Hughes' training group excited to watch siblings showdown

Zach Werenski is fortunate enough to skate with Quinn, Jack and Luke Hughes during their annual offseason training sessions at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Michigan.

The 26-year-old defenseman with the Columbus Blue Jackets also has a front-row seat to some entertaining moments when New Jersey Devils teammates Jack and Luke hit the ice.

"I mean Luke and Jack go at it hard and I just kind of sit back and watch," Werenski said with a smile. "They kind of push each other but they kind of get [ticked] at each other, too. Jack's probably the most competitive in terms of ... he wants it to be perfect. There are times you pass the puck just a little in front or a little behind him and he's just [ticked] because he's just so competitive, right? He wants it to be perfect.

"But I've learned a lot from watching and skating with them and how detailed they are."

Quinn, a defenseman with the Vancouver Canucks, is 19 months older than Jack, a forward, who is 28 months older than Luke, a defenseman.

"The summer training is all Michigan-area guys and guys who know each other really well," Jack said. "It's a really fun crew to get that locker room feeling. You train together and then you go on the ice together. Everyone that comes to skate is there to get better."

In addition to Quinn, Jack, Luke and Werenski, recent summer get-togethers include a who's who among NHL stars: forwards Matty Beniers (Seattle Kraken), Dylan Larkin and Andrew Copp (Detroit Red Wings), Tyler Motte (Tampa Bay Lightning), Kyle Connor (Winnipeg Jets), Tyler Bertuzzi (Toronto Maple Leafs) and Alex Turcotte (Los Angeles Kings), defenseman Jake Sanderson (Ottawa Senators) and, on occasion, goalie Connor Hellebuyck (Jets).

"I mean, between [Larkin], Werenski, myself, Motte, Beniers, it's such a loaded group that it gets really, really competitive," Copp said. "There's a lot of 2-on-2, 1-on-1, 3-on-3. I don't think there's been any fights, like, gloves off, but there's definitely been some scrums and them yelling at their dad and everything like that. It's definitely a very fiery skate."

The training sessions have become epic and usually run most of the summer, coordinated and instructed by Jim Hughes, the family patriarch. He's assisted by Matt Williams, who, along with Jim, are part of Creative Artists Agency Hockey's player development group.

"It's an interesting summer with those guys," Motte said. "They all work hard. They want to be on the ice, they want to be in the gym. They are super competitive, especially away from the rink. Put them on the golf course, basketball, tennis, everything. They live together all summer, so every day you come to the gym there's a story about who won what the day before."

For Turcotte, who is having his most productive professional season with Ontario of the American Hockey League, the Hughes' training sessions have been important.

"Everyone out there is so good, there's many superstars," Turcotte said. "I can only get better and learn from those guys. They're some of the best players in the NHL, so it pushes me to do my best. I think that's helped my mentality of staying sharp and on top of my game.

"It's fun but I don't get shocked or anything anymore because I know the Hughes' brothers so well, but they're hilarious. There were a couple times last summer during Jack and Luke's first skate after they returned from the Stanley Cup Playoffs ... it was one simple passing drill but not as intense because it was mid-June. I think Luke maybe messed up a couple consecutive passes to Jack and, well, Jack let Luke know. That's all I'm going to say."

The training participants are looking forward to watching highlights of the three brothers playing in the same NHL game for the first time when the Devils play at the Canucks on Tuesday (10 p.m. ET; NHLN, MSG, MSGSN2).

"It's all well-deserved what they're getting as a family," Werenski said. "They're great people. They work hard, they're competitive. They do things the right way and I'm super happy for them."

The meeting will mark the ninth time in NHL history that three brothers from the same family will play in the same NHL game.

"They're different from each other," Copp said. "Quinn's probably the most serious on the day to day. Jack is very funny, lighthearted. Luke's for sure the youngest. There's a lot of similarities but some differences that you see kind of on the day-to-day during the summer, which is great. We have a blast training together. We have such a good group, and they've put a lot of it together.

"It'll be awesome for them to share the ice for the first time in the NHL."

NHL.com columnist Nicholas J. Cotsonika and independent correspondent Corey Long contributed to this report