Prospect Info: Quinn Hughes, Pt. IV

[Breakers]

OHHH My God

Michigan finally got some help from their goaltender.
This is their biggest win of the season by far.

 

[clay]

Your shot is something that you can improve by practicing over and over again. It's more mechanics than everything else. If Tanev shot the puck 1000 times each day he would without a doubt he way better. He just doesn't care enough.

Improving it to Ovechkin levels is obviously a different story. Im saying he could go from top 3 worst shot on the team to average by practicing.

Skating is a more dynamic skill that is harder to improve. Edge work, speed, balance, power, transitions, acceleration etc.

Agreed that an average shot is attainable through practice.

 

[Uhmkay]

Looking forward to the Big 10 NCAA tournament. First round starts March 8-10. If Hughes gets eliminated that weekend, the Canucks would still have 13 games left in the regular season. I'm hoping Michigan can win their first round because even if they lose in the second round, the Canucks would have only 10 games remaining, with the first being the next day, which I could see the Canucks saying "Take the day off" and then letting him play out the rest of the season.

First game in that case would be at home vs the Sens.

 

[Blue and Green]

Looking forward to the Big 10 NCAA tournament. First round starts March 8-10. If Hughes gets eliminated that weekend, the Canucks would still have 13 games left in the regular season. I'm hoping Michigan can win their first round because even if they lose in the second round, the Canucks would have only 10 games remaining, with the first being the next day, which I could see the Canucks saying "Take the day off" and then letting him play out the rest of the season.

First game in that case would be at home vs the Sens.

Second-round games are on March 16th. Canucks would still have 11 games left after that day.

 

[topched88]

#JustQuinnHughesThings

A lot more sizzle than substance in the top two plays here. Seem to see that quite a bit in his game.

Take the top clip for example, as he comes around the net you can see the other defender is on the other side of the boards for a reverse, that would be a safe play and likely lead to a controlled breakout.

Instead of making that simple play, he elects to make an (albeit impressive) spinorama to try and beat the guy 1 on 1 200 feet from the opposing goal.

He then looks off the option of going D to D, elects to hang on to the puck instead of giving it to the forward coming across the middle who would have tonnes of ice ahead of him if he had giving him the puck. By waiting, his options diminish and he makes a play to a forward standing still on the blueline, ending up in a turnover.

I think he may be too used to being the best player on the ice. Admittedly, I haven't seen a ton of him. But enough to see that this is somewhat of a trend. I also see lots of people praising his controlled exit numbers which are really good, but he almost always elects to skate out of his zone instead of passing, and often isn't left with the best of options once he gets to the redline. Does anyone have a stat that shows how many of his controlled exits lead to controlled entries? I would find that really interesting to look at.

All in all though, this kid has some incredible tools. As I said above, I think lots of this can be attributed to A.) he can get away with it at this level and B.) hes been the best player on his team probably his whole life.

I think this stuff can be cleaned up pretty easy and I would way rather have it this way than burning another top 10 pick on some guy who seems vanilla and has "safe top 4 upside".

 

[ErrantShepherd]

This is just a re-skinned discussion of posters saying young players with skating issues should just be like Horvat and get better at it. Just replace skating with shooting and Bo with EP40

He's still a young player with lots of room for growth and development though.

It would be ludicrous to suggest a 28 year old player could have massive development in their shot or skating, but its equally ludicrous to suggest an 18 year old player can't improve those areas.

 

[topched88]

He's still a young player with lots of room for growth and development though.

It would be ludicrous to suggest a 28 year old player could have massive development in their shot or skating, but its equally ludicrous to suggest an 18 year old player can't improve those areas.

They were all 18 at one point though.

Having said that, I see your point that obviously an 18 year old has a better chance of seeing improvement than someone who's shine has already come off.

I just think some people assume just because they are young it will happen. Like every other 28 year old who has not ever had a certain attribute never "just had a real good summer of working on _____, like player x did"

 

[Motte and Bailey]

Hughes actually has a decently accurate shot from close range but it’s the mid to long range shots that you need to work on as a defenseman. He’s a very accurate passer so I dont see why he won’t be able too get pucks on net from the point for deflections and rebounds even if they’re not wicked snipes or hard clappers.

 

[F A N]

Ray Ferraro disagrees. Said his game is a ways away from the NHL level. He’s worried about his defending.

Made me confused when I literally heard Ryan Biech say the opposite earlier in the day.

