It's not easy having two of the league's top young stars as brothers. Or on the flip side, maybe it's a great learning tool.

That's exactly the unique situation Luke Hughes is in. A defenseman out of the United States National Team Development Program, Hughes is the final of the three brothers to enter the NHL draft - and, no, he's not related to the other Jack Hughes on the USNTDP.

Like all prospects, Hughes had to deal with quite the adversity with the pandemic putting a halt on team activities in early 2020. The U-18 World Hockey Championship wasn't able to take place, and there was a good chance that Hughes would have been able to represent the team at that level for the first time - an added bonus since he ultimately missed the 2021 event.

But the extra downtime allowed Luke to spend more time with his brothers - something that hasn't been the case since Jack was selected first overall by New Jersey in 2019.

"I think quarantine was unbelievable for me, just hanging out with my brothers," Luke said. "Jack was at my house for nine months. So, just to spend time, and we probably won't have that time together as a family ever again, that was awesome."

Throughout the early days of the pandemic, Hughes kept up with his usual training methods prior to the return to the ice on Oct. 2, 2020 – well before much of North America had caught up. Hughes, however, missed the final few months of the season after surgery to repair a foot tendon that was lacerated by a skate cut in March, putting a premature end to the top prospect's season as he was still fighting towards becoming the No. 1 pick in July.

The good news? It looks like he's all ready to go.

"I've been skating for five weeks now and working out for like eight or nine," Hughes said. "I feel really good. You know, I'm almost 100% on my timing and finished rehab."

Understandably, a ton of people have wondered whether or not the New Jersey Devils would take Hughes at No. 4. In Ryan Kennedy's recent top 120 list for the draft, he had Hughes listed as the sixth-ranked player, where Detroit picks. Being from Michigan, Hughes would have the potential to become a star at home. 

Would Luke prefer to join his brother in New Jersey? If he does, he's not letting anyone know.

"I've been to the rink, I know the franchise pretty well, Jack loves it in New Jersey," Luke said. That would be certainly exciting. But there are 32 great teams out there."

As a defenseman, Luke has always been compared to Quinn in terms of ability, but it's not exactly a fair comparison. Quinn is a 5-foot-10 blueliner with high-end offensive skill, while Luke is a bit more physical at 6-foot-2 that weaponizes his skating to his advantage in a more conducive way than Quinn. Luke's offensive game took a big step this season, albeit in an injury-shortened campaign. Playing in Michigan should help him unlock his offensive game even further with guys like Matty Beniers, Kent Johnsson, Owen Power and others in the fray.

Shortly after July's draft, Hughes will be among 44 U.S. players competing at the World Junior Summer Showcase, the summer event USA Hockey uses to evaluate talent for the 2022 World Junior Championship this December. Regardless of who selects Hughes, it's likely he'll still go to the University of Michigan like Quinn did for an extra season of development. Luke was a bit younger than Quinn was when he was selected, but like Quinn, the added development time should be a big benefit for Luke, especially after missing so much time with an injury.

Come December, Hughes should have a strong shot at making USA's World Junior team, likely in a top-four capacity. By 2022-23, Hughes could be challenging for a similar spot with an NHL team - and it's looking like whichever franchise that is will strike big with the big American defender.