Quinn Hughes may go down as the best defenseman to ever play for the Vancouver Cancucks one day and he reached yet another major milestone in his career this week, with his 300th assist.
Hughes Reaches 300 Assists
Quinn Hughes reached his 300th assist in the NHL on Tuesday afternoon during a 5-1 win for the Canucks over Anaheim.
His assist came in just 376 games, making Hughes the fastest player in Canucks history to ever reach the milestone. Hughes also became the third-fastest defenseman in NHL history to reach 300, behind only Bobby Orr and Brian Leetch.
Quinn Hughes reached the mark in 376 games, trailing only Bobby Orr (346 games) and Brian Leetch (368 games). 👏 pic.twitter.com/DEQqgUvkVS
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) November 6, 2024
Speaking after the game, Hughes was quick to thank his teammates and the Vancouver staff, before crediting teammate Elias Pettersson who scored the milestone goal.
“I’m obviously very fortunate, it’s been a lot of fun playing here in Vancouver. I’ve made a lot of great friendships and I’ve played with a lot of great players.
“There are a lot of people that have contributed to that and I’m glad Petey [Elias Pettersson] got that [goal] because that doesn’t go in without him standing in front, it was a great screen.”
Hughes reiterated that his assists are only made possibly by his teammates on the ice, in what was a humble postgame interview from an extremely special player.
“I just feel very fortunate. I’m lucky to have had the great teammates I’ve had. It’s been a fun six years, and hopefully (there’s) many more (to come).”
Fastest defencemen to 300 career assists, NHL history
Bobby Orr (346 games)
Brian Leetch (368 games)#Canucks Quinn Hughes (376 games)
Paul Coffey (377 games) pic.twitter.com/qzn1IV7sD5— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) November 6, 2024
The Canucks have started this season flying with a 6-2-3 record and their win against the Ducks on Tuesday marked back to back victories in the league.
Vancouver face the Los Angeles Kings next on Thursday night in a test that will really challenge them, as the Kings have already won eight games this year in a quick start.