Hughes was born in Orlando, Florida while his father was an assistant coach for the Orlando Solar Bears. He is Jewish on his mother's side while his father is Catholic. He comes from a hockey-playing family as his father, Jim Hughes, is a former hockey player and team captain for Providence College, an assistant coach for the Boston Bruins, and the Toronto Maple Leafs Director of Player Development. His mother, Ellen Weinberg-Hughes, played ice hockey, lacrosse, and soccer at the University of New Hampshire and, in 2012, was inducted into the University of New Hampshire Athletics Hall of Fame. She also played for the United States women's national ice hockey team, and won a silver medal at the 1992 World Championship. Hughes has two younger brothers, Jack and Luke, who also play hockey. Jack was drafted first overall in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft and Luke plays for the U.S. National U17 Team and was drafted 4th overall in the 2021 NHL entry draft.