Was Luke or Quinn more challenging for Jack to play against this summer?
For the first time, all three Hughes brothers reported to NHL training camps in September. Jack and Luke traveled to New Jersey, while older brother Quinn headed west to Vancouver.
All three were top 10 picks in the NHL Entry Draft, with Jack, the lone forward of the trio, selected first overall in 2019.
During a recent NHL on TNT broadcast, analyst Anson Carter asked Jack which of his brothers is harder to go against one-on-one, his brother Luke or Quinn. After a few laughs were exchanged, Jack rather quickly revealed his answer.
"Honestly, this summer was Luke for me," he said with a smile.
Luke was selected fourth overall in 2021, and Quinn was picked seventh overall in 2018.
Jack continued to explain the differences in how his two brothers defend.
"Quinn's got the really good feet (and is) extremely smart. He's really crafty with how he defends," Jack said. "Luke's got that really long reach and can really skate. They are both really difficult. They definitely defend in different ways, that's for sure."
All three brothers are in the top ten in the league in various categories. At the time of publication, Jack's 18 points and 13 assists are the most in the league, Quinn's eight points are tied for the third-most among defensemen, and Luke's six points are tied with Bobby Brink of the Philadelphia Flyers for second-best among rookies.
Barring injuries, all three brothers are scheduled to play together in their first NHL game on Dec. 5 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver.