Luke Hughes Returns to Devils Practice as Jack’s Overtime Goal Secures Olympic Gold

luke hughes was back on the ice with the New Jersey Devils as the team resumed its NHL schedule, returning from an extended Olympic break days after his brother Jack scored an overtime, game-winning goal that clinched Olympic gold for the United States. The timing matters because the Hughes family collected multiple medals in Milan in the same week, heightening attention on the club’s return to play and on Luke’s recovery.

Jack Hughes’s overtime winner past Jordan Binnington

Jack Hughes put the puck past goaltender Jordan Binnington in overtime on Sunday night to score the golden goal that secured the Olympic title for the Americans. Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe offered his thoughts on the play and on the team’s return from the Olympic break, and teammates reacted in the dressing room: Brett Pesce shared his view on Jack scoring the game-winning goal for the Americans, and other players spoke about the moment as the organization regrouped.

Jack’s finish follows a season in which he set a club record with 99 points in 2022-23; after Sunday night he is now described within the context as the most famous hockey player in the United States, toothless as he may now be. Players and staff noted the emotional lift from the Olympic victory as they turn toward the final stretch of the NHL season.

Ellen Weinberg-Hughes and the U. S. women’s 2-1 victory over Canada

The Hughes household had already celebrated Olympic gold in Milan earlier in the week when Ellen Weinberg-Hughes helped coach the U. S. women’s team to a 2-1 triumph over Canada on Thursday. Sons Jack and Quinn watched from the stands for that gold-medal game, and family presence in Milan was layered: mother and sons wearing national jerseys in the same building within days of each other.

What makes this notable is the simultaneity of those accomplishments — a mother on the bench for one gold and sons on the ice for another — a sequence the family has called breathtaking. Ellen’s trajectory includes three sports at the University of New Hampshire (soccer, lacrosse and hockey), a silver medal at the 1992 IIHF Women’s World Championships, work as a broadcaster, and then stepping away from TV in 2009 when Jim Hughes’s career demanded the family’s full attention. Women’s hockey made its Olympic debut in 1998, after Ellen’s playing days.

Luke Hughes back at practice with the New Jersey Devils

Luke Hughes, a defenseman who was placed on long-term injured reserve in January 2026 with a shoulder injury, returned to practice as the Devils resumed their schedule. Keefe provided an update on Luke’s status while the team restarted its season plans. The club’s return featured a number of familiar and returning faces: Jesper Bratt was back at practice after Milan, former captain Andy Greene suited up to help at practice in what was described as a blast from the past, and other players spoke about coming off the extended Olympic break.

Players offered brief assessments: Cody Glass discussed the upcoming return to play after the Olympic break; Jake Allen shared his views on the upcoming final stretch of the season; Connor Brown described what it’s like to be back after the extended break; and a teammate named Dillon reflected on seeing Simon Nemec excel at the Olympics. Luke watched his brothers win gold from New Jersey while on LTIR and has been reintegrating at practice sessions.

Hughes family origins and the three first-round brothers

Jim Hughes’s career path runs from college player to coach and into front-office roles: five years as the Toronto Maple Leafs’ director of player development and later a director of player development role at CAA Hockey. Quinn and Jack were born in Orlando, Florida, while Jim served as an assistant coach for the Solar Bears; Luke was born in 2003. The family settled in Mississauga, Ontario, where the boys grew up on Canadian ice, and later moved to Michigan when the oldest boys were in high school. The siblings never lost their American eligibility.

The Hugheses are the only American family to have three brothers selected in the first round of the NHL draft: Quinn went seventh overall to the Vancouver Canucks in 2018, Jack went first overall to the New Jersey Devils in 2019, and Luke was taken fourth overall by the Devils in 2021. Quinn, now with the Minnesota Wild after a December trade, won the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman in 2024 and was voted Best Defender of this Olympic tournament by the IIHF. Luke, a defenseman like Quinn, made the all-rookie team in 2023-24 and trains alongside his brothers every summer in highly competitive sessions.

Sweep the Deck gala, locker-room color and local reactions

The organization also celebrated off-ice life with its annual Sweep the Deck gala. Festivities included former goaltender Martin Brodeur talking about Canada’s goalies and teammate Elias recounting a "small pants" Olympic injury story, while Arseny Gritsyuk toured the event for the first time with Amanda Stein. The club’s blend of season planning, player updates and gala events underscored a busy return from the break as the Devils seek to translate the momentum—or in Luke’s case the recovery—from Milan back into the NHL season.

The family’s Milan week was summed up neatly by Jack: it was “pretty cool, ” he said, noting that all three brothers could be part of their first Olympics together. The broader implication is that the Hughes narrative—mother, sons and their professional arcs—has become a sustained storyline for both international and club hockey.

This story originally appeared in Men’s Journal on Feb 23, 2026.