Just how good are the Hughes brothers? How have they impacted their respective teams? Was Luke being special the icing on the cake? Also, a lot more in 'I'm Just Sayin'.

Just how good are the Hughes brothers? How have they impacted their respective teams? Was Luke being special the icing on the cake? Also, a lot more in 'I'm Just Sayin'.

The Very Amazing Hughes Brothers

Had you gone to Vegas five years ago and bet that three American brothers would become 2023 NHL stars -- one with Vancouver and two in New Jersey -- you'd be carried to the nearest loony bin.

There you'd be rejected for being too delusional and dispatched to Planet Jupiter or Krypton if Jupiter was overcrowded with nut cases.

Yet on opening night, 2023-24, in Vancouver, defenseman Quinn Hughes captained the Canucks with three assists in a 8-1 rout of Edmonton. A couple of nights later, he led the British Columbians to another win over Connor McDavid's dandies.

Across the continent, Quinn's siblings -- Jack and Luke -- spearheaded a New Jersey opening night triumph over Detroit. Center Jumpin' Jack had two goals, and rookie Larrupin' Luke played solid defense. Jack had three assists in a 4-3 shootout loss to Arizona on Friday night.

I ask you, how could this familial hockey miracle happen? Aha! Mama Hughes knows.

They are the product of their Jewish mother; an outstanding athlete in her own right. The former Ellen Weinberg played hockey, lacrosse, and soccer at the University of New Hampshire. 

Ellen was so good she won entry into the college's Athletics Hall of Fame. It's now abundantly clear that hockey pucks are "kosher" in her kitchen

The lad's dad, Jim, was team captain of Providence College's sextet and later an assistant coach of the Boston Bruins. Most recently, he was Maple Leafs' director of player development. What amazes hockey people is that Ellen and Jim scored not twice but with a hat trick of stars.

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"I could see Quinn and Jack becoming so good in the NHL in a relatively short time," said one NHL scout, "but for Luke to come along and be chosen fourth overall (in the 2021 NHL Draft.); that's a real wonder."

I credit Hockey News columnist Ken Campbell with "discovering" Luke Hughes. Journalistic ace that he is, Campbell hustled over to the Hughes Hostel in Canton, Michigan, back in April 2019.

Originally Ken planned to interview the soon-to-be-drafted-first-overall Jack Hughes.

But halfway through the Jack chat, Luke entered from Stage Right. Although Luke was a mere 15-year-old stripling he almost upstaged his older bro and inspired the THN headline THE 3D TIME'S A CHARM.

"He (Luke) is a happy-go-lucky 15-year-old with boundless energy," observed Campbell at the time.

Naturally, it was impossible to predict whether another Hughes star was on the rise. But Quinn thought so and told Pal Ken, "Luke is going to be a really good player -- probably better than I was at the same age."

Luke wasn't too bashful -- even then -- and told Campbell, "Quinn is a really good player, and so am I."

You can't deny that because the facts were laid out, one, two, three, with Quinn leading the batting order. As a Vancouver rookie D-man, he tallied 53 points. Last year he upped it to 76 points. Now, in Year Five, he's Canucks captain. Not too bad for a 24-year-old.

As a goal-scoring center, Jack emerged as the rock star of the crew. He owns a winning smile and a royal resume. He not only was Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald's first overall pick in 2019 but also a hero to the U.S. National Team Development Program, and for good reason.

Campbell: "Jack was the first player to go directly from NTDP directly to the NHL."

Granted, Jack was less than a whiz-bang in his first two NHL seasons, nor was he a bust. But patience was a virtue, and last season -- over 78 games -- this ferret on the spoor of another goal finished 43-56-99.

Here's an exclusive scouting report on Jack: "He has uncanny vision and the ability to see two moves ahead of most people on the ice. Plus, he has the speed and hands to exploit the foe's weaknesses. He's like a chess player on the ice, and, also note, he can play with a snarl. No shrinking violet, this guy!"

