The game of hockey is no stranger to familial connections. In a sport that has seen the Niedermayers and Staals play alongside and against each other, contemporarily we have the Tkachuks and, of course, the Hugheses. The latter are going to be well-represented in Milano Cortina, with both Quinn and Jack representing Team USA on the men’s side and the matriarch, Ellen Weinberg-Hughes, serving as a consultant for the women.
While their father Jim has a hockey background of his own — having played in the now-defunct International Hockey League and the American Hockey League while also coaching — it is Ellen who has some hardware in the family trophy case. Weinberg-Hughes (née Weinberg) helped bring the United States a silver medal in the 1992 IIHF Women’s World Championship as a blue-liner, getting an All-Star nod in the process after notching four assists.
In the NHL, the Hughes family tree has roots that run deep. Jack plays with Luke (who is not on Team USA and was placed on long-term IR in late January) on the Devils while Quinn has become a top defenseman for the Wild since being traded from the Canucks in December. Indeed, he already has the most three-point games by a Minnesota defenseman in a season with five, in just 26 games.
However, while the brothers are making an impact on the ice on the men’s side, Weinberg-Hughes will be a big contributing factor in what the women send out. She is a player development consultant for Team USA, and one of the reasons it is favored to win gold in Milano Cortina. She and coach John Wroblewski are incredibly close, and the roster is closer still.
Here’s a look at the Hughes family connections, and why their influence will be all over the ice in Italy.
Father Jim Hughes
The Hughes brothers’ father, Jim, has a strong hockey background in his own right.
He had 92 points in four seasons at Providence, including back-to-back 30-point seasons and a 10-goal season in his senior year. Hughes went on to play for Springfield in the IHL before joining the AHL with the Albany Choppers. Hughes didn’t see the ice much in his minor-league days and eventually turned to coaching.
As a coach, Hughes largely was an assistant. He spent two seasons in the NHL as an assistant with the Bruins, and became a head coach for the Manchester Monarchs for a year. His longest stint was as the director of player development with the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2009-15. He is now the director of player development for CAA, the agency that represents Jack, Quinn and Luke.
Mother Ellen Weinberg-Hughes
Weinberg-Hughes, a three-sport college athlete, is largely responsible for the kids’ skating acumen. Just ask Jim.
‘We didn’t know what sport it would be, but I guess we thought our kids would be in athletics, some sort of competitive sports,’ Jim said in 2018, per The Detroit News. ‘And my wife got them involved in skating when they were very young. That’s what we did. We were a hockey family.’
Weinberg-Hughes played hockey for the University of New Hampshire, along with lacrosse and soccer. She notched 70 points, including 11 goals, and she won a silver medal with the USA women in Finland at the 1992 World Championships. She was named to the All-Star team of the tournament with four assists. Canada took gold in that tournament.
Now, Weinberg-Hughes serves as a development consultant for the USA women, who are favored to win gold in Italy. It’s her third year working with the United States, and she holds an extremely close relationship with Wroblewski, who at one point had coached Quinn, Jack and Luke.
Quinn Hughes, Minnesota Wild defenseman, 26
The oldest of the Hughes brothers, Quinn played hockey at the University of Michigan and was drafted seventh overall by the Canucks in 2018.
Known for his outstanding vision from the point, Quinn followed in his mother’s footsteps to play defense. He was a sought-after trade candidate when it became apparent the Canucks were looking to move him early in the 2025-26 season, with several teams showing interest. Among them were the Devils, where Jack and Luke currently play, and the Red Wings, which would be a homecoming of sorts for the star.
Ultimately, the Wild sent a king’s ransom for Hughes, locking him up with former first-round picks Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium and Liam Öhgren, plus a 2026 first-round pick. Quinn has five three-point-plus games with the Wild in just 26 games, already a record for a Wild defenseman.
Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils center, 24
Jack Hughes was picked first overall in the 2019 NHL Draft and has since become a face of the franchise.
His first goal came against Quinn’s Canucks. Jack’s breakout year came in 2021-22, when he scored 56 points with 26 goals, but his best season came the year after in 2022-23. He scored a franchise-record 99 points and 46 goals, helping get the Devils to the playoffs for the first time in five seasons.
While the Devils have disappointed so far this season and Jack has dealt with a few injuries, he will look to be a strong contributor on the United States’ forward lines.
Luke Hughes, Devils defenseman, 22
Rounding out the Hughes brothers is Luke Hughes, a 2021 first-round pick out of Michigan who went fourth overall, making him the middle child by draft position although he’s the youngest.
Hughes’ first goal was in overtime against the Capitals, a wraparound goal off a rebound from a shot in the slot to give the Devils a win.
Hughes, who signed a seven-year, $63 million contract late in training camp, has had a tough season at moments. He suffered a pair of own goals against the Carolina Hurricanes and was booed by home fans, but was praised when he sat and talked to media after the fact. Luke is now on long-term IR with a shoulder injury he suffered against the Flames.