LD Quinton Hughes - U of Michigan, NCAA (2018, 7th, VAN) Part II

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Sheik Yerbouti

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Sep 12, 2008
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Have you actually ever watched Hughes on D? He is a very good player in his own zone. He played on the PK in Michigan and led all defense in plus/minus. Being small is irrelevant in his case. He uses his speed position and stick so well that even if he is beat he can still get back into position and use his stick yo strip the puck. To say his D is weak shows that you really have no idea how good this kid is. I really think teams that passed on him are going to be sorry. There is something special about this kid. He literally will be the player kids emulate on D one day. A smaller player who is not only elite offensively, but is also elite on the defensive end. I have never seen someone on the smaller size, so dominant in his own zone. I won't be surprised if he has a Norris before Dahlin. The WooHughes WooHoo pairing is going to be just sick to watch.

I have watched Hughes and agree he is excellent defensively. I never said he wasn't. I was just comparing him and Dobson.

Thing is as good as Hughes is defensively he will always be small and will get overwhelmed physically on occasion. This means a guy like Dobson who is an excellent defender as well would have the edge on Hughes if they both reach their potential. Dobson is an elite skater and defender with NHL size, nothing against Hughes just saying that if both reach their potential Dobson will be better defensively.
 

Blade Paradigm

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Oct 21, 2017
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Seems like all signs point to him turning pro this upcoming season.
The AHL would be a suitable place for him to start. I think it would be a mistake, frankly, to start him in the NHL. I think the preseason and the first handful of regular season games should establish where he needs to be to continue his development.

That said, his defensive game is not developed enough at this point for him to be steady at the NHL level; unless he wants to be punished for his mistakes or has enough of a leash to be forgiven for his tendency to make high-risk plays, it would be a mistake to have him play in the NHL right away.

He excels at pivots and being able to shake off defenders with a quick swivel and swerve -- he is an east-west waterbug with excellent control of his edges --, but he gets picked off far too often trying to carry the puck when the opposition is closing the gap between themselves and him. This was observed at the college level last season. He is sometimes too overconfident about his ability to deke around other players, and on some occasions as the last man back, he gets picked off trying to exit the zone by himself. High-risk plays are his crux.

Maybe it would be a good thing for him to play in the NHL if Travis Green is willing to forgive and show patience with regards to his mistakes. The approach of the coaching staff is crucial, however. He has the skill to potentially accumulate a decent point total next season, but his knack for taking chances at the wrong times needs to be corrected.
 
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Canucks LB

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Oct 12, 2008
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Can we stop pretending Hughes is on the same level as Dahlin?

He's not.

He's still a phenomenal prospect.

Can we stop pretending *insert draft pick here* *lets go with Scheifele* is on the same level as RNH, He's Not (2011)
Can we stop pretending Filip Forsberg is on the same level as Yakupov, He's Not. (2012)
Can we stop pretending Barkov is on the same level as Mackinnon, He's Not. (2013)
Can we stop pretending Leon Draisaitl is on the same level as Reinhart, He's not (2014)

I can literally do this for every single year
, Nobody knows how good somebody will be until they actually play in the NHL.
Lots of "can't miss elite prospects", shit the bed, Yakupov's hype was absolutely insane, people were calling him the next bure.

That being said, I think Dahlin is a stud, and will be a superstar in the NHL, but nobody knows how good these kids are going to be, until we actually see them for a few years in the NHL.

Hughes right now is behind for sure, but he has every right to be as good or better than Dahlin in the future, nobody knows, ATM dahlin looks like a much better bet.
 

BoHorvat 53

What's a god to a Kane
Dec 9, 2014
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Can we stop pretending *insert draft pick here* *lets go with Scheifele* is on the same level as RNH, He's Not (2011)
Can we stop pretending Filip Forsberg is on the same level as Yakupov, He's Not. (2012)
Can we stop pretending Barkov is on the same level as Mackinnon, He's Not. (2013)
Can we stop pretending Leon Draisaitl is on the same level as Reinhart, He's not (2014)

I can literally do this for every single year
, Nobody knows how good somebody will be until they actually play in the NHL.
Lots of "can't miss elite prospects", **** the bed, Yakupov's hype was absolutely insane, people were calling him the next bure.

That being said, I think Dahlin is a stud, and will be a superstar in the NHL, but nobody knows how good these kids are going to be, until we actually see them for a few years in the NHL.

Hughes right now is behind for sure, but he has every right to be as good or better than Dahlin in the future, nobody knows, ATM dahlin looks like a much better bet.

You mention all of those examples yet forget the most relevant one...

Can we stop pretending Dylan Strome is on the same level as McDavid, He's not (2015)

Dahlin is a generational/McDavid level prospect, it would be asinine to compare Hughes to him when he's looking to be the next Doughty/Karlsson type of player that will be the best defenseman in the world and will have his periods of time being the best in the world (IMO).
 

coastal_nuck

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Jun 28, 2006
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You mention all of those examples yet forget the most relevant one...

Can we stop pretending Dylan Strome is on the same level as McDavid, He's not (2015)

Dahlin is a generational/McDavid level prospect, it would be asinine to compare Hughes to him when he's looking to be the next Doughty/Karlsson type of player that will be the best defenseman in the world and will have his periods of time being the best in the world (IMO).