That's the thing with a Dman like Hughes right? It's not going to come down to his ability to "defend" in the traditional sense. It's going to come down to the impact he has on the ice including what happens when he does gain control of the puck, which is what he excels at. Hughes has basically dominated the NCAAs as in one of the best Dmen since the 2nd half of last season. He also performed well at the WC and this past WJC. Based on past performance, it's hard to conclude that he's a ways away from the NHL as he looks like a player whose skills can impact an NHL game. With that said, he's going to need work on his D and Stetcher is probably a good guy to learn from in terms of defending zone entries.

Hughes actually has a decently accurate shot from close range but it’s the mid to long range shots that you need to work on as a defenseman. He’s a very accurate passer so I dont see why he won’t be able too get pucks on net from the point for deflections and rebounds even if they’re not wicked snipes or hard clappers.

Getting pucks to the net is kind of a completely separate skill. With him, I think it comes down to his vision and ability to skate and carry the puck which are exceptional. I'm not worried at all about his ability to get pucks on net with his ability to create space.

 

[groov2]

A lot more sizzle than substance in the top two plays here. Seem to see that quite a bit in his game.

Take the top clip for example, as he comes around the net you can see the other defender is on the other side of the boards for a reverse, that would be a safe play and likely lead to a controlled breakout.

Instead of making that simple play, he elects to make an (albeit impressive) spinorama to try and beat the guy 1 on 1 200 feet from the opposing goal.

He then looks off the option of going D to D, elects to hang on to the puck instead of giving it to the forward coming across the middle who would have tonnes of ice ahead of him if he had giving him the puck. By waiting, his options diminish and he makes a play to a forward standing still on the blueline, ending up in a turnover.

I think he may be too used to being the best player on the ice. Admittedly, I haven't seen a ton of him. But enough to see that this is somewhat of a trend. I also see lots of people praising his controlled exit numbers which are really good, but he almost always elects to skate out of his zone instead of passing, and often isn't left with the best of options once he gets to the redline. Does anyone have a stat that shows how many of his controlled exits lead to controlled entries? I would find that really interesting to look at.

All in all though, this kid has some incredible tools. As I said above, I think lots of this can be attributed to A.) he can get away with it at this level and B.) hes been the best player on his team probably his whole life.

I think this stuff can be cleaned up pretty easy and I would way rather have it this way than burning another top 10 pick on some guy who seems vanilla and has "safe top 4 upside".

On the first clip, that isn’t the other defensman; it’s the ref. He made the right play on that. His player was not skating hard back, so it was his best option to protect the puck the way he did. I agree that the best option would have been to feed it to the forward on the swing, instead of passing it to the blue line.

The best news is that these things are very coachable, and Quinn is a really smart player. We agree that taking a player with this upside is the direction the team should always go with.

 

[Johnny Canucker]

If his slap shot is just tossing muffins on net, he won’t ever be a top 20 defensman. An elite D needs to have at the least a good shot, if not great.

People saying “it can be taught”..... not really. The bio mechanics in his shot is pretty set after 15 years of doing it a certain way. Some players have it, others don’t. If it could be taught, every nhl player would have cannons. With tons of practise maybe you can get 10% to 20% better.

 

[TruKnyte]

If his slap shot is just tossing muffins on net, he won’t ever be a top 20 defensman. An elite D needs to have at the least a good shot, if not great.

People saying “it can be taught”..... not really. The bio mechanics in his shot is pretty set after 15 years of doing it a certain way. Some players have it, others don’t. If it could be taught, every nhl player would have cannons. With tons of practise maybe you can get 10% to 20% better.

Eh, how often do you really see defensemen taking slapshots from the point these days? Usually its the job of the d man to try to move the puck to the wings or go for a tip pass/shoot for a rebound in front. If Hughes can use his mobility to make passing plays and to find shooting lanes I don't think it will be too big of an issue.

 

[boogeybendo]

If his slap shot is just tossing muffins on net, he won’t ever be a top 20 defensman. An elite D needs to have at the least a good shot, if not great.

People saying “it can be taught”..... not really. The bio mechanics in his shot is pretty set after 15 years of doing it a certain way. Some players have it, others don’t. If it could be taught, every nhl player would have cannons. With tons of practise maybe you can get 10% to 20% better.

pretty sure no one shoots the same way at age 5 as they do at age 20... I do agree with your point to a degree, though.

 

[Hodgy]

Hughes actually has a decently accurate shot from close range but it’s the mid to long range shots that you need to work on as a defenseman. He’s a very accurate passer so I dont see why he won’t be able too get pucks on net from the point for deflections and rebounds even if they’re not wicked snipes or hard clappers.

This absolutely wasn't true at the World Juniors where he had several point blank chances and missed the net by a fair bit. Its what is so perplexing to me about his shot. As stated earlier, it isn't just a bad shot from far away, but also up close. He doesn't seem to have a heavy snapshot up close to beat goalies. Again, basing this on the World Juniors.

