Hughes has certainly given his father ample reason to be proud. Ranked third in his graduating class, he has received numerous off-the-ice honors, including being named the Hartford Whalers Best Student-Athlete in New England and being selected All-scholastic by both The Boston Globe and The Boston Herald. Harvard was the natural choice when it came time to decide which school he would attend.

`The Right Choice'

"I had always wanted to come to Harvard," Hughes says. "The only reason I even looked at the other schools [that were recruiting me] is that I wanted to make sure it was the right choice."

Coach Bill Cleary and the rest of the team were also important in his choosing Harvard.

"My teammates have been great--I really look up to them," Hughes says. "They totally reflect Coach Cleary's attitudes and the type of people he wants. You can be a good player and a good student, but if you're not a good person, he doesn't want you."

Hughes certainly exemplifies that team philosophy and has made the transition to college life through hard work and discipline. Donato, one of his closest friends since they were high school teammates at Catholic Memorial, has noticed the difference.

"I think he's matured a lot this year, both as a player and a person," Donato says.

"I think the whole thing is self-discipline--disciplining myself to do things I don't necessarily want to," Hughes says. "Sometimes it's hard because you'll want to slack off, but [hockey's] such a commitment that you can't really afford to."

The Future

As for academics, Hughes is considering concentrating in psychology or biological anthropology and would like to attend business school someday, but hockey definitely figures in his future.

"If things work out, I'd like to play as long as I can," says Hughes, whose NHL rights are held by the New Jersey Devils. "I would love to try the NHL or Europe."

Until then he has a few plans for the Crimson.

"I want to win four national championships," Hughes says.