(Article) Canucks’ Quinn Hughes a talent like Vancouver has never seen before

[Guest]

Former Canucks D-men comment on what make Quinn Hughes so special and unique to Vancouver.

 

https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/canucks-quinn-hughes-talent-like-vancouver-never-seen/

 

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Canucks’ Quinn Hughes a talent like Vancouver has never seen before

 

Quinn Hughes is special.

 

Not special in a “you’re-special-I’m-special-everyone’s-special” kind of way. He is literally unique in Vancouver Canucks history. At least we think so.

 

The Canucks are celebrating their 50th year in the National Hockey League and Hughes, a 20-year rookie, is the first young defenceman the franchise has possessed who has the speed, agility, instincts and sheer talent to be a game-changer on the blue line. He is also five-foot-10.

 

In five decades, the franchise has had a bunch of excellent defencemen, but none with the speed and dynamic skill set that Hughes is still developing. He is an early Calder Trophy candidate, perhaps the biggest challenger to Colorado Avalanche rookie defenceman Cale Makar.

 

The dynamic duo face each other Saturday when the Avalanche visit Rogers Arena.

As the Canucks reached the one-quarter mark of their season with Thursday’s 4-2 loss to the Dallas Stars, Hughes had 12 points in 19 games and is on pace, if he stays healthy, to produce 51 points in his first NHL season.

The Canucks haven’t had a 50-point defenceman since Christian Ehrhoff reached that threshold nine years ago. Since 2012, no Vancouver defenceman has generated more than 34 points in a season.

 

So Quinn Hughes is special. But don’t just take our word for it. Listen to some of the Canucks’ top defencemen from the last five decades.

 

* * *

 

“He really controls the game when he’s moving,” Ed Jovanoski (1999-2006 Canucks) says. “That’s always a sign of a special player, when you can control the game with your legs and hockey IQ. It’s almost, as Hughes is going, the team’s going.”

 

Jovanovski says he often stays up late at home in Florida to watch the Canucks play.

Jovanovski: “Every time I’m watching Vancouver, I hear Shorty (play-by-play announcer John Shorthouse) saying ‘Hughes, Hughes, Hughes.’ He has the puck a lot. He’s a part of the way the NHL is played today. Look at Cale Makar in Colorado — I turn their games on just to watch that kid. He’s kind of in the same boat as Hughes. These young guys stand out.”

 

“Skating separates him from so many other D-men,” Kevin Bieksa (2005-15 Canucks) says from California. “He’s so young and new to the league and he’s not the biggest guy — I’m sure he’ll fill out as (Canucks conditioning coach) Roger Takahashi gets his hands on him — but right away he’s not just surviving, but being an impact guy because of his speed and skating abilities. He’s not tall, but he’s got a long stride, which not a lot of defencemen have. A lot of defencemen have short, choppy strides. But he’s got a long stride and he’s got really good edgework. He’s good on his edges, he opens up, he does mohawk (turns) — kind of the new-age skating. You can tell he’s worked with high-quality skating coaches.”

 

“When I played, there was no one with that skill set,” Doug Lidster (1983-93 Canucks) says from Michigan. “Nobody skated like he does, all over the ice. Certainly, no one I played with in Vancouver had his skill set and I’m pretty sure the organization has never had someone like that. I remember seeing him at Michigan (in university), and he was head and shoulders better than everyone else. It was easy to see why he went seventh overall.”

 

The day Hughes fell into the Canucks’ laps with the seventh pick of the 2018 entry draft was general manager Jim Benning’s happiest in five years in Vancouver.

 

“We were looking for a defenceman like that,” Benning (1986-1990 Canucks) says. “Every team, to get to that next level, needs a defenceman that can control things from the back end. We had Petey (Elias Pettersson) in the fold and Brock Boeser and Bo (Horvat) and Thatcher Demko and some other pieces. But we needed a defenceman that could control the tempo and play from the back end and we thought that was something Quinn could do. So when he was there when we picked, I was super excited.”

