Jack Hughes Age: How Old Is the NHL Star in 2026?

Jack Hughes was born on May 14, 2001; he will be 25 in September 2026. He will turn 26 on May 14, 2027.

Jack Hughes age for someone who has a first-overall pick, an Olympic run, and more than 400 NHL games (verify the current games-played total on the NHL’s official player page) in their resume. It was early in the league for him, so his age is a bit misleading. He has been on the scene for seven seasons, and it’s already been a long time for him. It’s surprising to see him be younger than many players who are only starting to cement their presence now.

This article will give the short answer first and delve deeper into what he’s done at each age, how he stacks up against his brothers and other stars, and why it may matter for the New Jersey Devils.

Table of Contents

How Old Is Jack Hughes? The Quick Answer

Detail	Information
Full name	Jack Hughes
Date of birth	May 14, 2001
Birthplace	Orlando, Florida, USA
Current age (Sept 28, 2026)	25
Next birthday	May 14, 2027 (turns 26)
Position	Center
Team	New Jersey Devils
Jersey number	86

If you are reading this after May 14, 2027, add a year. The simple formula for any date is: current year minus 2001, minus one more year if his birthday has not yet passed.

Jack Hughes’s Age at Key Career Moments

Age is simply a number. The intrigue around the player comes as a result of achieving success at a relatively early age. The following is a list of accomplishments along with approximate ages when they were achieved.

Age 17/18: The Prospect Years

Hughes was a naturalized prospect in the U.S. National Team Development Program and was considered a top choice in his draft class. He turned 18 in May 2019, about five weeks before the draft.

Age 18: First Overall Pick

The Devils selected him first overall in the 2019 NHL Draft in June, and he turned 18 about a week after the draft. He made his NHL debut that October, still 18, which is relatively common for young first-overall picks, but he found himself playing against men who were in some cases nearly a decade older.

Ages 19-21: Learning the League

His first few years were a learning curve. Most rookies who are first overall picks have a relatively low point in their rookie year, and Hughes was no different; the Devils were also a rebuilding team. He was adjusting to a faster game and a heavier style of bodychecking while also adding muscle to his frame, which many fans who follow closely will find unsurprising.

Age 21: The Long-Term Deal

He signed an eight-year contract extension with the Devils in 2022, worth roughly $64 million, or roughly $8 million per season.

It will keep him with the team through the 2029-30 season, which will see him turn 29. This type of contract can be modified or restructured in the rare case of an emergency, so check a Devils’ site or a cap tracking site for his current deal.

Age 21-22: Breakout Year

The 2022-23 campaign is where many would say his breakout season began, in which Hughes posted 43 goals and 99 points. The Devils eventually finished as one of the league’s storylines, as he was able to produce at a historic rate for a player his age. This performance earned him the reputation as a true franchise cornerstone, as producing at this level at 21 is nothing to sneeze at.

Age 24: The Olympics

At the 2026 Winter Games in Milan Cortina, Hughes represented his country and was instrumental in the team’s gold medal win over Canada in the overtime period. At 24 years old, it was one of the peaks of his career and well before he turned 25.

Jack Hughes’s Brothers: Quinn and Luke

Another category of biographical information that may be of interest to you is personal information, for example, regarding his family. The boy is the middle child of three brothers who have all achieved excellence on the ice, becoming NHL defensemen or forwards.

Quinn Hughes (oldest)

His birthday is October 14, 1999, which made him 26 years old in 2025 and 27 in mid-October 2026. Quinn Hughes is a defenseman who has turned into a first-line scorer for the Vancouver Canucks while posting elite offensive production from the blue line, winning the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s best defenseman for the 2023–24 season. In addition, he was the team’s captain. However, the transaction window in the league in December 2025 tells you that he has changed teams, joining the Minnesota Wild. Of course, roster changes throughout the year are entirely normal, so it may be worth checking the news again on the official website of the National Hockey League.

Luke Hughes (youngest)

The boy was born on September 9, 2003, which made him 23 years old in 2025. He also plays the position of defenseman, having been selected by the New Jersey Devils with the fourth pick in the 2021 draft, becoming the second brother to play in the NHL. It can be said with great confidence that the parents have been waiting for this day with great interest.

Age Comparison at a Glance

Player	Date of birth	Age (Sept 28, 2026)	Position
Quinn Hughes	Oct 14, 1999	26	Defense
Jack Hughes	May 14, 2001	25	Center
Luke Hughes	Sept 9, 2003	23	Defense

Jack is about 19 months younger than Quinn and about 28 months older than Luke. That is a tight spread, which helps explain why they grew up so competitive and why their development paths overlapped.

Jack Hughes and the Devils: Why His Age Matters

The phrase “Hughes Devils” shows up in searches because the story of the franchise and the family has been tied together since 2019. Age is central to that story for a few practical reasons.

He Is in His Prime Window

Forwards in the NHL typically produce at a high level through their mid-to-late 20s, with many stars staying effective into their early 30s. At 25, Hughes is entering what is usually considered peak years. The Devils’ contract with him covers most of that window, which is why the deal is seen as a strategic anchor.

Youth Comes With Durability Questions

One honest caveat is health. Hughes is a smaller, speed-based center, listed at around 5 feet 10 inches, and he has had injury interruptions, including shoulder issues in earlier seasons. Being young does not remove the risk that a hard-skating, high-contact style brings. When evaluating his outlook, availability matters as much as talent.

The Devils Core Is Still Young

Hughes shares the Devils’ locker room with his brother Luke and with captain Nico Hischier, born in January 1999. Age-wise, the core is in the same generational band, which gives the team a shared timeline to compete. Whether that translates into deep playoff runs depends on depth, goaltending, and health, not just star power.

How Jack Hughes’s Age Compares With Other Stars

Well, context is important here, because it does make a difference if we are evaluating “25” against something else.
Connor McDavid is the favorite of many, being born in January 1997, and therefore is a few years older and already a veteran of a different era.
Nico Hischier, his own teammate, is about two and a half years older.
Rookies and recent draftees are often around 18-20, so Hughes is now a veteran to them, despite being 25.
In conclusion, Hughes may be young by human standards, but by NHL standards, he is a veteran himself, due to starting earlier than most.

Common Mistakes When Searching for a Player’s Age

If you are cross-checking the ages of any athlete, there are a few gotchas that can trip you up and lead to incorrect data.

Old articles. Say, if you found an article published in 2022 stating that “someone is 21 years old”, this data is already out-of-date. Check the year an article was published.
Mixing up birth year and season year. Since an NHL season lasts for two calendar years, it is possible that a player will be born in 2003 and play in the 2023 season.
Mixing up the brothers. There are plenty of them in the hockey league, so it is easy to confuse Quinn and Jack McDavid with each other.
Check the unofficial sources. Not all the websites are created equal, so it is better to rely on the player’s page on the NHL site.

Final Takeaways

Jack hughes age (born 2019) is 25 years old, born on May 14, 2001, and he will turn 26 in 2027 (May 14).
He was chosen first overall in the draft at age 18, signed a big contract with the Devils at 21, and scored the winning goal for the US in the 2026 Olympic Games at age 24.
His brothers are Quinn (age 26) and Luke (age 23), which makes them all close in age.
Jack Hughes’ current age indicates that he is at the prime of his career, and the only weakness in this statement is his potential health issues.
In any case, make sure to double-check the current stats in the NHL or Devils’ website, as any player’s team, contract, or stats may change.