With the fourth overall pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, the New Jersey Devils selected defenseman Luke Hughes.
Luke Hughes is the highest draft pick the Devils have made since selecting Jack Hughes, one of his older brothers and a center for New Jersey, first overall in 2019.
"I think it's more as a person -- just follow my brothers' footsteps and see what they have done and try to implement that into my game and my personality," said Luke Hughes, whose oldest brother Quinn Hughes is a defenseman for the Vancouver Canucks. "And to watch them go through this, I think that's kind of the reason why I was so calm -- because I've seen both of them go through it. You've got to trust the process, and I'm super excited to be a Devil. I'm so excited."
Luke Hughes is set to spend the 2021-22 season at the University of Michigan.
But Hughes wasn't the Devils' only pick of the night. With the 29th pick of the first round, the Devils selected RW Chase Stillman.
The 18-year-old Stillman was born in St. Louis but has played his junior hockey in Canada. He recorded 34 points in 58 games with the Sudbury Wolves of the Ontario Hockey League in 2019-20.
In 2020, the Devils had three first-round selections. They used their picks on right wing Alexander Holtz (No. 7), center Dawson Mercer (No. 18), and defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin (No. 20).