“He’s perfect for this day and age,” Dave Babych (1991-98 Canucks) says. “As the games get harder, teams will try to test him physically. Phil Housley was a great skater, a puck-carrying defenceman (for the old Winnipeg Jets). But when we played them in the playoffs, Sergio Momesso and Jim Sandlak just hit him shift after shift. Eventually, it was almost like Housley didn’t want the puck anymore. Body contact is still there once in a while, but when the Hudson Bay Rules come out in the playoffs, it’s a different game. We haven’t seen that yet.”

 

(Editor’s note. Housley’s disappearance in the playoffs against the Canucks spawned one of the all-time great headlines in the Winnipeg Sun: ‘1-800-FIND PHIL’).

 

Bieksa: “There are still big guys in the game, but those guys don’t play like the big guys did 10 years ago. I don’t think the game is as physical as it used to be, and fourth lines have a different dynamic now, younger and more skill. There’s not as much dump and chase… compared to 10 or 15 years ago when you knew every time the fourth line was on the ice, they were going to dump it in your corner and a big, burly winger with limited skill was going to try to put you through the boards. (Hughes) will be able to last.”

 

“I’m very, very impressed with his skating and confidence and creativity,” Dennis Kearns (1972-82 Canucks) says. “And I like the way the coach has confidence in him and puts him out on the ice and just lets him play, lets him create. In terms of mobility, Paul Reinhart was a beautiful skater, an exceptional talent. But he was bigger and thicker than Quinn. But I think (Hughes’) skill set is different than anyone we’ve seen in Vancouver.”

 

Reinhart had back-to-back 57-point seasons on the Vancouver blue line at the end of his NHL career. He was the most talented offensive defenceman in franchise history, but spent his best years in the 1980s with the Calgary Flames.

Kearns still holds the record among Canuck defencemen for his 55 assists in 1976-77. Lidster has the record for most points by a defenceman, 63, set in 1986-87.

 

Lidster: “Is Hughes going to break my record?”

He left the Canucks for the New York Rangers, and in 1994 helped beat Vancouver in the Stanley Cup Final. Lidster’s Ranger teammates included Brian Leetch and Sergei Zubov, two of the most mobile defencemen of all time.

Lidster: “Great players have a certain aura about them where you can’t take your eyes off them. When I have seen Quinn play, he has shown that quality, just like Leetch and Zubov.”

Jovanovski: “He reminds me a little of Scotty Niedermayer. Quinn is as smooth on his skates as Scotty. Nieds could always use his skating to skate the puck out of trouble, which is very rare.”

 

Babych: “(Former Canuck teammate) Bret Hedican could be one of the best skaters ever in this league. But Heddy wasn’t east-west like Hughes. It’s just a different style of skating now.”

“That’s a helluva compliment from Babych,” Hedican (1993-1999 Canucks), now a broadcaster with the San Jose Sharks, says. “I’ve only watched Hughes a couple of times, but from what I’ve seen, he’s phenomenal. He looks like an amazing skater with great vision and instincts on the ice.”

Jovanovski: “I think his talent is through the roof.”

Bieksa: “I don’t know if he’s a complete defenceman yet. Is he a guy you can put out at the end of the game to defend a lead? Or does he have the potential to be that? But he’s got a lot of offensive potential because of his skating. There’s a lot of guys who have come into the NHL with a tonne of offensive potential, but it’s tough to get the job done. To put up 40 points or 45 points as an NHL defenceman is not an easy task. So (Hughes) has got to go out and prove it. He’s got the great skating stride, got the great instincts, but he’s got to go out and put numbers on the board and stay healthy.”

Benning: “The things he’s good at, you can’t teach. He’s going to have to gain experience and continue to get physically stronger. But he changes the dynamic of our team. He can get back there and get the puck and transition it up ice fast to our forwards, and then is so good at jumping up in the play and joining the rush. That’s a dynamic the team hasn’t had for a lot of years.”

Maybe never.

Quinn Hughes: “I thought I would come in and make a difference, and I think I’ve done that. I’ve played pretty good minutes, been pretty good defensively. I think I’ll just keep going, keep getting better.

