Hughes' strong play for Canucks at both ends of ice reminiscent of Orr

VANCOUVER -- Quinn Hughes is challenging for the NHL scoring lead with a start to the season matched only by Bobby Orr among defensemen, and the driving force for the best start in the history of the Vancouver Canucks.

There's little doubt which one means more to the 24-year-old Canucks captain.

"It's a nice honor, I guess, but it doesn't mean too much to me honestly," Hughes said after being named NHL First Star of the Week on Monday. "The season, how we started, means a lot to me. There's been a lot of, I don't want to say pressure, but over the last couple years the way we started and for our group to come out and be resilient in a sense, I take more pride in that I would say."

There have been lots of factors in the Canucks' 9-2-1 start, which includes four straight wins going into their game against the Ottawa Senators on Thursday (7 p.m. ET; RDS2, SNP, TSN5). Forward Elias Pettersson is second in the NHL with 21 points (six goals, 15 assists) in 12 games; center J.T. Miller has embraced and excelled in a shutdown role alongside forward Brock Boeser, who is tied for second in the NHL with 10 goals; goalie Thatcher Demko has a .948 save percentage in nine games; and a dynamic power play that has scored on 32.6 percent of its chances, fourth best in the League.

Anchoring a lot of that is Hughes. He had four points (one goal, three assists) in a 6-2 win against the Edmonton Oilers on Monday, giving him 12 points (two goals, 10 assists) in his past four games and 20 points (five goals, 15 assists) in 12 games this season, first among NHL defensemen and tied with brother Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils and Artemi Panarin of the New York Rangers for third in the League.

Hughes also leads the League with a plus-16 rating, joining Orr (1973-74) as the only defensemen with 20 points and a plus/minus rating of plus-15 or better through 12 games since 1959-60, when plus/minus became an official statistic, according to NHL Stats and Information. He also is the sixth defensemen in NHL history with four three-point games in the first 12 games of a season, another list that includes Orr (1974-75).

For all the accolades that come with producing at a 136-point pace, Hughes also is leading a renewed commitment to defensive play under coach Rick Tocchet, who is in his first full season after replacing Bruce Boudreau on Jan. 22, and a big part of their League-best plus-30 goal differential.

"You knew coming in here how good he is in the numbers sense, but what you don't know is how complete a player he is," said defenseman Ian Cole, who is in his first season with the Canucks and 14th in the NHL. "A lot of guys that put up a lot of points, they rest on defense, kind of bide their time in the [defensive] zone until they get a chance to jump up in the play. He cares about playing against top lines, about getting every minute he can and making those quality minutes, and he's producing. He's doing it all for us and he embraces that, which is awesome."

Hughes, the No. 7 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, always has been an elite skater.

"He walks the blue line as good as anybody I've ever seen," Tocchet said. "Him walking the blue line is getting his points, but the way he breaks the puck out is something there's very few ... the (Cale) Makars of the world, (Miro) Heiskanen, those guys are just so special doing that and it can break down a forecheck."

The increased goal scoring also is the result of a summer spent working to improve his shot and a preseason season pledge to use it more. Hughes has 45 shots on goal this season, an average of 3.75 shots per game, nearly double his average of 1.89 during his first five NHL seasons.

As for defensive play, Hughes bristles at any suggestion it's a new trend, pointing to his plus-15 rating last season on a Canucks team that had a minus-22 goal differential. Hughes equally is put off by suggestions that he needs to play with a big, stay-at-home, defense-first partner, a narrative he believes is tied to his stature (5-foot-10, 180 pounds) and the idea he can’t defend well himself. He points to his success with new partner Filip Hronek as proof.

"I think I am a defensive guy," Hughes said. "Me and 'Fil' don't get scored on a lot. We'll have nights we're [minus-3], but we're going to have a lot more we're plus."

The pairing with Hronek, who has 10 assists during a seven-game point streak and is fourth among NHL defensemen with 13 points in 12 games, works in part because of the extra time he affords Hughes with the puck in the offensive end.

"What Fil does and helps me with is he gets me 3-4 more touches a game," Hughes said. "He has the puck on my stick more. He's able to open up his hips and give it to me, slide it to me, and I'm able to do the same and we have the puck a lot. The more we have the puck, it's like another chance I get, another chance he gets. I'm getting more chances to shoot because of it."

It also reduces their time spent defending, not that it's been an issue when they are.

"Big defensemen that can stop cycles are great, but I think Quinn and Filip defend with quickness and intelligence and with puck possession, which is just as good," Tocchet said. "Those guys have a great chemistry."

The same can be said for a lot of the Canucks early this season, with Hughes leading the way.