The top player on the Vancouver Canucks roster is the fastest man in the league.
According to a statistics report by NHL EDGE, team captain Quinn Hughes has clocked a max skating speed of 24.56 miles per hour, the fastest burst of any player in the league this season.
Hughes hit the electrifying speed in Saturday night’s game against the New York Rangers, which saw the Canucks ended up losing by a final score of 5-3.
The report came out as the Canucks are queued to face the New Jersey Devils and Quinn’s younger brother Luke on Monday night.
Per NHL EDGE, Quinn’s top speed is the fastest speed by a blueliner in the puck and player tracking era, which began with the 2021-22 season. the 25-year-old is the second-fastest of any player recorded, trailing former Dallas Stars forward Denis Guricanov, who was clocked going 24.60 mph in a game against the Boston Bruins on Oct. 16, 2021.
Hughes has been marked at skating faster than 22 mph five times this year, placing him in the 95th percentile among defensemen. NHL EDGE’s stats show that Hughes has traveled 209.41 miles, up in the 88th percentile among players at his position. This, despite the former Michigan Wolverine having missed 14 games this season due to injury. He’s averaged 25:25 of ice time this season, placing him third in the NHL behind defensemen Zach Werenski (27:00) of the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Colorado Avalanche’s Cale Makar (25:39).
So far this season, Hughes has scored 16 goals and 51 assists for 67 points, leading the team in scoring. He has a plus/minus of +9 thus far and is currently on a six-game point streak.
The Orlando, Florida native has been Vancouver’s No. 1 defender for the past few seasons and has been a key contributor to the team’s success. In 421 NHL appearances, Hughes has scored 59 goals and 341 assists for 400 points, including a career-high 92 points last season.
The Canucks (32-26-12) are fifth in the Pacific Divison, four points back of the last Wild Card spot in the Western Conference.