NEWARK, N.J. -- Luke Hughes knows big brother Quinn Hughes is simply a phone call away whenever he needs advice on consistency.
It's not easy, particularly for a 21-year-old in his second NHL season who has once again been thrust into the spotlight by the New Jersey Devils due to injuries to key defensemen.
"I mean, you watch guys like my brother, he's extremely consistent," Luke told NHL.com about the Vancouver Canucks defenseman and captain. "He's making plays every night, playing his game, and that's what I try to aspire to be."
The youngest of the three Hughes brothers playing in the NHL is determined to do it too.
"I don't think it's too difficult for me, personally, because at the end of the day, it's your job," Luke said. "I've been playing this game my whole life and know how I should be playing and how I can play."
Luke likely won't be calling for any advice Monday when Quinn and the Canucks visit the Devils at Prudential Center (7:30 p.m. ET; Disney+, HULU, ESPN+, Prime), marking the fourth time the brothers will go head-to-head in the NHL. New Jersey has won two of the first three, and Luke has two points (one goal, one assist). Quinn has five assists in those games.
"He's always getting better, always looking at new things, new ways to approach the game," Luke said of Quinn, who got his 400th NHL point (59 goals, 341 assists) in his 421st game Saturday, a 5-3 loss at the New York Rangers. "He's just a student of the game."
Injuries to Devils defensemen Jonas Siegenthaler (lower body) and Dougie Hamilton (lower body), each out for the remainder of the regular season, have put Luke in a top-pair role alongside his season-long partner, Brett Pesce.
He also quarterbacks the top power-play unit, a role he served for much of last season when Hamilton missed all but 20 games with a torn pectoral muscle.
"He's the youngest partner I've had in my career," Pesce said. "It kind of makes me feel young again. He's young but hungry, wants to get better and cares so much. That shows a lot of maturity in a 21-year-old."
Pesce, 30, played his first nine seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes, starring mostly as a defensive defenseman. He signed a six-year, $33 million contract ($5.5 million average annual value) with the Devils on July 1.
"Honestly, it probably took me 2-3 years before I finally felt comfortable in my role in Carolina to say, 'All right, I can play in this league and make an impact'," Pesce said. “I think just knowing each player takes time. Each team has so many All-Stars so the longer you play, the more you kind of key in on those star players, their tendencies, and kind of get used to it a little bit.”
That's where Luke Hughes happens to be. It hasn’t helped him that New Jersey is also without his brother Jack Hughes, a center who will miss the remainder of the season after having shoulder surgery March 5.
In the meantime, Devils adviser for hockey operations Andy Greene sees Pesce as a positive soundboard for Luke.
"Pesce has been around, been through it all, so he's a good guy for Luke to learn from, to watch," said Greene, a former NHL defenseman and New Jersey’s captain from 2015-19. "Luke's talent, raw skill, is unbelievable. Not many come into this league right off the hop and go on a straight upward trajectory. There's going to be bumps, but it's how you react, how he learns from those and applies that going forward. He's not even close to his ceiling."
In eight games since Hamilton's injury, Hughes ranks tied for second for the Devils with seven points (one goal, six assists) and leads them in average overall ice time (23:47) and power play ice time (3:21).
Prior to Hamilton's injury, Hughes had 28 points (five goals, 23 assists) and was third on the team in average ice time (20:34) in 54 games.
He realizes his importance but also is happy a veteran like Pesce is beside him.
"He tries to close off plays at the blue line and make teams force dumps, and I love that because that's something I try to do ... try to not give them the blue line to make entries," Hughes said of Pesce. "I think me and him have grown together a lot, and our game together is in a really good spot right now."
Pesce leads all Devils defensemen in average ice time (21:10) and blocked shots (124) in 62 games this season.
"As a duo, I think we've kind of prioritized taking care of the [defensive] zone and knowing that he's going to get offense too," Pesce said.
But winning is what's most important to Luke. The Devils (37-28-6) have lost their past two games and three of four and are third in the Metropolitan Division, six points ahead of the New York Rangers.
"You want to win, but you also want your team to keep getting better and keep growing," Luke said. "Now's a good time for that to be happening."
