‘Tremendous story’ of Hughes brothers continues with upcoming matchup

NEWARK, N.J. -- A new season provides another opportunity for defenseman Quinn Hughes to finally break through against his brothers when the Vancouver Canucks host the New Jersey Devils at Rogers Arena in Vancouver on Wednesday (10:30 p.m. ET; SN1, MSGSN).

The eldest Hughes is in search of his first goal against his brothers, Jack and Luke, in his ninth career game against the Devils.

"There's never any talk about the head-to-head results of the games," said Quinn Hughes, who is 25 years old, 19 months older than center Jack, 23, who is 28 months older than defenseman Luke, 21.

Quinn and Jack have played against each other seven times in the NHL. New Jersey is 6-1-0 in those games, and Jack has 13 points (seven goals, six assists) with a plus-2 rating and 34 shots on goal. Luke joined his older brothers in the NHL as a rookie last season, and in two games (one without Jack due to injury) he went 1-1-0 with a goal and an assist against Quinn and the Canucks.

"I mean, sometimes it's not about who you play, but more when you're hot and whatnot," Jack Hughes said. "I know that they have a really good team over there and I'm really excited. I think this year it's less about the three of us ... like the Hughes Bowl. I think we can go there, enjoy our time, and spend some of it with Quinn and our parents. I think for us, it's definitely on a lower scale so that'd be more exciting and fun to just get out there."

Quinn has faced one or both of his brothers in all eight games against the Devils in his career. The Canucks are 2-5-1 in those games, and Quinn has eight assists and a minus-1 rating with 18 shots on goal.

"I try to dummy it down in my head because I just want to focus on what I can control and playing a good game," Quinn said. "But it's obviously meaningful and you know who you're playing against."

The Hughes' story was a success from the start as never before had an American family had three brothers selected in the first round of the NHL Draft.

Quinn was chosen No. 7 by the Canucks in the 2018 NHL Draft. Jack was selected No. 1 by the Devils a year later, and Luke went No. 4 to the Devils in the 2021 NHL Draft. Jack was the first player from USA Hockey's National Team Development Program Under-18 team to go directly from the draft to the NHL; Quinn and Luke each spent two seasons at the University of Michigan before signing his professional contract.

"I've got two boys and think about the time and the effort that's put into them and you see them grow, and you just love to support them and have them enjoy the game that I love so much, but to have three boys excel on that level and that stage is incredible," New Jersey coach Sheldon Keefe said. "Really, it's a tremendous story and just the two that we have to work with ... tremendous kids and their talents are outrageous. Sometimes you see two brothers and think it's pretty impressive seeing them playing against each other around the League, and to have three, even more so."

Quinn and Jack are already bona fide stars in the NHL, each having played in the NHL All-Star Game twice and Quinn winning the Norris Trophy voted as the best defenseman in the NHL in 2023-24. Luke continues to gain traction in his second professional season after being a finalist for the Calder Trophy as NHL rookie of the year last season.

The Hughes brothers also are the first siblings to grace an EA SPORTS cover together, and they took part in a memorable photo session for EA SPORTS NHL 25 over the summer.

"Being on the cover is definitely something I wanted to do in my career and to do it in year six is really special," Jack said. "To do it with my bros was definitely a lot of fun. Most NHL guys grew up playing (EA SPORTS) NHL so it's a massive honor.

"We know the ratings ... it's in the right order, I'd say."

Quinn owns the highest rating of the three (94), followed by Jack (93) and Luke (86).

"I played one year so the ratings are right where they should be," Luke said. "They've definitely done a lot in this league so far. Quinn had an unbelievable season last year and same with Jack. I'm starting to get my game going and coming into my own here. I got a lot of work to do and got to keep getting better."

Luke missed the first nine games of the season with a left shoulder injury but has one assist playing in three straight games. Jack is fifth on the Devils with 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 12 games, and Quinn is third on the Canucks with eight points (two goals, six assists) in eight games.

Jack and Luke each said he feels Quinn is the best of the bunch at this stage in their careers.

"It's his consistency every night he's out there and how he tries to create stuff every shift, but it's also how hard he defends," Luke said. "He makes really hard plays down low, and his transition passes are super quick. I love watching him."

Said Jack: "I've always admired how calm and poised Quinn is and how he thinks things through. He can kind of talk himself out of situations, so I think he's got that really good way about him in terms of not letting things get to him and being a calm guy. Not that me and Luke don't have that, but he's probably the master in the family at it."

The Canucks (4-1-2) entered Tuesday third in the Pacific Division, four points behind the Vegas Golden Knights for first place. The Devils (6-4-2) began the day first in the Metropolitan Division, one point ahead of the New York Rangers.

Quinn also has an admiration for how his younger brothers approach and excel at the game.

"With Jack, his competitiveness is crazy," he said. "He's just kind of always been a person that his drive is really high. His will to get better, and his love for the game.

"With Luke, it's mental toughness and his ability to not let anything get too high or too low."

NHL.com independent correspondent Kevin Woodley contributed to this report