No. 3 – Quinn Hughes (LD) (Michigan Wolverines, NCAA)
Quinn Hughes did what he did best again this weekend, picking up a pair of assists in as many games for Michigan. The Wolverines played Wisconsin twice and despite Michigan’s insane offensive potential, they tied both games, 1-1 and 2-2.
The two teams play in the Big 10 division and this weekend was their B1G series. In game one, the Wolveries took the the game in overtime, but the NCAA only counts the stats in through the first overtime, played at 5-on-5. A second overtime that is 3-on-3 is played for that second divisional point. Fortunately, the Wolverines Twitter account had game highlights. To watch what Hughes and Josh Norris did in the second overtime, start watching from 1:20.
The fun did not end there in the second game of the series. Down 2-0, Hughes takes the puck in at speed and stops on a dime. In a split second, he threads the needle to find his teammate and cut Wisconsin’s lead in half. The Canucks need this on the back end ASAP.
https://twitter.com/umichhockey/status/1066511090480222210
That pass was incredible. Even if it was a little tipped, the puck made it’s way over and Hughes did this in transition after entering the zone. He has so much poise and control. I can’t wait to see him in a Canucks jersey, whether it’s at the end of this season or the start of next year. Hughes has 15 points in 13 games, which is tied for fourth among all NCAA defencemen. Notable names ahead of him are older players Cale Makar and Adam Fox. That’s good company to have up there.