Agreed. It is fine and dandy to pull out examples of drafts where the top end talent was not considered to be generational but we have that this year with Dahlin. He's on a different level entirely from the Yakupov's, Reinhart's of the world.

Hughes has the ability to be great. But as of right now, he's not on the same playing field. He has time to get there though.
 
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Yotes4Cup

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Dec 1, 2017
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Like hell he is thin. He is 180lbs. on a 5,10 frame. he is not thin. An average weight for someone his size is around 165. The kid is strong for his size. People really need to watch this kid play.
He is thin and has a small frame. Genetically he will never be big. He will never be a powerful Chara-lite D-man but he doesn't need to be to carve out a solid career in the NHL.
 

Sheik Yerbouti

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Sep 12, 2008
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Who is a safer bet to become at least a future top 4 NHL D-man?

Quinn Hughes or Noah Dobson?

I'd say Hughes by a c hair. Dobson is a slightlier raw talent. Hughes already has absolutely world class skating which pretty much guarantees him a spot in almost any NHL teams top 4 once he matures. Dobson has all the tools so I'd say he is almost guaranteed to be a top 4 NHL defenseman but not as safe of a bet as Hughes.
 

Elias Pettersson

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Jan 22, 2014
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I'd say Hughes by a c hair. Dobson is a slightlier raw talent. Hughes already has absolutely world class skating which pretty much guarantees him a spot in almost any NHL teams top 4 once he matures. Dobson has all the tools so I'd say he is almost guaranteed to be a top 4 NHL defenseman but not as safe of a bet as Hughes.
Dobson much safer bet to be top 4
 

docbenton

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Dec 6, 2014
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Dobson much safer bet to be top 4

This is clearly not true to me. Hughes can play top 4 in the NHL right now. Dobson cannot. He's never played against the level of competition Hughes has defended effectively against. So the risk lies with the guy who still needs to develop to get there. Doesn't matter if he's big; he's not ready. If he simply stops developing he will never play top 4 in the NHL because he's not good enough right now, especially defensively. People who think Dobson is better than Hughes defensively are projecting.
 

Love

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Feb 29, 2012
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He is thin and has a small frame. Genetically he will never be big. He will never be a powerful Chara-lite D-man but he doesn't need to be to carve out a solid career in the NHL.

This is a hot take.
 

Agent Zub

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Jan 2, 2015
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Dobson much safer bet to be top 4

Hughes already has elite level puck skills, poise and skating. Just because of those attributes he's a shoe in on becoming a top 4.

Dobson doesn't have the raw talent that Hughes. He could be another Gormley. Hughes on the other hand will at worse be a top 4 pp qb.
 

Elias Pettersson

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Jan 22, 2014
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This is clearly not true to me. Hughes can play top 4 in the NHL right now. Dobson cannot. He's never played against the level of competition Hughes has defended effectively against. So the risk lies with the guy who still needs to develop to get there. Doesn't matter if he's big; he's not ready. If he simply stops developing he will never play top 4 in the NHL because he's not good enough right now, especially defensively. People who think Dobson is better than Hughes defensively are projecting.
Dobson is definitely better defensively right now. He's the all around defenceman. How do you know he's not ready for NHL?
I think he's the safest pick to be at least a decent NHL defencemen of all the non-dahlin D prospects. He has no weaknesses at all in his game and looks like Alex Pietrangelo projection.
 
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nowhereman

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Jan 24, 2010
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Dobson much safer bet to be top 4
Hughes just played in the World Championships against men, as an 18 year old. Hughes is the safer bet to be top 4 but, yes, Dobson's size makes it more likely that he could be an all-around #1D. That said, I'm not sure if it's likely Dobson reaches that ceiling. I'd rather have Hughes.
 

docbenton

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Dec 6, 2014
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Dobson is definitely better defensively right now. He's the all around defenceman. How do you know he's not ready for NHL?
I think he's the safest pick to be at least a decent NHL defencemen of all the non-dahlin D prospects. He has no weaknesses at all in his game and looks like Alex Pietrangelo projection.

Because he still has things to learn against junior players and more importantly doesn't play at an NHL pace. Go back and watch the Memorial Cup games, he made some awful plays defensively and was directly responsible for several goals against. Doesn't mean he isn't a wonderful prospect despite the current lack of ability, but he's not ready.

Hughes has problems too, but they are more about reining in the aggressive positioning. He plays with pace and has a better, quicker understanding of the game, including without the puck.
 

teravaineSAROS

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Jul 29, 2015
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His legs are thick. Upper body, not so much.

Are they thick thick or thick in proportion to his small frame?

I tried to find out how wide his shoulders are to get an idea of how much mass he can add, but it's hard to find a good picture that isn't 1-2 years old. This was the best I could find.

screenshot_2018-06-23_09.59.44.jpg



Obviously he'll be fine, just being curious about his ceiling
 

danyhabsfan

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Feb 12, 2007
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To me his play is a lot like Karlsson. Always looking to join the rush as the 4th player or with the puck.

It's tough to defend.
 

nucksflailtogether

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Oct 15, 2017
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What a sad complex our fanbase has. I guess Gaudette didn't bolt so now we have to pick on this kid. Right after the canucks picked him, half of the radio callers on our local sports show were already claiming he was going to ditch the team.
 
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