Quinn Hughes breaks Brian Leetch’s record for fewest NHL games to 200 assists

Vancouver Canucks defenceman Quinn Hughes reached an impressive career milestone during Saturday’s 4–1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs at Rogers Arena.

The 23-year-old rearguard racked up a pair of assists in the win to reach 200 in his National Hockey League career, narrowly breaking Brian Leetch’s long-standing record for the fewest games required to accumulate 200 assists in the NHL.

Hughes now has 200 assists (and 224 points) in 263 career games with the Canucks, who drafted him with the No. 7 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft. It took Leetch 264 games to reach that threshold with the New York Rangers in the high-flying 1980s and 1990s.

Cale Makar, to whom Hughes has been endlessly compared since they both entered the league in 2019–20, needs 32 assists in his next 38 games to tie the new record.

Hughes memorably fell to the Canucks at the seventh spot in 2018 after the Arizona Coyotes and Detroit Red Wings both passed on selecting him in favour of taking forwards. Both teams have come to regret that decision: Hughes leads the entire draft class in assists and is third in points, behind only Andrei Svechnikov and Brady Tkachuk.

Unfortunately, the Canucks haven’t been able to put Hughes’ talents to great use this season. Vancouver currently ranks 27th in the NHL with a 25–32–5 record and a .444 points percentage through 62 games. It appears they’ll miss the playoffs for the third consecutive year — and with their third different head coach during that span.

Hughes and the Canucks will return to action at 7:30 p.m. PT on Monday to play host to the Nashville Predators at Rogers Arena. You’ll be able to catch that game on Sportsnet Pacific in the Canucks’ broadcast region.