Jack Hughes Becomes First Jewish Player to Be First Overall Pick in NHL Draft

Jack Hughes. Photo: Screenshot.

JNS.org – Jack Hughes became the first Jewish player to be the No. 1 overall pick in the National Hockey League draft.

Hughes, 18, was selected on June 21 by the New Jersey Devils.

He comes from a family of hockey players: His father, Jim, who is Catholic, was a defenseman at Providence College and a coach; his mother, Ellen, who is Jewish, played for Team USA at the IIHF World Women’s Ice-Hockey Championship in 1992, losing to Canada in the final.

Hughes’s older brother, Quinn, was the No. 7 pick last year by the Vancouver Canucks. Their 15-year-old brother, Luke, 15, is apparently following in their steps and will be eligible for the 2021 draft.

As for comments on their Jewish upbringing: “We did Passover when we were younger,” Hughes said on ESPN Radio on Monday.