 

[M2Beezy]

If his slap shot is just tossing muffins on net, he won’t ever be a top 20 defensman. An elite D needs to have at the least a good shot, if not great.

People saying “it can be taught”..... not really. The bio mechanics in his shot is pretty set after 15 years of doing it a certain way. Some players have it, others don’t. If it could be taught, every nhl player would have cannons. With tons of practise maybe you can get 10% to 20% better.

Do other teams fans have guys like this ? IS this a normal thing for EVERY fanbase to have? Just curious and my questions NOT directed only to Johnny boy

 

[GetFocht]

It's extremely impressive that Hughes is leading his team in points as a defenceman. The entire teams offence flows through him.

 

[Billy Kvcmu]

Do other teams fans have guys like this ? IS this a normal thing for EVERY fanbase to have? Just curious and my questions NOT directed only to Johnny boy

Time to change your name to Quinn to Madden

 

[Billy Kvcmu]

A lot more sizzle than substance in the top two plays here. Seem to see that quite a bit in his game.

Take the top clip for example, as he comes around the net you can see the other defender is on the other side of the boards for a reverse, that would be a safe play and likely lead to a controlled breakout.

Instead of making that simple play, he elects to make an (albeit impressive) spinorama to try and beat the guy 1 on 1 200 feet from the opposing goal.

He then looks off the option of going D to D, elects to hang on to the puck instead of giving it to the forward coming across the middle who would have tonnes of ice ahead of him if he had giving him the puck. By waiting, his options diminish and he makes a play to a forward standing still on the blueline, ending up in a turnover.

I think he may be too used to being the best player on the ice. Admittedly, I haven't seen a ton of him. But enough to see that this is somewhat of a trend. I also see lots of people praising his controlled exit numbers which are really good, but he almost always elects to skate out of his zone instead of passing, and often isn't left with the best of options once he gets to the redline. Does anyone have a stat that shows how many of his controlled exits lead to controlled entries? I would find that really interesting to look at.

All in all though, this kid has some incredible tools. As I said above, I think lots of this can be attributed to A.) he can get away with it at this level and B.) hes been the best player on his team probably his whole life.

I think this stuff can be cleaned up pretty easy and I would way rather have it this way than burning another top 10 pick on some guy who seems vanilla and has "safe top 4 upside".

I will take a Dmen that can skate out of his own zone over a Dmen that can pass out of his own zone, 10 out of 10 times

 

[timw33]

I will take a Dmen that can skate out of his own zone over a Dmen that can pass out of his own zone, 10 out of 10 times

Did you read his whole post?


"I think this stuff can be cleaned up pretty easy and I would way rather have it this way than burning another top 10 pick on some guy who seems vanilla and has "safe top 4 upside".

 

[Billy Kvcmu]

Did you read his whole post?


"I think this stuff can be cleaned up pretty easy and I would way rather have it this way than burning another top 10 pick on some guy who seems vanilla and has "safe top 4 upside".

And?
He did say that he think Quinn is used to hang on the puck for extensive time due to him being the best player on his team.

I was replying to that part

 

[Jay Cee]

He does need a better shot, but he moves the puck so well he is still going to be money on the PP even if he doesn't ever get any better.

 

[Pip]

Your shot is something that you can improve by practicing over and over again. It's more mechanics than everything else. If Tanev shot the puck 1000 times each day he would without a doubt he way better. He just doesn't care enough.

Improving it to Ovechkin levels is obviously a different story. Im saying he could go from top 3 worst shot on the team to average by practicing.

Skating is a more dynamic skill that is harder to improve. Edge work, speed, balance, power, transitions, acceleration etc.

Chris Tanev didn’t seem like a guy who doesn’t care about getting better and I assume he knew that his shot sucks so after a quick google search I found this

How Tanev sought to improve his shot this summer by working with Stamkos shooting instructor

 

[Breakers]

It's extremely impressive that Hughes is leading his team in points as a defenceman. The entire teams offence flows through him.

There is quite a few d-man who are leading their team in scoring this year in the NCAA
this is just some.
Fox - Harvard
Fabbro - BU
Hughes - Michigan
Perunovich - UMD

 

[GetFocht]

There is quite a few d-man who are leading their team in scoring this year in the NCAA
this is just some.
Fox - Harvard
Fabbro - BU
Hughes - Michigan
Perunovich - UMD

It's a good year for offensive defenceman. I would consider Hughes more impressive than the others. Hughes is in his second season and Peruonvich is already 20 years old.

 

[M2Beezy]

Michigan has the night OFF no game for Quinny boy Hughes tonight