Vancouver Canucks defenceman Quinn Hughes named NHL’s first star of the week
8 months ago
Every Monday, the National Hockey League puts out its picks for the three stars of the week. Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes has been recognized for his herculean efforts of late, picking up first star of the week honours.
Hughes currently leads all NHL defenceman in points with 16, and tallied eight of those points over the Canucks’ past three games. Here’s what the NHL put in their release:
“Hughes led the NHL with seven assists and eight points in three games (1-7—8) to propel the Canucks (8-2-1, 17 points) to a perfect week as they extended their point streak to seven contests dating to Oct. 21 (6-0-1). Hughes registered his 14th career three-assist performance – and second of the season (also Oct. 11 vs. EDM: 0-3—3) – in a 5-2 victory against the Nashville Predators Oct. 31. He then collected 1-4—5 in a 10-1 triumph over the San Jose Sharks Nov. 2 to help Vancouver post its eighth double-digit goal total in franchise history and first since March 1, 1992 vs. CGY (11-0 W). In doing so, Hughes joined Jeff Brown (0-5—5 on Feb. 20, 1995 vs. LAK) as the second defenseman in Canucks history to record a five-point game and became the first blueliner from any team with such a performance since Jan. 7, 2023 (Rasmus Dahlin: 2-3—5 w/ BUF). He finished the week with 25:23 of ice time and a +1 rating in a 2-0 win versus the Dallas Stars Nov. 4. The 24-year-old Hughes, the seventh overall pick from the 2018 NHL Draft, paces defensemen with 4-12—16 and leads the entire League (forwards and blueliners) with a +14 rating through 11 total appearances this season. Only 10 defensemen in NHL history have accumulated more points than Hughes (30-227—257) through their first 294 career games, a list topped by Bobby Orr (96-233—329).”
Joining Hughes on the list are LA Kings goaltender Cam Talbot, and Anaheim Ducks forward Mason McTavish. Talbot made three starts this past week, winning each contest en route to a .967 save percentage and one shutout. McTavish tallied three goals and two assists in five outings, including an electrifying game-winning shorthanded goal with 12.8 seconds remaining in regulation, in a 4-3 victory against the Pittsburgh Penguins on October 30th.
Hughes has been a key driver in the Canucks’ hot start to the season, as the era of Canucks hockey with him as captain couldn’t have gotten off to a better start. As of this morning, the Canucks have the third-best record in the entire NHL, the second-best record in both the Western Conference, and the Pacific Division.
Recent articles from David Quadrelli
