Team Hughes keeps it all in family for NHL All-Star Game

TORONTO -- Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes and New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes had a straightforward strategy as co-captains of Team Hughes in the Tim Hortons NHL All-Star Player Draft at Scotiabank Arena on Thursday.

The brothers wanted to select as many of their NHL teammates as possible and mix in some of the best players in the world.

The result was a lineup for the Honda (U.S.)/Rogers (Canada) NHL All-Star Game on Saturday (3 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN, CBC, TVAS) that will include Quinn Hughes, forwards Brock Boeser, J.T. Miller and Elias Pettersson (a co-captain), goalie Thatcher Demko from the Canucks and forward Jesper Bratt from the Devils.

“We got a lot of the guys that it was important for us to take,” Jack Hughes said. “So, we had fun with that, and I think we have a good team.”

Team Hughes will face Team Matthews in the second All-Star Game semifinal Saturday. Team McDavid will face Team MacKinnon in the opener; the two winning teams will play each other in the final.

Before concentrating on picking their teammates, Team Hughes selected Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov, who leads the NHL with 85 points (32 goals, 53 assists) in 49 games this season, with the No. 1 pick. Ottawa Senators forward Brady Tkachuk, Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Connor, Anaheim Ducks forward Frank Vatrano and Los Angeles Kings goalie Cam Talbot complete the Team Hughes.

“The All-Star Game is always fun because you get to meet new people, too,” Quinn Hughes said. “So, I think we wanted to have a combination of a guy like Kucherov, who is maybe the best player in the world, and we were able to draft him and also some guys on each of our respective teams.”

Team Hughes will also be coached by Canucks coach Rick Tocchet.

The lone player of the six representing Vancouver at the All-Star Game that didn’t end up on Team Hughes is the newest one. Forward Elias Lindholm, who was traded to the Canucks by the Calgary Flames on Wednesday, was picked by Team MacKinnon, headed by Colorado Avalanche teammates Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar and their celebrity captain Tate McRae, a multiplatinum singer/songwriter and dancer who is from Calgary.

The heavy Canucks flavor to Team Hughes’ roster was also impacted by celebrity captain Michael Bublé, the Grammy Award-winning musician who is a big Canucks fan from Burnaby, British Columbia. Jack Hughes, who is sidelined with an upper-body injury and won’t play in the All-Star Game, said Buble was pushing for them to pick Canucks players.

“He had a massive influence,” Quinn Hughes said. “The four of us we just talked, and it was enjoyable. There was no pushing here or anything. It was just like, ‘You want to draft this guy? Great.’ And that was it.”

Picking as many Canucks players as possible could be a winning strategy. Vancouver is tied with the Boston Bruins for the NHL lead with 71 points.

“Our guys are some of the best in the League and that’s why they’re here and our team has been really good this year, so we wanted to pick them,” Quinn Hughes said. “But we also wanted to grab some guys that we might not necessarily know was well.”

The only disappointing part for the Hughes brothers is that Jack will be unable to play in the game. Jack said he is unsure if he will be behind the bench with Tocchet for the game Saturday.

“This whole weekend is more special because he’s here,” Quinn Hughes said of his brother. “It’s not very often where brothers are in this together, let alone in the League, but in the All-Star Game. So, it was unfortunate he got injured, but I know the League and especially me are really happy that he [came].”

TEAM HUGHES ROSTER

Quinn Hughes, VAN
Elias Pettersson, VAN
Nikita Kucherov, TBL
Thatcher Demko, VAN
Kyle Connor, WPG
Brady Tkachuk, OTT
Jesper Bratt, NJD
Cam Talbot, LAK
Brock Boeser, VAN
J.T. Miller, VAN
Frank Vatrano, ANA