Hughes 'playing the best I've played in my career' for Canucks ahead of 4 Nations

Quinn Hughes, the reigning Norris Trophy winner, has taken his game to another level and is trying to drag the Vancouver Canucks with him.

Hughes is making a strong case to win his second straight award given to the best defenseman in the NHL. He leads the Canucks into Enterprise Center to face the St. Louis Blues on Monday (7:30 p.m. ET; FDSNMW, Prime) off a two-goal performance in a 2-1 win against the Washington Capitals at Rogers Arena on Saturday.

"I think I'm playing the best I've played in my career," Hughes said afterwards. "In saying that, it's a really hard league, it's a humbling league, so for me, I'm just really trying to refocus every single day; try to keep my body healthy, be at my best, be a good leader and see where that goes."

Selected by Vancouver with the No. 7 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, Hughes did not take long to showcase his star potential. He had 53 points (eight goals, 45 assists) in 68 games as a rookie in 2019-20 and was named a finalist for the Calder Trophy, won by Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar.

This season, Hughes has 54 points (14 goals, 40 assists) in 44 games while averaging 25:23 of ice time. Only defensemen Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets (26:47), Mikhail Sergachev of the Utah Hockey Club (25:45) and Makar (25:42), play more on a nightly basis.

"If you talk about his consistency, he does it every night," Canucks coach Rick Tocchet said. "Very rarely does he have an off night and when he gets that puck he's going north, he's either skating it or he's making a play north. There's no indecision in his game. He takes it upon himself, and he almost wants to carry the team on his back. We have to be careful of that because he can't do it alone. He has that mentality."

Hughes has taken it upon himself to get Vancouver back in the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season. The Canucks have struggled with consistency, but Hughes has helped keep them in the postseason hunt. Vancouver (21-17-10) and St. