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Vancouver Canucks: Can Quinn Hughes win next year’s Calder Trophy?

By Oliver Thompson

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VANCOUVER, BC – MARCH 28: Vancouver Canucks Defenceman Quinn Hughes (43) take a lap prior to his 1st NHL game against the Anaheim Ducks at Rogers Arena on March 28, 2019 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Derek Cain/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
VANCOUVER, BC – MARCH 28: Vancouver Canucks Defenceman Quinn Hughes (43) take a lap prior to his 1st NHL game against the Anaheim Ducks at Rogers Arena on March 28, 2019 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Derek Cain/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

After a very impressive five-game showing at the end of the 2018/19 season, Vancouver Canucks fans will be hoping for a Calder Trophy-caliber season from Quinn Hughes as he approaches his rookie season.

There is an ever-present concern of placing lofty expectations on young players in today’s NHL. For every Auston Matthews there is a Nolan Patrick; for every Elias Pettersson, a Casey Mittelstadt. Five games may not be a particularly large sample size, but the performances of Quinn Hughes in his first steps in the NHL with the Vancouver Canucks have us all hoping for a second-successive Calder win next season.

Of course, that assumes that overwhelming favourite Pettersson does indeed win this season’s Calder Trophy – his only other serious challenger, Jordan Binnington, will surely not provide a serious challenge in the scoring due to two factors: lack of games played (just 32), and age (Binnington is 25).

So, could Hughes secure the Calder Trophy next season? We look at the likelihood of a Calder double for the Canucks, and assess who Hughes will have to best to win the accolade.

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