'He's a unicorn': Canucks star defenceman Hughes continues to grow his game
There's little Quinn Hughes does on the ice that shocks his Vancouver Canucks teammates anymore.
At 23 years old, the American defenceman has already smashed records, and he appears poised to continue elevating his game.
“Everything that he does, from the way that he plays in a game to practice, he's one of a kind,” said fellow blue liner Kyle Burroughs. “He's a unicorn in a sense.
“How he sees the ice, how he uses his edges - nothing really surprises me anymore with him. He's up there as one of the best defencemen in the league”
Hughes has already amassed 67 points (five goals, 62 assists) in 66 appearances this season and sits one shy of the career-high 68 points he put up last year with 11 games to go.
He seems to take the most pride, though, in his play away from the puck.
“I feel like my game's really good right now,” Hughes said. “I'm proud that I'm plus (in plus-minus) and I'm playing a lot of minutes and defensively I'm being trusted against the top lines. Anyone who says I'm a defensively liability, frankly, doesn't watch me play at this point.”
Hughes' defensive game is what has impressed Rick Tocchet most since he took over behind the Canucks' bench two months ago.
He may not regularly level opponents, but the young defencemen uses speed and intelligence to power his “underrated” defensive abilities, the coach said.
“He's not going to crush guys, he's not going to muscle guys in the front all the time, but his body position and his puck possession and his will to win - you can see it in his just the way he talks to you,” Tocchet said.
“He's a hockey nerd. He loves hockey. Almost got to back him off in the summer because I think him and his brothers would skate every day.”
Tocchet has leaned heavily on Hughes in recent weeks as a spate of injuries continues to plague the Canucks' lineup.
The five-foot-10, 180-pound blue liner has averaged more than 27 minutes of ice time over Vancouver's last five games and has still found ways to contribute, putting up six assists.
“His aerobic base is incredible, because I've never seen a guy that can play (that much),” Tocchet said. “He's light on his feet so I think it helps. But he's such a terrific player.”
This is the second season in a row that Hughes has contributed at least 60 helpers, becoming the first defenceman in the league to accomplish the feat in back-to-back campaigns since Roy Borque and Paul Coffey did so in 1993-94.
He also set a new Canucks' record for assists by a defenceman in Vancouver's 4-3 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Tuesday, topping the 60 he tallied last year.
Tyler Myers is in his fourth season playing alongside Hughes and said his teammate is playing his best hockey yet.
“I think just every time he's on the ice, he's making the right play,” Myers said. “His decision making is at its highest level right now and you can tell he's engaged. His consistency has been awesome.”
Becoming an assistant captain last month also furthered his development, Myers added.
“He's been outstanding for us and he's really stepped up within the room here,” he said. “He's taking big strides and becoming a leader within the room. And it's awesome.”
Heading into Wednesday's slate of NHL games, Hughes sat third among the league's defencemen in scoring behind San Jose's Erik Karlsson (87 points) and Josh Morrissey of Winnipeg (69).
Keeping pace with the players expected to be up for this year's Norris Trophy - awarded annually to the NHL's top defenceman - is important, Hughes said.
“I want to be one of the top guys in the league,” he said. “I want to keep pushing myself and expect a lot of myself.”
Last summer, Hughes put in extra work on his shot and planned to be more of an offensive threat heading into 2022-23.
While he has five goals on the season, the defenceman said he's missed a lot of chances, too, and sees the potential for more points down the road.
“I think there's still lots of room to grow, to be honest with you,” Hughes said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.