Jack Hughes on 'Dream' Playing With Brother Quinn, Olympics, and Devils' Up-and-Down Season

At just 24, Jack Hughes has proved himself as a hockey prodigy, with an already-accomplished career in the NHL and an incredibly bright future ahead of him.

Since being selected with the No. 1 overall draft pick by the New Jersey Devils in 2019, he has been both an All-Star and an EA Sports cover athlete. He's also represented the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off and will soon compete at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games.

Now the face of Mucinex's Kickstart to Greatness campaign, the three-time NHL All-Star is determined to spread awareness of staying healthy during flu season while partnering with the USA Hockey Foundation to donate $20,000 in grants supporting youth hockey leagues, coaches, and families across the country.

Above all else, he dreams of a day when he can play on the same team as his brothers, Quinn and Luke, after sharing the ice with them in a recent Devils vs. Wild game.

Ahead of the Winter Olympics, Hughes sat down with Bleacher Report to discuss his reaction to being named to Team USA, the Devils' bumpy season so far, playing with his brothers, and more.

Reaction to Being Named for the Winter Olympics

After being named to the Team USA at last year's Four Nations tournament, Hughes was always likely to make the Olympic team.

Nevertheless, for the 24-year-old All-Star, the honor is a "dream come true," especially with his brother, Quinn, also participating.

"It's something I've been looking forward to my whole life, and I'm so happy to be part of that and represent my country again," Hughes told B/R. "It's a great group of guys, and I get to do it with my brother. We're doing it on the biggest stage, and it's something I'm really looking forward to."

The timing is less than ideal, with the Devils currently boasting a 26-22-2 record and there being a few months left in the NHL season. Hughes insists he's fully focused on the Devils and will deal with the Olympic pressure once it arrives.

"You don't really feel much [of the pressure] right now, you're in the thick of it with your own team," Hughes said. "Everyone's worried about their own game and their own team and how they're doing. That's the one interesting thing about the NHL and hockey: every other sport is so geared up for the Olympics. They're probably in a phase where they're dialing up for the Olympics, and the hockey guys are grinding in the middle of their season, doing their thing.

"It's pretty cool because we get to compete, and at some point in the middle of the year, we pause and put on our country's colors and we're playing in the Olympics," he added. "It's pretty crazy and we have a couple of important weeks ahead. Not to look ahead, but you're definitely super excited about it."

Being at Olympics with Quinn, and Devils' Bumpy Season

Competing at the Olympics always felt like a pipe dream to Hughes growing up, let alone getting to do it with one of his brothers.

"You talk about it when you're a kid, but it's so unrealistic when you're kids," he told B/R. "Now it's pretty ridiculous we get to do that and live out our dream. Not only am I playing in the Olympics, I'm doing it with my older brother. Super lucky and I'm just looking forward to being with him for a couple of weeks and being on the same team as him."

Jack currently trains and travels with his younger brother, Luke, on the Devils, who are in the midst of a rocky season. Although injuries and other obstacles have plagued the team thus far, Jack is confident they can turn things around.

"I think as a team, it's been a little bumpy for us, getting off to a crazy good start and then obviously injuries pile up," he said. "There's a lot of adversity you have to face, but now you're back with our full team and I think for how we've been playing, we're not in the same we'd like to be in but we're also not in as bad of a spot as we could be. We're lucky we can figure our game out in the second half of the year and wrap up the first half. If we dial it in a little bit, we'll end up being in a really good spot."

Jack cites the crazy schedule the Devils have had this year as a factor for their shortcomings, but believes they can find success once they find their game.

"I think every single team in the league is dealing with the same thing, whether it's being run down or injuries or whatever it may be," he said. "We're not the only team in this spot. We just have to power through that, which we have, and now we have a lot of runway ahead of us where we can really build our game and win some games."

His Dream of Having All 3 Hughes Brothers Together

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The Devils' game against the Wild on Jan. 12 saw all three Hughes brothers—Jack, Quinn and Luke—share the ice. The Devils ultimately emerged victorious 5-2 on the Wild's home ice, but even bigger than the win itself was Jack getting to play with his two brothers as teammates and opponents, respectively.

"You'd love for that to happen," Jack said about the possibility of all three playing for the same team. "There were a ton of rumors earlier in the year obviously, that was pretty crazy. Whether that happens or it doesn't, we'd love for that to happen, I think it's more important that all three of us are in good places we like to play and places we like to live.

"I know Quinn's enjoying Minnesota now, but yeah, we'd love to play together, the three of us. I don't know if it will happen or not, but it's definitely a dream."

Jack credits his brothers and his parents as the biggest influences on his career.

"I'm lucky to have a really smart family," he said. "A lot of people who are knowledgeable about this kind of stuff and so many mentors over the years who have helped get me to where I'm at and are still in my corner, helping me out."

Being an NHL Superstar at 24

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Hughes is in the midst of his seventh season with the Devils and is set to add a Winter Olympics appearance to his impressive résumé.

Despite that, he's managed to maintain his humility over the years by never forgetting his roots or taking a single day—no matter how grand or hectic it may be—for granted.

"It's honestly not hard at all [to stay humble]," Hughes said. "At the end of the day, you're just a hockey player, and it's an extremely fun and amazing lifestyle we get to live. The best part I enjoy the most is going on the ice and playing hockey.

"If you look at it that way, some people love other things that come with it, but for me and people I'm closest with, that's the most important thing."

Hughes has had time to let it all sink in and appreciate the opportunities he's been afforded while continuing to hone his craft and excel in his career. He adjusted to his new norm long ago, yet it isn't lost on him how his rapid ascent to the major leagues at just 18 and everything he's accomplished since then have made him the superstar he is today.

"It's less surreal than it used to be, but there's definitely things like when the game gets taken away from you whether it's injuries or things like that or the start of a new season or opportunities like the Olympics coming up, there's always reminders that reinvigorate how special this is," Hughes said. "It's a hard lifestyle to pretend that it's everyday life because you're a pro athlete, it's a really special life."

Staying Healthy, What His Off Time Looks Like and Meeting Kevin Costner

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With the NHL schedule being as packed as it is, Hughes rarely has time to enjoy any of the cities he's in. Come the offseason, though, he looks forward to taking advantage of the warmer weather with his brothers.

"You're going from city to city and you're getting in late," he told B/R. "You have to take your supplements, get your rest and stay as healthy as possible. [You learn that from] keeping your ears open and hearing things, obviously trial and error.

"During the season, you're kind of just chilling," he added. "We play so many games every other day that you don't really take into account if it's a Monday or a Friday, it's more of whether it's a game day or not a game day, that's where your head's at. In the summer, when the weather's good, we're on the lake, we're on the golf course, we're on the boat. We just like being outdoors and being with our friends."

Until the day comes that all three Hughes brothers are playing alongside each other, Jack considers meeting actor Kevin Costner one of his biggest career highlights to date, having long been a fan of classic films such as Bull Durham and For Love of the Game.

"Honestly, you run into so many athletes and you respect their game," Hughes said about athletes he's been in awe of interacting with. "I'm a big sports guy, so I know all the athletes, they're pretty respectful. They respect what you do, you respect what they do.

"I'd say the only guy I've only ever been starstruck for is Kevin Costner. That was sick meeting him."