It was a sight Devils fans hope to see frequently in the coming years.
The brothers were euphoric when Luke, a defenseman, was chosen by the Devils, two years after they selected Jack with the No. 1 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft. The 17-year-old marked the occasion by wearing his older brother's No. 86 New Jersey sweater during a video conference with reporters.
"It's a dream come true to play in the NHL," Luke said. "It's also a dream come true to play with your brother. Both those things are happening tonight. I'm so excited to be a Devil and play with Jack someday."
Jack said, "It's an awesome, awesome (day), it's a great pick for our team. We're] getting a great player. But I'm just a proud older brother right now."
***[RELATED: [NHL Draft tracker | 2021 NHL Draft first-round analysis]*
The selection marked the first time that a family from the United States had three brothers selected in the first round. Defenseman Quinn Hughes was selected No. 7 by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2018 NHL Draft.
"He's no different than his brothers," New Jersey general manager Tom Fitzgerald said of Luke. "The passion he has for the game of hockey, the commitment he has to improve and develop, you can't manufacture these. It's real, it's true. He loves the game. He's a rink rat. We're just so excited we had the opportunity to do this."
Luke said the only time he and Jack played together in organized hockey was during a tournament in Toronto when he was in sixth grade and Jack was in eighth grade. But their parents, Jim and Ellen, should soon have the chance to see two sons play for the same NHL team. Luke is the biggest of the three brothers at 6-foot-2, 184 pounds.
"It's not like we're a bunch of specimens who are 6-6," Quinn said. "Me and Jack are 5-10 flat, and so they really had to teach us the game, and extremely hard. A lot of credit to them. I think this is just a big-time family night for everyone. A lot of joy."
Luke said playing against his older brothers helped him forge a competitive edge.
"Growing up with them, all the battles we had on the outdoor rinks and mini-sticks and all that stuff, I think that's where we grew our passion and really became little players," he said. "It was huge with my brothers, not even as hockey players, but as role models and as people."
Luke scored 34 points (six goals, 28 assists) in 38 games with the USA Hockey National Team Development Program Under-18 team but lacerated a tendon in his foot March 7 and had season-ending surgery March 17. He's been skating since May and is scheduled to play for the United States at the World Junior Summer Showcase from July 24-31. The event will have practices and games against Finland and Sweden as the first step toward picking the teams that will play in the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship.