Finally, an exclusive scouting report on Luke: "He has the same hands, speed and vision as Jack. His rink-long rushes remind fans of Scott Niedermayer. Luke has one thing over his brothers: size. That means a longer reach. He takes giant strides, a la Mario Lemieux."

So, what does this prove?

1. Uncle Sam's NTDP is getting better by the season.

2. Hughes, Hughes, and Hughes comprise the first brothers ever to have three top-ten NHL picks.

3. In comparison with Canadian brother acts -- as Ken Campbell noted -- "Not even the Sutters nor the Staals did that!"

In Quinn's Vancouver, they're thinking, "Hey, we can make the playoffs." (Because of Quinn.)

Thanks to Jack and Luke, in The Garden State of New Jersey, it's more like, "Hey, we can win The Stanley Cup!"

I'M JUST SAYIN'

* Official Maven Warning: Let's not get too crazy with results so far. We haven't even finished the first week of action.

* But, as the Penguins learned in its final slip out of a playoff berth; the first win is as important as the last win.

* A couple of big Pitt questions: Can Jarry come up with enough big games? Can the power play become POWERFUL? No major worries now because it's way too soon to tell.

* Collegiate team to watch? Michigan Tech.

* The new Professional Women's Hockey League is doing the smart thing. Taking very small steps, hoping to build a lasting league.

* One big step was obtaining a sweet deal with a prominent stick company.

* Comment from Sports-Business guru Evan Weiner: "The PWHL has a hard row to hoe."

* How To Avoid The Dreaded Three-Goal Lead: Don't get cocky!

* A Scout's Report On The Islanders: "Quality players are there. Whether they can keep up in this era is the biggest question that will need to be answered."

* It was a good start at UBS; a 3-2 win with Brock Nelson leading the way. Fourth-liner Casey Cizikas got the third-period winner.

* Portland's Winterhawks were ranked first in the Canadian Hockey League weekly top-10 rankings. After six games, they're 5-1-0.

* GM-coach Mike Johnston has a winner in goal -- Jan Spunar.

* While covering Jay Pandolfo's admirable playing career in New Jersey, I never could picture him as a coach. How wrong was The Maven?

* Jovial Jay guided Boston University to the 2023 NCAA Frozen Four in his rookie year behind the bench.

* Pressure is on Pando this season now that BU is ranked number one in both the USCHO and USA Hockey/The Rink Live preseason polls.

* Islanders stat whiz Eric Hornick has a titillating tale about Butch Goring's broadcasting career: "It's Butch's 14th season in the Isles booth.

* "That means Goring has broadcast more than twice as many Isles games than he played and coached combined."

* Eric The Great's "Skinny" is in its 43rd year on Blue and Orange telecasts with a 927-game streak aiming for 1,000 straight on March 30 at Tampa Bay.

* A pair of Arizona Nicks worth watching: right wing Schmaltz and center Bjugstad.

* Ever-observant Leo (The Lion) Draisaitl says, "We got the best fans in the league."

* Hello, Lion: I know 31 players from 31 other teams who sing the same siren song.

* Good long shot for the Adams Award as coach of the year: Andre (The Tiger) Tourigny.

* Best short-shot for the Adams: Peter (Never Boring) DeBoer.

* The Kraken opened oh-for-three.. If they go oh-for-four, the whisper at Pike Place Market will be "Oh-Oh!"

* How to beat "The Dreaded Three Goal Lead:" Score four goals; but preferably six.

* The Maven never had met anyone named Hudson for 90 years. Now we have a Hudson Fasching on the Isles and Hudson Darby on the Portland Winterhawks!

* Tall players are not supposed to dance around opponents, but we're gonna see a lot of that from New Jersey's Luke Hughes.

* Not To Worry Department: At Least For Now: The Oilers' two straight losses are meaningless for the moment.

* But if I'm an Edmonton fan -- am not! -- I'd still be concerned about the goaltending and defense.

* Once again, Rangers fans can relax. The Blueshirts absolutely will not win 82 in a row!