“I’m happy with my first 19 games, but I’m not satisfied.”

 

[nuckin_futz]

So why do so many here keep making trade proposals were we trade him for picks?

[BrockBoester]

3 minutes ago, nuckin_futz said:

So why do so many here keep making trade proposals were we trade him for picks?

Maybe for a similar reason why 50% or more of trade threads lately have Markstrom in them.

 

Great read OP. Quinn is strong like bull!

 

Edited November 16, 2019 by BrockBoester

[nuckin_futz]

7 minutes ago, BrockBoester said:

Maybe for a similar reason why 50% or more of trade threads lately have Markstrom in them.

 

Great read OP. Quinn is strong like bull!

 

Even though I think trading Marky is silly. I can understand those threads a little bit because we have Demko.

 

Do we have another Quinn Hughes? We waited 50 years for this one and now people want to trade him.

[BrockBoester]

Just now, nuckin_futz said:

Even though I think trading Marky is silly. I can understand those threads a little bit because we have Demko.

 

Do we have another Quinn Hughes? We waited 50 years for this one and now people want to trade him.

Yeah I just hate when people talk about trading either of them, lol

 

Or Boeser, or Demko, etc

 

There's no way any GM would pay us what these players are worth so discussing trading them is kinda pointless because good ol GMJB isn't gonna get fleeced.

 

Then there's these people that think we are gonna package up Sutter, Tanev, Baertschi and Eriksson to fetch a high 1st and a top prospect.

 

I guess the mary jane is just that good in BC though!

[ChuckNORRIS4Cup]

His IQ is off the charts, hence why I supported him as our #1 PP guy on the point from the start of this season, he's a quarterback with is IQ and hands, didn't care about his age or how young he was or lack of NHL experience, you could just see is IQ with the control of the puck as Jovo mentioned, the kid will be very enjoyable to watch over the years!

Edited November 17, 2019 by ChuckNORRIS4Cup

[JM_]

Babych talking about the Housley comparison is bang-on. And good advice, Hughes is going to have to find a way not to get crushed in the playoffs. 

[smithers joe]

he didn’t have hughes speed, but i still think that paul reinhart was the most talented canuck d man of all time. imo. hughes may end up the best d man but not yet. i would have liked those d men to compare the two.

[DADDYROCK]

We were due to get a shining star, out of the fifty years in the league our defense has not really been norris trophy candidates.Edler, Salo, Öhlund, Jovanovski, Lumme.And of course Reinhart have been some notable and memorable candidates but really in fifty years it hasn't been outstanding by any means.So like I said we were due.

 

It would be great to have a norris trophy winning defense man,most Stanley Cup winning teams have one.

[ItsAllOursBoys]

2 hours ago, nuckin_futz said:

So why do so many here keep making trade proposals were we trade him for picks?

For those making such idiot proposals.....

 

[Silky mitts]

2 hours ago, nuckin_futz said:

So why do so many here keep making trade proposals were we trade him for picks?

I never visit the proposal section on this forum. And for good reason. 

[NewbieCanuckFan]

 Canucks’ Quinn Hughes a talent like Vancouver has never seen before....at least not since Ohlund.

[WeneedLumme]

6 minutes ago, NewbieCanuckFan said:

 Canucks’ Quinn Hughes a talent like Vancouver has never seen before....at least not since Ohlund.

Ohlund was an awesome Dman, and if he had not had his eye injury, might have had a shot at the Norris. But Quinn is a totally different type of Dman. No way Ohlund was anywhere near as slippery as Quinn is, and Quinn is likely to surpass Ohlund's best season point production in his very first year. Just like no way Quinn is going to crush people the way 6'4 230 lb Ohlund could.

[NewbieCanuckFan]

5 minutes ago, WeneedLumme said:

Ohlund was an awesome Dman, and if he had not had his eye injury, might have had a shot at the Norris. But Quinn is a totally different type of Dman. No way Ohlund was anywhere near as slippery as Quinn is, and Quinn is likely to surpass Ohlund's best season point production in his very first year. Just like no way Quinn is going to crush people the way 6'4 230 lb Ohlund could.

