“They have had so much influence on my game,” Hughes said. “They are my two biggest role models and I love training with them in the summer.”
All three of them suited up for the NTDP at different points, and with so much in common, it’s no surprise that Jack and Luke share a unique stat heading into this next World Junior Championship.
It’s rare to play in three world championships in one year, let alone in seven months like Luke will be doing, but that’s a common thread that he will now have with his brother Jack, who represented the U.S. at three world championships in a span of five months in 2019, having played consecutively in the IIHF World Junior Championship (late December/January), Under-18 World Championship (April), and Men’s World Championship (May).
While getting the chance to share the Team USA experience is an honor, the trio of brothers has a dream that hopefully will come true at one point in their careers.
“It is a dream of ours to play together — all three of us at some point,” Hughes said. “I will hopefully get to play with Jack at some point, when I have the chance to play in New Jersey.”
“Really, it’s our dream to wear the USA jersey together, either at the Olympics or the World Championship, and win a gold medal.”
But first, next up on Hughes’ list is suiting up in the red, white, and blue to lead this current World Juniors team. He has gotten advice from his brothers on how to handle the tournament, as Quinn and Jack both played together on the 2019 squad that earned silver, with Quinn playing on the 2018 team that earned bronze as well.
“For the World Juniors, they told me to enjoy the tournament,” he said. “You will wake up one day and it will all be behind you, so you need to enjoy every moment.”
Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.
