I covered this a bit in my Top 31 ranking. For a D skating and playing offense is all about finding open ice.
There have been many NA PMDs struggling the last years. I think a problem these kids have is that they in junior hockey are rewarded for almost always just setting off offensively at full speed, kinda, you can of course not generalize too much but you get what I mean.
Sometimes that is good, even great, but it’s important to remember that the faster you head up ice the lesser time you get. McDavid buys himself time when heading up ice because Ds have to turn and get a safety margin when he gets going. But on any rush a McDavid has at least a good 45 feet head start on any PMD has when the PMD heads up ice on a rush.
I think it’s very important to think through how a PMD can be successful in the NHL and which kids fits those bills.
In general I don’t think anyone picking Q Hughes will regret picking him, at least if you don’t with the benefit of hindsight focus on the few nuggets picked behind him (there will always be someone). Hughes will be liked, entertaining player. But he also scares me a bit. Left handed shot is not a fit a good fit on many PPs. So much of a Ds offense comes from the PP. He isn’t a threat from distance.
My point is this, I love Hughes and think he will become a good player. But — how great must he be to become a top D? From my POV he must be extremely great with his style and physical tools. He isn’t going to pick up pucks in his zone/the neutral zone and just blow past everyone. His biggest strength will have to be hockey sense and awareness. What scares me is that if he develops really well and does a good job overall — he isn’t going to become a Norris candidate. The kid must go through the roof to get there. And he could, I am not saying anything else. But you got to value that likelyhood against the kids around him. But I would be a little careful projecting QHs top abilities into top performance in the NHL.
Just to chip in on Dahlin, QH could probably top him in a few skating tests. But Dahlin’s strength is that he probably could push anyone out there in those skating tests with a phone in his hand playing candy crush while doing the tests. He is a tremendously effortless and deceptive skater. And his top speed is also something else, don’t think QH gets him going around the ice. He should take his knitting gear with him to the combine and pull it out when it’s time for the skating tests. He could do the lap and throw a sock that he knitted on the way to some fans in the stands, amazing K maybe.