Luke Hughes Joins Devils | FEATURE

The moment Devils nation has been waiting for is getting close.
Ever since New Jersey drafted Luke Hughes with the fourth-overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, the club, the fans and the Hughes family knew that one day he would be on the same ice as his older brother Jack, whom the Devils selected first overall in 2019.
It took nearly a two-year wait, but Luke Hughes is officially a member of the New Jersey Devils, signing a three-year, entry-level contract on Saturday morning that begins in 2022-23.
"It's been a longtime coming. It's been a dream of mine since I was a little kid," Luke said. "To do it with my brother in the room is pretty special."
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The feeling was mutual.
"I'm just really happy to have him here," Jack said. "It's really exciting. A day we all knew was coming and we were looking forward to it. So it's exciting."
Luke, 19, joined the team in Boston Friday night, less than 24 hours after the conclusion of his collegiate career. Luke's Michigan Wolverines lost to Quinnipiac, 5-2, in the NCAA Frozen Four semifinal Thursday night.
The Devils made a quick turnaround to get the defenseman with their group.
"There really was no better time to do it," general manager Tom Fitzgerald said. "He was eager to do it as well. We thought we wait a couple days, let him get settled back to Michigan and then get him on a plane to New Jersey early (next) week. But he was so eager to do it, we were trying to get flights at 1:30 in the morning Thursday night, Friday morning. We're glad he's here."
Luke, 6-foot-2, 190 pounds, also said there is no better time than right now.
"I talked to my family and talked to my advisors," he said. "It was the smartest decision to get acclimated as fast as possible. I don't think there was any upside to going home for a couple days."

Although he is with the Devils, he will not play Saturday evening when they face the Boston Bruins at TD Garden. But with two games remaining in the regular-season, Luke will likely make his NHL debut very soon.
"I'd like to think that in the next couple games there's a chance we see Luke Hughes and give some guys a rest," Fitzgerald said.
One of the biggest advantages to getting Luke with the team quickly is so he can learn the Devils' system immediately and start working with his newest coworkers.
"I think it's important for Luke to acclimated to his new team, his surroundings, teammates, staff," Fitzgerald said. "Now that we have him here, we can actually sit down and coach him. It's tough to develop and coach from afar. You're just part of the process. Now we have our hands on him. Now we can mold him and develop him into the player we know he can be."
The player he can be is a big, mobile defenseman with incredible offensive ability. Over the past two years with Michigan, Luke has concentrated on refining his game while garnering numerous accolades and achievements, including Big 10 All First-Team Honors.
"I just tried to get better at everything," said Luke, who had nine goals and 42 points in 2022-23. "I managed my shifts and managed my game really well this year, playing hard in the D zone, just try to get (the puck) out, use my exits and entries as quickly as possible, and doing my thing in the O zone. It was getting more mature, getting bigger, stronger and faster."
"His play away from the puck," Fitzgerald said of the area Luke has developed most in college. "Those are the areas we asked him to really concentrate, the coaching staff. Puck watching, net front, box outs, all the little things you have to do at our level. You're not going to get away with not doing it."

Luke took part in the Devils' optional morning skate Saturday, and he was joined on the ice by his brother. And while the wait continues for when the Hughes brothers lace up the skates and play in the same game together, that day is certainly closer.
"It's unique with the family dynamic. I'm just proud to be part of it," Fitzgerald said. "But we didn't draft Luke Hughes because of Jack Hughes. We drafted Luke Hughes because of Luke and what he's capable of doing and how he could really impact the game."
"He's a really good player. We're looking forward to when he gets in the lineup," Jack said. "He'll be a big part of our team for a lot of years."