NHL Star Jack Hughes Talks Growing Fame, Bond With Tkachuks (Excl)

New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes has become one of the faces of the NHL during his seven seasons in the league — but the newly-minted Olympian is doing his best to take it all in stride. Hughes, 24, who will head to Italy as part of Team USA next month, said his increased notoriety hasn’t impacted his ability to remain fixated on the sport. “The number one thing I focus on is my game,” said Hughes, who spoke exclusively to Us Weekly via his partnership with Mucinex Kickstart. “That’s the part I have the most fun with. Obviously there’s a lot of things that come with it. But the most fun thing is to go out to a sold-out rink, ball out and play well. That’s the most important thing for me.” In addition to his on-ice performance, Hughes has recently been spotted with pop star Tate McRae, who also attended a Devils game last month. “All the other stuff is good, it comes on the side if you’re playing well,” Hughes said. “You kinda got to put the cart before the horse. I’m lucky to be in the position that I’m in. The most fun I have is on the ice.” Jack is teammates in New Jersey with his younger brother Luke, 22 — who will miss time after suffering a dislocated shoulder against the Calgary Flames on Monday, January 19 — and his older brother, Quinn, 26, was recently traded from the Vancouver Canucks to the Minnesota Wild in a blockbuster deal. “We’re pretty much talking all the time,” Jack said of his relationship with his brothers. “I get to see Quinn play and he watches all the Devils games. It’s definitely easy with Luke when we live across the hall from each other and we’re driving to the rink together every day. With Quinn, it’s pretty easy especially with him being back in a closer time zone to us. It makes it a little easier than when he was living on the west coast.” Quinn will join Jack on Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy next month, where they will be joined by another pair of superstar brothers: Matthew and Brady Tkachuk. “We’re really close with them from over the years,” Jack said. “Quinn lived with the Tkachuks when he was with [the U.S. National Team Development Program]. Matthew’s been a really good role model for us over the years. I know they’re excited to be a part of it.” In reference to the Tkachuk brothers’ penchant for stirring the post, Jack said, “Everybody knows how the Tkachuks are. They’ll be fun to have on our team.” In the midst of a busy NHL schedule before heading to Italy, Jack understands the importance of staying healthy. In order to do so, he relies on Mucinex, which he said is “in every locker room in the league.” “There’s a lot of late nights when you’re traveling in after games – even the nights in your home – it’s hard to sleep after games because you’re so wired,” Jack said of the most difficult part of avoiding illness during the season. “A lot of the time it’s just getting your rest. Obviously when things come up, you want to take care of yourself the right way.” In addition to taking full advantage of Mucinex’s recovery benefits, Jack has partnered with Mucinex Kickstart to launch the Kickstart to Greatness Campaign. Mucinex donated $20,000 to the USA Hockey Foundation to help youth hockey communities continue to kickstart greatness in the next generation of players, and Jack hosted a youth clinic with USA Hockey and Hockey in New Jersey to help foster the next generation of hockey stars. Jack said, “The initiative they’re taking with youth hockey and being able to fundraise and help a bunch of kids out is something I’m very passionate about.”