Both were elite at a different side of the game (offense vs defense).  Ohlund went toe-to-toe with THE power forward of the time (Iginla).  You need both types on the blueline, but I'm not greedy - having just one is good enough for me (and that guy is obviously Hughes).

 

Though even with just one eye, Ohlund managed to score 10 or more goals in a season multiple times.  A guy with a mean streak as well.  Do NOT provoke the Viking.  Mikko Koivu (sp?) found out the hard way.

Edited November 17, 2019 by NewbieCanuckFan

[6string]

2 hours ago, ItsAllOursBoys said:

For those making such idiot proposals.....

 

The one in the stripes are our moderators even they won't step in lol

[189lb enforcers?]

2 hours ago, WeneedLumme said:

Ohlund was an awesome Dman, and if he had not had his eye injury, might have had a shot at the Norris. But Quinn is a totally different type of Dman. No way Ohlund was anywhere near as slippery as Quinn is, and Quinn is likely to surpass Ohlund's best season point production in his very first year. Just like no way Quinn is going to crush people the way 6'4 230 lb Ohlund could.

Say what? 

 

Ohlund was a great Dman, but in an age of legends, he was a number 2... and he wasn’t 6’4.

 

He would have been as likely to win the Norris as he was a Hart. 

 

Get real. 

[*Buzzsaw*]

2 hours ago, WeneedLumme said:

Ohlund was an awesome Dman, and if he had not had his eye injury, might have had a shot at the Norris. But Quinn is a totally different type of Dman. No way Ohlund was anywhere near as slippery as Quinn is, and Quinn is likely to surpass Ohlund's best season point production in his very first year. Just like no way Quinn is going to crush people the way 6'4 230 lb Ohlund could.

I was a Cameraman for CBC, and did many interviews in the Canucks dressing room postgame.

 

Mattias Ohlund was the most impressive physically of any hockey player I saw.  Not an ounce of fat, a monster.

 

Even Todd Bertuzzi, although he was heavier and was bigger boned, did not look as imposing as Ohlund... not ripped like Ohlund.

 

I can imagine what other players thought when he lined them up. 

[*Buzzsaw*]

4 minutes ago, 189lb enforcers? said:

Say what? 

 

Ohlund was a great Dman, but in an age of legends, he was a number 2... and he wasn’t 6’4.

 

He would have been as likely to win the Norris as he was a Hart. 

 

Get real. 

Wrong... Ohlund was 6'4" and 233 lbs.

 

As for Hughes... I agree, he is an unusual talent... amazing puckhanding/puck carrying skills.

 

And as some of the former Canucks D said... the real question is whether he can survive in the playoffs.

Edited November 17, 2019 by *Buzzsaw*

[189lb enforcers?]

18 minutes ago, *Buzzsaw* said:

Wrong... Ohlund was 6'4" and 233 lbs.

 

As for Hughes... I agree, he is an unusual talent... amazing puckhanding/puck carrying skills.

 

And as some of the former Canucks D said... the real question is whether he can survive in the playoffs.

Lol

why, cause Hockey database says so? 

He first weighted in here at 6’2 and 3/4 and 2012 lbs. 

 

Maybe some kids might get sucked into the stats, but any of who were there know that none of Jovo, Brash or even Bert were 6’4, no matter what it says in some database. 

 

Same goes for a hundred guys in the league who are listed as 6’0 who aren’t even 5’11. Don’t believe everything you read. 10 bucks says any hockey card will back me up. They listed him as 6’3, even though he wasn’t quite there, eventually getting to 230lbs, eventually. For the longest time he was almost 6’3 and 222lbs, as a Canucks. 

[kurtis]

6 hours ago, nuckin_futz said:

Even though I think trading Marky is silly. I can understand those threads a little bit because we have Demko.

 

Do we have another Quinn Hughes? We waited 50 years for this one and now people want to trade him.

Well wont we lose him or Demko to Seattle ??