LD Quinton Hughes - U of Michigan, Big Ten (2018, 7th, VAN)

[VanJack]

An 18 year player who puts almost a ppg in the NCAA in his draft year and then plays at the WHC against men 10 years older and earns regular ice time, is just mind-boggling....even Rasmus Dahlin wasn't able to do that in his draft year.

 

[Love]

An 18 year player who puts almost a ppg in the NCAA in his draft year and then plays at the WHC against men 10 years older and earns regular ice time, is just mind-boggling....even Rasmus Dahlin wasn't able to do that in his draft year.

Hughes had a great year but cmon .78 PPG isn’t “almost PPG”

 

[forty47seven]

An 18 year player who puts almost a ppg in the NCAA in his draft year and then plays at the WHC against men 10 years older and earns regular ice time, is just mind-boggling....even Rasmus Dahlin wasn't able to do that in his draft year.

Hughes had a great year but cmon .78 PPG isn’t “almost PPG”

He didn't get "regular" ice time at the Worlds either. His ice time was all over the map and he was routinely benched in the third period. I'm not going to dig up the stats right now but he was under 10 mins in 3 or 4 out of the 10 games. Strong skating, strong forechecking teams like Latvia and Germany gave him trouble. He got his most ice time in games against South Korea, Norway and Denmark. The only time he cracked 20 mins was against South Korea.

 

[dellzor]

God, I hope he drops to us at #7.

bang

 

[GetFocht]

Hughes had a great year but cmon .78 PPG isn’t “almost PPG”

There was an adjustment period at the beginning of the season but as as soon as he got comfortable he put up 16 points in 15 games as the youngest player in the NCAA. He had a more productive season than Makar and Werenski.

 

[GetFocht]

He didn't get "regular" ice time at the Worlds either. His ice time was all over the map and he was routinely benched in the third period. I'm not going to dig up the stats right now but he was under 10 mins in 3 or 4 out of the 10 games. Strong skating, strong forechecking teams like Latvia and Germany gave him trouble. He got his most ice time in games against South Korea, Norway and Denmark. The only time he cracked 20 mins was against South Korea.

Regardless, the fact that he played in WC at his age is quite an accomplishment, also led the tournament in passing efficiency.

 

[forty47seven]

Regardless, the fact that he played in WC at his age is quite an accomplishment, also led the tournament in passing efficiency.

It's a huge accomplishment. He won two bronze medals for Team USA last year. But let's not exaggerate his role and pretend like his contributions were as "regular" or significant as Butcher, McAvoy, Martinez and Murphy. He was the 7th defenseman behind Pionk and Jensen most nights.

Who cares about pass efficiency? He beat out Dinar Khafizullin for the honor. It's a meaningless stat.

 

[lawrence]

for once the Canuck community does not have a consensus "we should have drafted this guy instead" threads or arguments or posts in the Hughes topic. It's everything is pretty much in love with this pick with the exception of a few guys mentioning we should have taken Dobson.

he's going to provide offensive zone ice time, like what Ehrhoff did with the Sedins.

 

[thelittlecoon]

Want this guy so bad

Heck ya

 

[Favster]

Habs fan here. Super jealous, he's the guy I wanted at 3. People severely underestimate his defensive play and lack of size. He's basically untouchable on the ice, he's just too fast and smart. Congrats to Canucks fans, he's going to be a very special player for many many years.

 

[D0ctorCool]

I just finished binge-watching watching 6 of Hughes’ NCAA games, and he is a human hilight reel. I had no idea he was this good as I purposely avoided watching him as I didn’t think he’d be available at 7.

Every time he’s on the ice something crazy happens. I’ve never seen anything like it before.

 

[cg98]

An 18 year player who puts almost a ppg in the NCAA in his draft year and then plays at the WHC against men 10 years older and earns regular ice time, is just mind-boggling....even Rasmus Dahlin wasn't able to do that in his draft year.

Can't tell if you're being serious or a troll. Either way, stahp.

 

[ProspectsFanatic]

I just finished binge-watching watching 6 of Hughes’ NCAA games, and he is a human hilight reel. I had no idea he was this good as I purposely avoided watching him as I didn’t think he’d be available at 7.

Every time he’s on the ice something crazy happens. I’ve never seen anything like it before.

Yeah, I don't think there is any comparable for Hughes, like Gaudreau when he got drafted. The way he can control the play is unique, because his combination of speed/IQ/puck skill bring his game to another level. People may have look too much into how is size may affect his Dgame (myself included). One thing for sure, you got an extremely exciting player to watch.

 

[SnowblindNYR]

How does he compare to Karlsson at 18? Seems like a lot of what people are saying about him sounds like a Karlsson type player.

 

[GetFocht]

How does he compare to Karlsson at 18? Seems like a lot of what people are saying about him sounds like a Karlsson type player.

