trio of the Št’astný brothers. But what about the Staal family? There are four Staal brothers in the NHL right now, which is completely unique, even if the youngest of them has only been around for a very short time.

And then there’s the aforementioned trio of Hughes brothers. They’ve set a record that will be hard to beat. All three were drafted in the top 10. It just goes to show the potential and talent that lies within them and is gradually seeing the light of day. I think it’s time to take a look at all three, one by one, starting with the oldest.

QUINN HUGHES (Vancouver Canucks)

Twenty-four year old Quinn started his fifth full NHL season this year. The Vancouver Canucks pointed to him in the first round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft at the seventh overall pick, and the club’s executives can wash their hands of that selection as Quinn is growing into an excellent defensive player. He showed that in his first season, as he managed to collect 45 assists to go along with eight goals. In the subsequent playoffs, he notched another 14 assists and two goals.

Hughes can be considered the assist king, as he has more than 250 assists in just under five seasons in the NHL. In addition, he is one of the Canucks power play mainstays. That’s where his floor is that he’s racking up the points. Vancouver’s power plays are well-rehearsed and so unconventional, with players circling and changing positions.

So far this year, he’s scored 9 goals and 30 assists in thirty-two games and is poised for a season of a lifetime so far. Vancouver is running like clockwork, playing good-looking and attractive hockey, scoring a lot of goals. In addition, Quinn Hughes has found the perfect teammate in the Czech talent Filip Hronk, with whom he currently forms the best defensive pairing in the NHL.

This duo knows their stuff – they know what to play and what to expect from each other. No one expected much that these two offensive-minded defensemen could play together. But they’ve shown they can. Maybe they’ll show a recipe for other teams to lose all fear of putting two offensive backs next to each other.

Plus, Quinn can play in complete peace, he’s under contract for four more years with a “cap hit” of just under $8 million a year. Most importantly, he has a competitive team around him that can contend for the Stanley Cup. Coach Tocchet’s staff has grown and matured. Most of the players are in their prime hockey age, they have Miller, Myers or Cole around them, experienced players that will help them up even more and they are just growing up the generation around Hughes or Hoglander. Is it time for the Vancouver Canucks? Why not!

JACK HUGHES (New Jersey Devils)

Two years younger brother of Quinn, Jack Hughes is a goal scoring forward for a change, a typical finisher of actions. He was drafted just one year later than his older brother, when the New Jersey Devils made him the number one pick. Again, the pick paid off handsomely. Jack jumped into the NHL right after the draft, so he can measure himself against his brother from the very beginning, both of them started their NHL careers at the same time. But Jack didn’t have such a great start in the NHL. In his first season, he had only 7 goals and 14 assists, far below expectations. The second season brought a slight improvement to eleven goals and twenty assists. And immediately, speculation began that the Devils management had made a huge mistake.

The turning point came the season before last, when Jack averaged more than a point per game, and last season he was already attacking the fifty-goal mark. In the regular season, he collected 99 points. So far this year he is two points behind his older brother, but he is slowly gaining momentum. He’s already scored 14 goals in 24 games. And his $8 million-a-year contract is growing by the game. Moreover, he will be receiving this salary annually until 2030. So his future is secure.

His Jersey club has a great future too, perhaps even better than Vancouver’s. Siegenthaler, Bratt, Hughes, Meier, Hischier, Holtz and Nemec are slowly entering their prime years. In addition, the roster has been suitably rounded out with experienced players in Palat and Toffoli.

LUKE HUGHES (New Jersey Devils)

The last of the brothers, and logically the youngest, is 20-year-old Luke Hughes, who the New Jersey Devils drafted in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft right behind the trio of Power, Beniers and McTavish. He’ll still be receiving rookie salary next year, with the possibility of getting a similar contract to his two brothers thanks to the salary cap increase and if he performs adequately, i.e., well. There’s plenty of time for that, he can still burn out or brutally skyrocket upwards.

He got his first taste of the NHL at the end of last season, when he jumped into two games and notched a decent tally of one goal and one assist. With an average of a point per game, he entered this season already having played 29 games with an average of half a point per game. It’s not as impressive as his brothers, but still keep in mind that he is the youngest. Although he has a lot of competition on defense, he has the size to at least match his brothers. Like his oldest brother Quinn, he wears #43 on his jersey. That’s supposedly if they wanted to trade them so they wouldn’t have to make new jerseys.

Source: NHL, Elite Prospects