Vancouver Canucks fans will be treated to watching Quinn Hughes compete for Team USA at the World Juniors this Holiday season, but all I want for Christmas is to see Quinn Hughes don a Canucks sweater before season’s end.
On March 25th 2017, Brock Boeser signed an entry-level contract with the Vancouver Canucks after his University of North Dakota team was eliminated from the playoffs just a day before.
Making his NHL debut in his hometown of Minnesota where the Canucks faced the Wild, the young phenom scored in his very first NHL game. Boeser went on to play the remaining eight games of the 2016-17 season, tallying four goals and one assist in the process.
Almost exactly a year later, on March 26th, the Canucks signed Adam Gaudette to a deal almost identical to Boeser’s entry-level contract. Fans were excited to watch the debut of Gaudette, who had just wrapped up an extremely successful season with Northeastern University, that saw him tally 30 goals and 30 assists in just 38 games played. A season good enough for Gaudette to be nominated for the Hobey Baker Award, which he’d go on to win.
After seeing these late season debuts from the Canucks’ highly-touted NCAA prospects, many fans immediately looked forward to the debut of Quinn Hughes.
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The smooth-skating defenceman was selected seventh overall at the 2018 NHL entry draft in Dallas, much to the surprise and delight of many fans, as there was a consensus Hughes would never slip to the Canucks at pick number seventh. Hughes decided to go back to Michigan to play another year with the Wolverines.
Hughes has had a good season thus far with the University of Michigan men’s hockey team, tallying three goals and 17 assists in just 20 games played; not at all bad for a defenceman.
All I want for Christmas from the Canucks is for general manager Jim Benning to get a deal done; one that brings Quinn Hughes to the Canucks before the season ends.
Hughes has recently expressed interest in coming to the Canucks after his season at Michigan wraps up. Nothing is set in stone, but Hughes told Sportsnet that he “feels confident in his abilities”, and that “the plan is definitely to sign”.
These are the kind of things Canucks fan love to hear. Our young prospect feels confident in his abilities to play at the NHL level and help this team win. You can’t ask for much more out of a prospect like Hughes.
I, for one, am keeping my fingers crossed that Hughes is able to follow the pattern of Boeser and Gaudette, and make his Canucks’ debut before the season wraps up. I’m just fine with my Christmas wish being fulfilled in late March by Canucks management. Just get Hughes signed please, Mr. Benning.
The future sure looks bright in Vancouver! Fans, what’s your Christmas wish for the Canucks?