The Hughes Brothers Make History as NHL 25 Cover Athletes
Quinn, Jack and Luke Hughes have all caught the NHL by storm in their own ways. They're now uniting as cover athletes for NHL 25, EA Sports' latest hockey video game.
When the Vancouver Canucks hosted the New Jersey Devils last December, Quinn, Jack and Luke Hughes took a moment after warmups to pose for a picture to capture their first time on the ice together in the NHL.
This summer, the trio collaborated on another special photoshoot, this time for EA Sports.
“I think for us to have the opportunity to do it together — I don't think we've really done anything like that, on that scale,” said Quinn Hughes before the trio were officially unveiled as the cover athletes for NHL 25. “Definitely different than a regular day for us, in terms of just going to the gym and golfing and whatnot. It was a long day, but it was fun with these guys.”
Quinn, Jack and Luke Hughes are the first siblings ever to be featured together on an EA Sports game cover.
“It was obviously really special that the three of us could do it together,” said Jack Hughes. “It was a really exciting thing, just being on the cover. Obviously, it’s a plus being on the cover with Luke and Quinn.”
While three of four Staals and four of the six Sutters were first-round draft picks, Quinn, Jack and Luke Hughes are the first trio of brothers to have all been selected in the top 10 of the NHL draft.
Now 23, first-overall pick Jack Hughes has teased superstar offensive talent during the first five years of his pro career. With a knack for making highlight-reel plays, Hughes put up 99 points with the New Jersey Devils in the 2022-23 season and was named the NHL’s first star for October 2023 before he was derailed by a shoulder issue that hampered him throughout the season.
Last fall, Jack Hughes was joined in the Garden State by youngest brother Luke, 20, a fourth-overall selection. After his rookie campaign, the defenseman was named a finalist for the Calder Trophy.
Oldest brother Quinn Hughes, 24, went seventh overall in 2018. Last fall, he became the Vancouver Canucks’ captain. He then led all defensemen with 92 points on his way to capturing the first-ever Norris Trophy for his franchise.
Quinn Hughes is now the Canucks’ third EA Sports cover athlete after Kirk McLean fended off Alexei Kovalev on the NHL 95 cover and Markus Naslund got NHL 05 — just in time for the league’s year-long lockout.
Jack and Luke Hughes are the third and fourth Devils to earn cover honors. Scott Stevens was featured along with Detroit’s Steve Yzerman for NHL 96, and Martin Brodeur flashed his glove hand in a solo spot on NHL 14.
Jack Hughes remembers that edition well.
“I think our first game was NHL 14, with Marty Brodeur on the cover,” he said. “I think we got our first PlayStation the Marty Brodeur year. That was the first year we were really grinding hard on Chel.”
Those early years featured the brothers playing in "season mode" — quick to pull the trigger on trades to try to gain an upper hand. Now that role-playing has become reality, those moves don’t come as easily.
“I definitely wouldn't play as the Devils,” Jack Hughes said. “I would have a tough time trading certain guys, morale-wise, I'd probably play as someone with a lot of cap space — maybe wheel and deal a little bit.”
[gallery ids="4236,4237,4238,4239,4240,4241"]
NHL 25 features a new gameplay system called ICE-Q, designed to take the level of realism to an unprecedented level.
"Hockey is built different, with NHL 25 delivering greater authenticity, bigger team rivalries and inspired by the sport’s next-generation superstars who continue to redefine the game,” said Mike Inglehart, a senior game design director at EA Vancouver.
In recent years, the cover athletes for EA's NHL games have included superstars like Alex Ovechkin, Connor McDavid, Cale Makar and Auston Matthews, twice. With only one pro season under his belt, this special spotlight is shining on Luke very early in his career.
“It’s a massive honor,” he said. “To be on the cover with my two brothers is really special for all three of us. Obviously, I’ve only played one year, but I’m really excited for my second year and to get back to New Jersey and start grinding.”
While Jack and Luke Hughes spent all of last season together with New Jersey, all three brothers share a house during the off-season and train together.
After Quinn took huge strides with his game last season, there’s no letting up.
“I feel like the reason why I was able to have a successful season is because I've been able to do that over the course of the last four or five summers,” he said. “And my brothers have done that. I mean, you look at Jack's trajectory in the NHL, and I think Lukey’s primed to have some big seasons coming up. We push each other, and we train really hard. I say that we get an edge on other guys, the way we train in the summer.”
NHL 25 will be available for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S starting Oct. 4.
Get the latest news and trending stories right to your inbox by subscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or by visiting our forum.