Cory Schneider has two young kids of his own. Now he’s also got a teenager living under his roof.

His name is Jack Hughes.

When the Devils won the NHL draft lottery in April, an idea quickly popped into Schneider’s mind, and the veteran goalie reached out to Devils GM Ray Shero about possibly giving the team’s eventual No. 1 pick a place to stay while he got acclimated to the NHL lifestyle.

The Devils eventually selected Hughes at the top of the draft in June, and Schneider, Shero, Hughes and his parents got the ball rolling on the setup. Hughes recently moved into Schneider’s home, along with Schneider’s wife, Jill, and their two kids.

Hughes won’t live there forever, of course, but for the time being, he’s got an open invitation from Schneider to stay as long as he wants as he figures out the ins and outs of being an NHL player.

“We just wanted to make sure he could be an 18-year-old and not have to worry about rent and bills and making dinner every night and figuring out what time to leave,” Schneider told NJ Advance Media. "He’s been through so much this summer just in terms of all the attention and travel. We wanted him to be able to come to a quiet place and just get away from it and relax a little bit, let us do the heavy lifting in terms of making sure he has a hot dinner, nice bed and all that.

“Not that he couldn’t do that, I’m sure he’s very capable, but I’ve said it before: When I was 18, I was wide-eyed going into college just trying to find my way through my first year of school, let alone being a No. 1 pick, expected to play in the NHL.”

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Hughes will soon have his car from home down in New Jersey, so for now, the two have been carpooling to the rink each day. And from just being around Schneider on a daily basis, Hughes is getting an up-close look at the routine that goes into living an NHL lifestyle.

“It’s something you kind of pick up on, you learn over time,” Hughes said. “For me, I’m hoping to pick up a lot from all the guys here and figure that stuff out.”

The two had the added benefit of playing together for Team USA during the IIHF World Championships in May, so they got to know each other before officially becoming Devils teammates and roommates.

When the Devils drafted Nico Hischier No. 1 overall in 2017, Schneider also considered the idea of the Swiss center boarding in his house to start his career, but his wife was pregnant, so the timing of that potential setup wasn’t right.

Schneider saw examples of younger players living with veterans when he was breaking into the NHL, and he wanted to be available to pass on that favor if the opportunity ever presented itself. In the grand scheme of things, Schneider knows Hughes will be able to handle everything that has and will come his way. The goalie just wants to help the rookie with the little things to make some of it much simpler.

“We sort of joke sometimes that you’re supposed to get a crystal ball when you show up at training camp and know things,” Schneider said. “They’re very clear about the rules and all that, but there’s just little things that you kind of forget or don’t remember the first time around. When I’m I supposed to wear a suit? Or when do I wear ties? What time does the bus leave or where does the bus leave from? Where do we go once we park? Once you’ve been doing it for six, seven years, it’s automatic. When you’re a young guy, you don’t want to be late. You don’t want to be in the wrong place. You don’t want to do anything to rock the boat. It’s just nice to not think about that stuff.”

Schneider, of course, isn’t there to keep an over-watching eye on Hughes. The center is free to do whatever he would and go wherever he wants as if he was living on his own.

Schneider’s son also has the benefit of having another mini-hockey opponent living in the house, though the goalie isn’t sure he knows exactly what he’s getting into by playing against Hughes.

But the five living under one roof have gotten along swimmingly so far, and Hughes remains grateful for the chance to have one big aspect of his new life taken somewhat off his plate.

“It’s a really sweet set up with them. He’s got a really great family,” Hughes said. “Cory’s awesome too, so it’s been a lot of fun and I’m really happy he gave me the opportunity to do that.”

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