KAMLOOPS, B.C. — The Hughes brothers used to play mini-stick hockey in their basement, pretending they were on the same NHL team.
Now that dream is edging closer to reality, with two of the brothers among hockey's fastest rising stars.
Eighteen-year-old Quinn was taken seventh overall by the Vancouver Canucks at this year's draft and 17-year-old Jack is an early favourite to be next year's top pick.
Their younger brother, 14-year-old Luke, played major bantam AAA in Detroit last year.
Whether the Hughes siblings will ever get to play on the same NHL team remains to be seen, but the day when Quinn and Jack play in the same league appears to be just around the corner.
"(Playing together) is something all brothers dream of and that'd be pretty fun," said Quinn.
This week, Quinn and Jack are on the ice together in Kamloops, B.C., where they're playing for the U.S. in the world junior showcase.
"Any time you get to be on the ice with a kid like Quinn, whether he's my brother or not, you'd be excited to play with him because he's so good," Jack said.
It's the first time they've really had an opportunity to play organized hockey together.
Jack fed a pass to Quinn for the winner with 2:25 left as a U.S. split-squad team beat a Canada split-squad team 7-5 on Tuesday night.
"It's definitely a cool experience," Quinn said.
On the ice, the young men have obvious chemistry, talent and passion for the game, said Mike Hastings, head coach of the U.S. junior team.
"They don't have a lot of fear in their game. They don't mind giving it up and getting it back," he said. "They're good hockey players."
The fact that they excel at the game isn't a huge surprise, considering their family's hockey roots.
Their mom, Ellen Weinberg-Hughes, played hockey, soccer and lacrosse at the University of New Hampshire, and suited up for the U.S. women's hockey team.
Their dad, Jim Hughes, played for Providence College, then worked in coaching and player development with the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs.
When Quinn was a baby, the family lived in Orlando and Ellen often worked out of town. Jim would often take Quinn to the rink, where various players would watch over him, Ellen said.
All three of the boys grew up in hockey rinks, Jim added.
"They took a liking to it from an early age. It just happened naturally, organically," he said. "And I suppose somewhere along the way, they fell in love with the sport."
Ellen and Jim tried hard to expose their boys to other sports, too, and let them pick what they loved, making sure that they were always having fun, and being good people and teammates.
"The things we stressed were find something you're passionate about and whatever you're going to do, be the best that you can be," Ellen said.
It just happened that what they loved was hockey, she added.
Jack said his parents are "tremendous athletes and tremendous hockey minds."
"Both of them taught me so much," he said.
Quinn remembers his mom driving him to games and giving him tips on getting better.
"A lot of times, she would be the one telling me, 'Maybe on this play, do that.' So obviously I respect her opinion. She knows the game," he said. "It's always nice to have two parents who know what they're talking about."
Growing up in a hockey family with a talented player as an older brother has been great, Jack said.
"I love watching (Quinn) play and he's been a really good influence on me growing up," he said.
The middle child admitted, though, that the desire to beat his siblings is strong, whether they're skating on an outdoor rink, playing mini sticks in the basement or shooting hoops in the driveway.
"Whatever you do it's competitive with three boys in the house. It's a really good childhood," Jack said with a laugh.
For Quinn, being the oldest doesn't always mean leading on the ice.
"Even though I'm the older brother, (Jack) pushes me too. And I respect his opinion and everything like that. He has a very smart hockey mind, so it would be dumb of me not to listen to him," Quinn said.
Jack showed off that hockey mind in his first game at the showcase in Kamloops this week, saucering the puck to himself amid a cluster of Finnish players.
It was a gutsy move for the five-foot-10, 166-pound centre, but Jack said that's just the way he plays.
"I'm a confident player. I trust myself, I think. I mean, high-skilled plays, I've been doing it since I was six or seven," he said.
The teen's ability to make those plays, combined with his stunning acceleration, has many guessing he'll be the No. 1 pick at the NHL draft next year.
Jack doesn't see those projections as adding any sort of pressure as he heads into another season with the U.S. National Development Team.
"I'm not too worried about where I'm going to go. I'm kind of just worried about my game and how I'm playing," he said.
Quinn, too, is looking at improving his game.
The five-foot-10, 174-pound defenceman went to the Canucks' development camp in July, but recently decided to return to the University of Michigan this fall.
It was a tough call, he said.
"Do I think I could have played this year? Absolutely," Quinn said. "But I want to step in when I can really make a difference and help the Canucks win hockey games."
Last year he had five goals and 29 points in 37 games with Michigan. The team was knocked out of the NCAA championship semifinals by Notre Dame and Quinn has said he believes they have a chance to win it all this season.
Heading back to Michigan will allow him to focus on getting stronger and developing as a player, Quinn said, adding that he sees "no reason why" his play wouldn't improve five to 10 per cent.
Still, the top Canucks prospect is likely to return to Vancouver this winter, when the city co-hosts the world junior hockey championship with Victoria.
Quinn said he's looking forward to playing in front of B.C. fans, both with the junior national team and the Canucks.
"I'm excited to get to Vancouver when the time comes and kind of show everyone what I can do," he said. "But for right now, I'm just focused on USA Hockey and trying to build this group here."
Jim Hughes said he's always emphasized the importance of staying in the moment to his sons.
The family doesn't pay much attention to the hype surrounding the young men, he said. Instead, they focus on continuing to get better at what they love.
"Up to this point, they just need to keep their feet on the ground, keep loving the sport and keep working," he said.
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Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press
