When the Vancouver Canucks drafted him seventh overall in 2018, the club never thought they would get the level of play they would out of superstar defenceman Quinn Hughes. And he further etched himself in not only Canuck history but league history on Tuesday night against the Anaheim Ducks as he registered his third assist of the night and became the third fastest NHL defenceman to reach 300 assists.

At first, it wasn’t confirmed as it was believed Hughes had scored the third Canuck goal of the game. But it was later awarded to Elias Pettersson, making his secondary assist on Jake DeBrusk’s goal in the third period his 300th in his career in his 376th game. The broadcast later showed a graphic showing where Hughes ranks among defenceman in how many games to reach 300 assists in NHL history: Third behind Bobby Orr (346) and Brian Leetch (368), and one ahead of Paul Coffey (377) and Gary Suter (400).

The star defenceman met with Sportsnet’s Dan Murphy after the game in Anaheim to discuss this impressive milestone:

“I’m obviously very fortunate,” Hughes shared. “It’s been very fun playing here in Vancouver. I’ve made a lot of great friendships, and I’m glad Petey [Elias Pettersson] got that [goal]. That doesn’t go in if he isn’t standing in front; it was a great screen. I just feel very fortunate and lucky to have had the great teammates I’ve had, and it’s been a fun six years, and hopefully to many more.”

At just 25 years old, it’s only a matter of time before Hughes earns the number one spot in franchise history in assists for a defenceman. With three assists tonight, bringing his mark to 300, he only trails recently retired Canuck Alex Edler by 10 assists. And eventually, he will surpass Edler in total points, potentially even this season, needing 65 more points to reach the feat.

The Canucks captain will look to continue to add to those totals on Thursday when they take on the Los Angeles Kings, for which he has one goal, and 13 assists in 15 games.