Instead of just one cover athlete, EA Sports decided to go with three from the same family, selecting Jack, Luke and Quinn Hughes for the cover of NHL 25.
New Jersey Devils teammates Jack and Luke and Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn are the first brothers to appear on the cover of the NHL series and are believed to be the first family to appear on the cover of a sports game franchise.
NHL 25 launches on October 4, the same day the season kicks off with the Buffalo Sabres taking on Jack, Luke and the Devils at the NHL Global Series in Prague, Czech Republic.
“I think we're all honored because it's hard to be on the cover and there are so many great players in the league,” said Quinn Hughes, the reigning Norris Trophy winner as the NHL's top defenseman. “For them to choose to associate their brand with the three of us was great.”
3 brothers
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Hockey has had brothers before, and more than 200 of them have made it to the NHL. The Hughes are the latest to have a chance to be one of the sport's most memorable families.
His father, Jim, was a captain at Providence before becoming an assistant coach for the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs, who later promoted him to director of player development. His mother, Ellen, played hockey as a three-sport athlete at the University of New Hampshire. She was a member of the United States women's national team that won a silver medal at the 1992 world championships, then was an assistant coach for UNH's women's hockey and soccer teams before becoming a broadcaster.
“I think we grew up in the “I don't think our parents would allow us to play at that young age. I think our first games were in the NHL in 14, 15 and 16. [Players such as] Patrice Bergeron and Marty Brodeur, I think that's when we got into it, and we just played it together and had fun.”
EA introduced the franchise in 1991 with Los Angeles Kings goaltender Glenn Healy as the first cover athlete. The following year was the only other time the game had three cover athletes: Philadelphia Flyers center Rod Brind'Amour and New York Rangers duo Randy Moller and Mike Richter.
Chris Haluke, one of the game's lead producers, said NHL 25 will have a bigger emphasis on skating through its new “Ice-Q” feature, which is designed to make the game more realistic and played a role in the choice of all three Hughes brothers for the cover.
“His skating skills, his playmaking, his playmaking ability, his offensive and defensive explosiveness – there's a lot that goes into his highly skilled playstyles,” Haluke said. “We felt like it was a direct fit and it helped influence what we were trying to accomplish with 'Ice-Q' and that trait in general.”
All three brothers were standout youth players who would go on to play in the U.S. National Team Development Program. Founded in 1996, the initiative was designed to promote hockey in the United States and has produced NHL stars such as Patrick Kane, Auston Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk, among others.
This led to Quinn, who starred at the University of Michigan, being selected seventh by the Canucks in 2018. The following year, the Devils selected Jack with the first pick in what became known as the “Jack Hughes draft,” and two years later, they selected Luke, who also starred at Michigan, with the fourth pick.
“It's hard to get on the cover and there are so many fantastic players in the league. For them to choose to associate their brand with the three of us was great.”
Canucks captain Quinn Hughes
On December 5, the three Hughes brothers faced off for the first time in the NHL. It was the second time an American family had three brothers in the same game and the ninth time in NHL history. The Devils won 6-5, with Jack scoring three points, Luke scoring one goal and Quinn finishing with two points.
The Hughes brothers have earned numerous individual and team accolades and medals at several international events, and are now the faces of NHL franchises looking to become long-term contenders and Stanley Cup winners.
They can add being the faces of NHL 25 to their list of achievements.
“Obviously, this is a very special accolade and something that I think every NHL player wants to achieve or, when they grow up, thinks, 'Wow, it would be cool to be on the cover,'” said Jack Hughes. “We had the same thing happen to us as kids and it's another very special opportunity that we took advantage of when it was presented to us and I think we're very excited about the final product.”
