NEWARK, N.J. -- Confidence pours out of Quinn Hughes, as it should with the season he's having and the career path he's charting.
"Yeah, I've made some strides, but I make strides every year," the Vancouver Canucks defenseman said. "I thought last year I was at a top level, too. I'm just trying to carry it."
The 24-year-old is carrying it to the 2024 Honda (U.S.)/Rogers (Canada) NHL All-Star Game at Scotiabank Arena in Toronto on Feb. 3, as the player chosen by the NHL to represent the Canucks.
The League selected one player from each of the 32 teams and the NHL fans voted for the remaining 12 using the 2024 NHL All-Star Fan Vote presented by MassMutual. That's how Hughes' Vancouver teammates, forwards Elias Pettersson, J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser and goalie Thatcher Demko got in, but their captain was the first pick.
It's hard to argue that.
Heading up to the Canucks’ Hockey Day in Canada game against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Rogers Place on Saturday (7 p.m. ET; SN), Hughes is tied with Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche for the NHL scoring lead among defensemen with 53 points (11 goals, 42 assists). He has already scored more goals in 45 games this season than he did in any of his previous four full NHL seasons. He's also a plus-33 and is averaging 24:26 of ice time per game.
"I've watched the way he's developed the last five years and more, I see all the work he puts in in the summer," said Luke Hughes, 20, Quinn's youngest brother and a defenseman for the New Jersey Devils. "His deception and the way he passes the puck, the way he makes really nice zone entries, makes the hard plays look easy and the even harder players look easier, it shows he's an unbelievable player, one of the best 'D' in the League."
Ask Quinn Hughes about his defensive play and he'll go on the offensive to shoot down anyone who wants to stick to the narrative that he lacks in that area.
"Two years ago I was plus-10, last year I was plus-15, and I was playing 25-26 minutes a night," Hughes said. "So I think I proved that the last few years."
At the time he said it, he was a plus-26.
"Keep climbing," Hughes said.
He has.
"He can play better defense than people think," said former NHL defenseman Sergei Gonchar, who works with Hughes daily as the Canucks defensive development coach. "He's there in critical situations for us and he's dedicating himself to get better at that part of the game. He's improved since the beginning of the season. He's gotten better. This is something I didn't realize, how good he can be. A lot of times people overlook that part of the game. They're thinking about him and the only thing they can come up with is his offense. Nobody remembers his defensive play."
Hughes plays defense with his stick positioning and speed, which leads to puck possession, Gonchar said.
Rick Tocchet said when he became Canucks coach a year ago (Jan. 22, 2023) he was not aware Hughes was as good at eliminating forechecks, comparing him to Hockey Hall of Famer Scott Niedermayer because of his ability to avoid pressure and start the attack.
"He can bury a forecheck," Tocchet said. "We like to play fast, but the odd time with Hughes, when there's heavy pressure, he can wheel the net and get away from people, make that one pass and then have a four-man attack. There's not a lot of defensemen that can do that.
Ask Hughes about his goal scoring this season and he'll tell you it was always going to be the next step in his progression as a top defenseman in the NHL.
"In the last three seasons I've led the league in possession time," he said. "I've had the puck more than any other guy in the league. I had 76 points last season (seven goals, 69 assists in 78 games), but I think a lot of it I can simplify, get shots on net and create offense that way too."
