Even with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex in attendance, it’s Quinn Hughes who now sits atop the throne. At least for the the NHL.
With a goal and an assist in the Vancouver Canucks’ 3-1 win over the San Jose Sharks on Monday, Hughes became the third defenseman in NHL history to score his 30th point of the season in under games 20 games, the other two being Al MacInnis in 1990-91 and Bobby Orr, who achieved the feat five times in his career.
He also became just the second defenseman in league history to be the first player, regardless of position, to reach 30 points in a season.
It’s been an impressive string of offensive seasons for the Canucks captain. Since his first full campaign in 2019-20, Hughes has been a scoring machine, scoring 33 goals and 236 assists for 269 points in 301 games. Last season, he hit career highs in assists and points with 69 helpers and 76 total points, numbers that he is currently on pace to break.
Hughes, 24, now has eight goals on the season, tying a career high he set in 2021-22 in just 19 games.
Hughes isn’t the only blueliner to be tearing it up on the scoresheet. Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar has four goals and 23 assists for 27 points in just 17 games, and could become the fourth defenseman to reach the 30-points-in-19 games mark.
Makar hit career highs in scoring in 2021-22 with 28 goals and 58 assists for 86 points. He also scored eight goals and 21 assists for 29 points in 20 playoff games to help the Avalanche win the Stanley Cup that season.
The Canucks are one of the biggest surprises in the first quarter of the 2023-24 regular season, with a 13-5-1 record, good for second in the Western Conference’s Pacific Division. They’re hoping to make the playoffs for the first time since 2019-20, when they were eliminated in the second round in seven games by the Vegas Golden Knights.
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