Ten years ago, Dan Brown coached Jack Hughes. Around the same time, Jim Hughes coached Connor Brown. Now, Jack and Connor will have the chance to share the ice after being coached by the other’s father all those years ago.
The newest New Jersey Devil, Connor Brown, and the growing franchise star, Jack Hughes, are set to play together in the 2025–26 season. Although they’ve never played together before in the NHL, their histories are intertwined. In a 32-team league, it is special to see two players unite with such meaningful prior ties.
The New Jersey Devils signed Connor Brown to a four-year, $12 million contract on July 1.
The 31-year-old forward is coming off a strong season with the Edmonton Oilers, where he played all 82 games and recorded 30 points.
He joins a roster of young stars like Nico Hischier, Dawson Mercer, and Jack Hughes.
Brown, who is six years older than Hughes, has been in the NHL for 10 years. That means that when Brown debuted in the NHL in 2015, Hughes was just 14 years old.
During his early teens, Hughes played for the Mississauga Rebels of the Greater Toronto Hockey League. He applied for "exceptional player status" to enter the Canadian Hockey League a year early but was denied. Instead, he played another year in the league with a new team, the Toronto Marlboros.
The Marlboros were coached by Dan Brown.
That’s right, Dan Brown, father of Connor Brown, was Jack Hughes’s coach in 2015.
When asked about any connections to the Devils, after being drafted, Connor Brown recounted the story:
“My dad actually coached Jack Hughes in minor hockey in Toronto. This was many years ago, but my dad was a high minor hockey coach”
Not only did Connor’s dad coach Jack, but he also coached the oldest Hughes brother, Quinn.
But the connections don’t stop there.
Brown was drafted in 2012 by the Toronto Maple Leafs. In the time leading up to his NHL debut in 2015, he worked with the Leafs' player development coaches.
And who was one of those coaches?
None other than Jim Hughes, the father of Quinn and Jack.
That means Connor Brown’s dad coached Jack Hughes, and Jack Hughes’s dad coached Connor Brown.
Brown said the history between the families goes way back:
“I've known the Hughes boys in the Toronto area…I have a connection with the Hughes brothers, for sure.”
The two will finally take the ice together as teammates with the New Jersey Devils this season, following years of knowing each other.
Photo Credit: © Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images