Hughes brothers named NHL 25 cover stars

The Hughes brothers have already established themselves as prominent NHL stars, but on Thursday, the trio’s impact extended to the sports video game realm.

The brothers — Quinn, Jack and Luke Hughes — are this year’s cover athletes for EA Sports’ NHL 25, making them the first siblings to appear on an EA Sports NHL video game cover together.

“(It’s) really special,” Jack told The Athletic. “The fact that the three of us, three brothers, (are) on the cover. Really cool for us to do that. I’m looking forward to seeing the cover come out. We’ll definitely have a big printed version framed and hung up in our house.”

The brothers will be featured on the game’s deluxe edition cover, sitting beside each other in a locker room wearing their respective jerseys. Jack will be featured solely on the game’s cover for the United States, while Quinn — the reigning Norris Trophy winner — is on the cover of the Canadian and international versions.

The trio will succeed Colorado Avalanche star defenseman and NHL 24 cover star Cale Makar. The last time the NHL series featured more than one cover athlete was when Anaheim Ducks star Trevor Zegras and PWHL Toronto star Sarah Nurse were both featured on the cover of NHL 22. After having Quinn in a motion-capture suit for the game, EA Sports got the idea to feature all three brothers.

“They’re all impressive in their own right in terms of hockey,” said NHL 25 senior producer Chris Haluke. “But what stood out to us and what helped us come to this decision is their exceptional hockey intelligence and how nicely that ties into “Ice-Q,” which is one of our prominent features among the many in our game. Their tremendous skating ability. Their offensive and defensive explosiveness. They are exceptional in terms of their on-ice, their off-ice capabilities. They are the next generation of superstars in the NHL.”

While each brother could make the argument to be featured, elder brother Quinn, 24, was happy all three brothers shared that distinction. He relayed the news to his brothers that the trio would make sports video game history.

“I think it was cooler that it was going to be the three of us,” Quinn said. “Because every year there’s a new guy on the cover. But there’s never been three guys on the cover together. And definitely not brothers.”

“It’s something you always dream of but you never really realize that it could actually happen. For the three of us to be on together, it’s so special. It’s a great honor for all of us,” Luke, 20, said.

The Hughes brothers’ history with the game dates back to the days of NHL 14 when Martin Brodeur adorned the cover. But they didn’t just play exhibition games or online matches against other avid players. Each brother took charge of a franchise in season mode. They took turns making trades and improving their rosters to their liking. They would then simulate the regular season before playing each other in the playoffs. With each team in the same division, the two lower-seeded brothers would play each other in the first round before meeting the top-seeded brother in Round 2. The last team standing would be the winner.

“You wouldn’t even win the Cup, you’d just scrap it. (Start) another league,” Jack, 23, said.

For those wondering who the best general manager might be between all three brothers, it appears Quinn holds that title.

“He would trade his entire team,” Luke said. “One time he had every first-round pick in the next year’s draft. He just built from the draft.”

“I remember last summer, I go through this phase where I play for 10 hours and play for two days. Back to back, 10 hours. And then I’d be in the 2035 season,” Quinn said.

Quinn earned the Norris Trophy after a career season in which he scored 17 goals and 92 points in 82 games with the Vancouver Canucks. He also added 10 assists in 13 playoff games this past spring. Luke was a Calder Trophy finalist and was named to the NHL’s All-Rookie Team after a nine-goal, 47-point campaign this past season with the New Jersey Devils. Jack, his Devils teammate, scored 27 goals and 74 points in 62 games last season.

What’s in this year’s game?

This year’s edition will feature “Ice-Q” technology, an innovation from the EA Sports NHL team that will allow players more control over their skaters through enhanced vision control, improved artificial intelligence from teammates and reactive actions that will result in more spatial awareness and increased reactions to on-ice play as it happens.

“Not only does it feel great and give you a different way of tactically attacking in the zone but it also looks and starts to blur the line between the real game and how it’s played today and the video game itself,” senior game design director Mike Inglehart said.

When asked if EA Sports had other enhancements and improvements for some of the game’s other features, the developers said they’d reveal more in some “deep dives” ahead of the game’s launch. Inglehart, however, said that the game’s franchise mode will have a “massive revamp” and there will be some added details to “skill-based one-timers” in the game. The game’s soundtrack has also yet to be released.

Jack Hughes added that he’d like to see the game implement a “Road to Glory” feature, similar to what was implemented in the recent College Football 25 video game also from EA Sports. Players can choose from one of four player paths and work their way up through their collegiate career before being drafted to the NFL while living the life of a student-athlete through practices, interactions with teammates/classmates and even NIL deal negotiations. You can also export your player from the game to Madden NFL 25 and continue your player’s career through “Superstar Mode.”

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“That’d be sick,” Jack said. “But it’s too tight now. Not enough time.”

The closest the NHL video game series has to that is the “Be A Pro” mode where users can create a player before playing through the Canadian Hockey League as a major junior prospect before being drafted and continuing their career as a professional.

“We could definitely bring Jack in for a design meeting to see what other ideas he has that he hasn’t shared with us yet,” Inglehart said.

EA Sports NHL 25 will be released on Oct. 4.

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(Photo of Jack, Quinn and Luke Hughes: Courtesy of EA Sports)