Quinn Hughes set another Vancouver Canucks record today and he crushed the previous mark which was held by Alex Edler.
Hughes now leads the franchise in all-time assists by a defenceman after picking up a helper in the second period of today’s game against the Detroit Red Wings.
It was the 311th assist of Hughes’ career in just his 388th game. Edler needed more than double the number of games, 925 to be exact, to collect his 310 assists.
While Edler earned the record through his impressive longevity, Hughes has done so with incredible speed. The left-handed player reached the mark in 537 fewer games than Edler, an absolute incredible margin.
Quinn Hughes sets the new #Canucks all-time assists record by a defenceman.
He did it in 537 fewer games than Alex Edler.
— Rob Williams (@RobTheHockeyGuy) December 1, 2024
Hughes added to his record-breaking total less than a minute later when he picked up another assist for the 312th of his career. The 25-year-old has been rewriting the Canucks record books ever since first putting on the team’s jersey and he’s setting a new standard across all the defence stats in team history.
The record-breaking play fittingly came against the Red Wings, the organization that passed on Hughes back in the 2018 NHL draft.
ASSIST NO. 311 FOR QUINN HUGHES 👏
The Canucks’ all-time leader in assists for defencemen. pic.twitter.com/nZnVuwCVVS
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 1, 2024
The American is widely regarded as the most talented defenceman to ever put on the Canucks sweater. He won the first Norris Trophy in team history last year and is playing at an even higher level this year. He’s a leading candidate to repeat for the award.
The Canucks honoured Edler earlier this year after they signed him to a one-day contract so he could retire as a member of the organization. The Swedish defenceman last played in the NHL back in the 2022-23 season with the Los Angeles Kings.