Quinn Hughes (born 14th October, 1999) is an American ice hockey player who plays as a defenseman in Vancouver Canucks. The young American shoots from the left. He is particularly known for his good puck handling, smart decisions on the ice and creativity. He moves the puck quickly up the ice, so offensively he is a great help for the team. He has one NHL All-Star game played and he was chosen as NHL Rookie of the Month in February 2020.

Minor and junior career

Quinn Hughes was born in Orlando, Florida. Quinn’s father, Jim Hughes is a former hockey player and hockey coach himself. During Quinn’s childhood, the family moved from Orlando to Boston and later to Toronto due to his father’s work. Quinn’s team at Bantam AAA and Minor Midget AAA level was Toronto Marlboros.

In 2015, Hughes joined the USA Hockey National Team Development Program. Sarnia Sting of OHL league had drafted Hughes earlier in OHL draft, but he chose to play in USNTDP instead. In season 2015-16, Hughes played in both US National Development Team and US National U17 Team. Next year 2016-17, he also played for two teams. However, this time another one was US National U18 Team. He scored one point per game on average in Development Team.

For season 2017-18, it was time to move to Michigan Wolverines in the University of Michigan. His debut season was a success, as he scored total of 29 points during the season. Due to his outstanding performances on the ice, Hughes was high in the NHL draft ranking. Thus, Vancouver Canucks picked him during the first round of 2018 NHL Entry Draft. He stayed in Michigan for another successful season and decided not to enter NHL yet. However, he would finish the 2018-19 season in Canucks anyway.

Professional career

In season 2018-19, Hughes played five regular season games for the Canucks, scoring three assisting points. The first full season 2019-20 was a blast – Hughes played 68 regular season games and finished his records with 53 points. This achievement earned him a Calder Memorial Trophy final place. In late summer 2020, Hughes is getting ready for his first play-offs of his professional career. Quinn Hughes will have a bright future in the game of ice hockey.

International career

Hughes has a dual citizenship of the United States and Canada, but he has always played for the US national team. In 2017, Hughes played in the United States U18 team that won gold in the World Championships. In years 2018 and 2019, he played in both U20 World Championship and senior World Championship tournaments. In U20 tournaments, the US team finished third in 2018 and second in 2019. Hughes got a bronze medal in 2018 senior World Championships, when the US team finished third in the tournament.

Other interesting stuff

Several members of the Hughes family have been involved in ice hockey as coaches or players. His mother, Ellen Weinberg-Hughes, was a member of the United States women’s national hockey team.

Hughes has one of the most memorable nicknames in professional ice hockey: he is called Huggy Bear.