It’s Quinn, Jack, and Luke Hughes‘ world and we’re just living in it. Taking a glance at the NHL leaderboard right now, it is littered with the Hughes name. Jack is pacing the NHL with 20 points (tied with Elias Pettersson), Quinn is leading all defencemen with 16, and the youngest brother Luke is in a six-way tie for second in rookie scoring with seven – one back of Logan Cooley, Pavel Mintyukov and Bobby Brink.
It’s pretty crazy to see that much talent coming from one family. But here we are as the next great family bears the Hughes name following the likes of the Hulls, Sutters, and Staals. And the best is yet to come as all of them haven’t even hit their prime yet. Are we seeing the makings of another top family in NHL history? Maybe that’s too soon to say, but they are sure off to a good start.
Quinn Hughes
Quinn Hughes was the first to briskly skate his way into the NHL after being drafted seventh overall by the Vancouver Canucks in 2018. Coming off a very successful stint with the Michigan Wolverines where he tallied 10 goals and 62 points in 69 games, he debuted with the Canucks at the end of the 2018-19 season and quickly recorded three assists in five games – including his first highlight-reel move.
Since then, the eldest Hughes has lit up the NHL to the tune of 30 goals and 257 points in 293 games and has broken several Canucks franchise records along the way; including twice the most points by a defenceman in a season (breaking his own record in 2022-23). At only 24 years old, he is a mere 153 points away from breaking Alex Edler’s all-time points record, and Edler played 925 games in a Canucks uniform. At this point, I think it’s safe to say he will not only break but comfortably surpass that total by the time he’s said and done.
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Hitting a career-high 76 points in 2022-23, the smooth-skating, edge-tastic Quinn is on pace for an insane 119 points this season. While it’s unlikely he will hit those totals, never say never, as Erik Karlsson broke the century mark last season doing much of the same – with less attention to defence. He was also named captain of the Canucks at the beginning of the season and looks to be even more dominant with the puck on his stick than ever before. Along with his pinpoint passing, elite vision, and instincts, he’s added shooting to his repertoire as he’s logged 39 shots on goal so far and is on pace to shatter the 154 he put on net last season. All in all, he’s arguably become the best defenceman in the NHL and should be garnering plenty of Norris Trophy votes by the time the season comes to a close.
Jack Hughes
Moving onto the middle brother, Jack, he did not hit the ground running in his rookie season like his older brother did. In fact, there were times when the word “bust” was thrown around due to his 17 goals and 53 points in his first 117 games. Luckily for New Jersey Devils fans, the former 2019 first-overall pick was just adjusting to the NHL in his first couple of seasons. The COVID-19-shortened 2021-22 season was kind of like his coming-out party as he logged a career-high 26 goals and 56 points in 49 games and looked more like the man who tore up the United States Hockey League (USHL) in his draft year.
Jack’s evolution into a superstar came to a head last season when he scored 43 goals and 99 points in 78 games and another six goals and 11 points in the playoffs. Similar to Quinn, his game is built on speed, elite skating, and hockey IQ, but as a forward, he also has a deadly wrist shot, which he showcased many times last season.
Going into the 2023-24 season, many people were wondering what Jack would do for an encore. Well, he has answered that question very quickly with five goals and 20 points in his first 10 games. He is currently tied atop the NHL with Pettersson of the Canucks and his name has already been uttered in Hart Trophy conversations. Hopefully, his latest injury doesn’t keep him out too long because he’s been on fire to start the season.
Luke Hughes
The pressure must have been high for the youngest Hughes brother to match his brothers’ dominance pre-NHL, but he did so with flying colours. After his brief stint in the USHL with the U.S. National Development Team, he blew apart the NCAA with an insane 17 goals and 39 points in his freshman year with the Wolverines. He then followed that up with another 10 goals and 48 points in his sophomore year along with dominant showings at the World Junior Championship in 2022 and 2023 where he put up five goals and 11 points in 12 games.
The left-shooting, 6-foot-2 defender is, of course, an amazing skater and possesses most of the same traits that his older brother Quinn does, just with three inches more height. He made his debut in the NHL at the end of last season and promptly scored his first NHL goal in his second game and even got into three playoff games where he grabbed two assists. Now playing in his rookie season, he has an impressive seven points in 11 games and is averaging 19:51 of ice time on a deep Devils blue line.
Again, similar to Quinn, Luke always seems to have the puck on his stick as he is rocking a gaudy 57.8 Corsi For percentage (CF%). The future is bright for the baby of the family as he will likely join Quinn someday as a Norris Trophy-caliber defender. Imagine this if you will Canucks and Devils fans, Quinn and Luke battling for the Norris for a decade. What a sibling rivalry that would be.
Could the Hughes Brothers Dominate the NHL Awards in 2024?
Yes, it’s very early in the season, but could we see Quinn with the Norris, Jack with the Hart/Art Ross, and Luke with the Calder at the NHL Awards ceremony in June? The latter will have the toughest time securing his award with the likes of Connor Bedard, Logan Cooley and fellow defender Pavel Mintyukov breathing down his neck, but it’s not out of the realm of possibility if he continues the pace he’s on points-wise. Quinn is a definite candidate for the Norris if he keeps up his production (especially in the goal column) along with his two-way game, and Jack, barring any extended absences due to injury, should be right in the mix of the Art Ross and the Hart. So, not entirely impossible right?
Regardless, the Hughes family is well on their way to becoming hockey royalty. Fans should count themselves lucky to witness their rise to stardom.