If you watch highlight reels of Karlsson and Hughes, they look identical in terms of style. They both control the game from the back end and the play flows through them. I think Hughes will be Duncan Keith 2.0

 

[Filthy Dangles]

How does he compare to Karlsson at 18? Seems like a lot of what people are saying about him sounds like a Karlsson type player.

just like every offensive minded D prospect who can skate and carry the puck.

And people need to chill when saying things like 'Duncan Keith 2.0' which is unrealistic expectation. Definitely a good prospect, we'll see what turns into.

 

[krutovsdonut]

He didn't get "regular" ice time at the Worlds either. His ice time was all over the map and he was routinely benched in the third period. I'm not going to dig up the stats right now but he was under 10 mins in 3 or 4 out of the 10 games. Strong skating, strong forechecking teams like Latvia and Germany gave him trouble. He got his most ice time in games against South Korea, Norway and Denmark. The only time he cracked 20 mins was against South Korea.

13;11 minutes against canada
11:30 against denmark
7:35 against germany
6:49 against latvia
22:46 against korea
14:34 against norway
14:48 against finland
7:31 against czechs
11:55 against sweden

 

[D0ctorCool]

just like every offensive minded D prospect who can skate and carry the puck.

And people need to chill when saying things like 'Duncan Keith 2.0' which is unrealistic expectation. Definitely a good prospect, we'll see what turns into.

Can you list some other defencemen that look like Hughes’ out there when watching their draft year footage? I’m genuinely curious as I haven’t seen anyone with his skill set.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

First thing I thought when The Canucks drafted Hughes. Boeser is going to love to be on the receiving end of Hughes passes on the PP.

 

[GetFocht]

Canucks PP is going to be deadly.

Hughes as the QB, Boeser/Pettersson on the wings, and Horvat in front of the net.

 

[IslesBro715]

The way he rushes the puck reminds me of Nick Leddy. Nucks got a real gem witht this pick.

 

[Canucks LB]

Canucks PP is going to be deadly.

Hughes as the QB, Boeser/Pettersson on the wings, and Horvat in front of the net.

I can't even imagine how happy it's going to be as a Canucks fan watching Hughes set up Elias and Boeser on the PP.

Both are stupidly good shots.

 

[McFlyingV]

People maybe going a little overboard in here, but who cares this kid is exceptional. Hughes is the best skater in this draft and its not close. Yes, he'll need to work on his shot and his ability to win puck battles against bigger faster forecheckers, and he will likely never be great at defending the front of the net, but his offensive tools are dynamic and I really don't think he'll be a liability at the next level defensively. He's a much better prospect than Juolevi imo and Canucks fans should be excited about his potential. He's going to be a great weapon on the power play with guys like Horvat, Boeser, and Pettersson, and he's going to be great at leading the rush. I can't emphasize enough how impressive his skating is.

 

[Artorius Horus T]

People maybe going a little overboard in here, but who cares this kid is exceptional. Hughes is the best skater in this draft and its not close. Yes, he'll need to work on his shot and his ability to win puck battles against bigger faster forecheckers, and he will likely never be great at defending the front of the net, but his offensive tools are dynamic and I really don't think he'll be a liability at the next level defensively. He's a much better prospect than Juolevi imo and Canucks fans should be excited about his potential. He's going to be a great weapon on the power play with guys like Horvat, Boeser, and Pettersson, and he's going to be great at leading the rush. I can't emphasize enough how impressive his skating is.

Nope, people have been overboarding with Dahlin this past 12 months, that's why it seems that we are

I actually disagree you with on this, but that's your opinion and i respect that.

He is already quite fine what comes to defending (in all areas), sure he is not great on d-zone, but
he doesn't need to be great at the moment (18), nor ever for that matter, he is not a defensive d-man,
his shot?...nothing wrong with his shot thou, where do you get this info from that he needs to work on his shot?

Otherwise, i agree with you.

 

[McFlyingV]

Nope, people have been overboarding with Dahlin this past 12 months, that's why it seems that we are

I actually disagree you with on this, but that's your opinion and i respect that.

He is already quite fine what comes to defending (in all areas), sure he is not great on d-zone, but
he doesn't need to be great at the moment (18), nor ever for that matter, he is not a defensive d-man,
his shot?...nothing wrong with his shot thou, where do you get this info from that he needs to work on his shot?

Otherwise, i agree with you.

Most prospects have areas to work on. His defending is fine I agree, and I alluded to that in my post. Its still one of his weaker areas however, when it comes to dealing with a fast and physical forecheck, and at his size he absolutely will have some issues especially early on trying to clear traffic and battle for loose pucks in front of the net. He's good at defending with his stick and skating, and he's very elusive exiting the zone so I'm certainly not saying that his defensive game is a liability.

His shot is ok. Its not elite, but passable due to his exceptional skating, hands and vision. Its an area that if he does improve he could be an absolutely premier offensive D in the NHL.

There's always holes worth discussing with most prospects. That shouldn't be taken as me criticizing him because I am in love with his skating and puck moving. Its just something worth talking about that could help him to become an elite Dman at the NHL level.