The Draft Round-Up | 10 TAKEAWAYS

The 2021 Entry Draft has come and gone, all the chips have fallen and the 2021 class have all found their NHL homes.
In this edition of 10 Takeaways we wrap up the 2021 Entry Draft.

2.

And while it was certainly Luke's moment, Jack somehow, as the older brother might do, stole the show. His reaction to the announcement was unlike anything we've ever seen, especially in terms of excitement. If you know Jack, you know he never gets too high or too low, so this explosion of emotion certainly caught a lot of people by surprise.
When I asked Tom Fitzgerald about it, his response summed it up for us all.
"Wow."
"I'm super excited to be a Devil. I think Jack's even more excited," Luke said right after he was drafted. "Like that might be the happiest I've ever seen (Jack). It's crazy."

3.

I asked Luke if eventually, he'll be asking Jack to be roommates in Jersey, and there was zero hesitation. It's in the cards eventually, once Luke finishes his college career in Michigan and eventually makes his way to the NHL roster. And it doesn't seem like Ty Smith, Jack's current roommate, will be on the outside looking in either. Luke joked that his older brother and Ty will need to upgrade to three bedrooms before his eventual arrival in a few years. He has every expectation to move in!

4.

If anyone gets the big win here, it's Ty. Who posted on Instagram about Jack's reaction to Luke being drafted:
"Jack Hughes's reaction when he finds out he's not the only one who has to drive me around now…"
Ty might be the most relieved really, have a look at how Ty really feels about Jack's diving skills.

5.

The Hughes Brothers officially go down in history as the first American brother trio to all be selected in the first round of the NHL draft.

6.

With Luke joining Jack, the Hughes brothers were one of five sets of brothers to become teammates over the last few days, dating back to the Expansion Draft.
In Seattle, brothers Haydn (ANA) and Cale (MTL) Fleury were selected in the expansion draft, becoming teammates. Seth Jones was traded to Chicago from Columbus, where his brother Caleb awaited him.
Colton Dach was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks, joining his brother Kirby while the Avalanche selected Cale Makar's brother, Taylor, with the 220th pick in the draft, on the same day the elder brother signed a lengthy contract extension to stay with the Avs.

7.

The hockey bloodlines didn't end with the fourth-overall pick. Fitzgerald dipped into father/son NHL bloodlines, drafting Chase Stillman, son of Cory Stillman who played 1,025 NHL games, is a two-time Stanley Cup champion (2004, TBL; 2006, CAR) and is currently an assistant coach with Arizona.
Chase is 6-foot-1, and spent last season playing in Denmark, with the Ontario Hockey League shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the OHL, Stillman plays with the Sudbury Wolves and had 13 goals and 34 points in 58 games in his rookie campaign with the Wolves.
"Our scouts are extremely passionate about Chase," Fitzgerald said. "He's got really good skill, but the motor just runs and runs and runs, and you can't teach that. There are players out there with a lot of skill and ability, but sometimes you gotta kick them right in the behind. With Chase, it's like sometimes you probably have to pull him back a little bit. And I'd rather have that than kick their butt. We're excited about Chase. This is a great opportunity for him."

8.

It wasn't intentional, but all the Devils picks on Day 2 of the draft, rounds two through seven, have all been fostering their talents overseas.
On Saturday, the Devils took two Finns, one Swede, one Czech and one Russian. While Luke is American, and Chase is Canadian.
"I think that's just where the cards fell," Fitzgerald said of taking Europeans. "But we may have had more Europeans on the list because of COVID and more viewings with their leagues that were playing. In general, it was just the way the cards fell."

9.

With the first-overall pick, the Buffalo Sabres selected from the University of Michigan, Owen Power. Most, if not all, mock drafts had the 6-foot-6 Canadian defenseman as the No. 1 selection.
Power kicked off the draft as one of 82 Canadians selected this year. The United States had 50 players drafted, Russia rounded out the top three with 29, followed by Sweden (24), Finland (14), Czech Republic (8), Germany and Switzerland (4); Belarus (3), and one player each from Great Britain, Kazakhstan, Norway, Slovenia and Ukraine.

10.

Some more breakdown of the draft, 81 defensemen were drafted, 53 centers, 35 left wingers, 33 right wingers and 21 goalies.
The Western Hockey League in Canada saw the most players drafted with 32, the Ontario Hockey League generated 26 draftees, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League had 24 players selected, the United States Hockey League added another 19, Russia's junior league had 16 players drafted, while the US National Team Development Program, beginning with Luke Hughes, had 14 of their players join NHL systems.
(Stats: NHL PR)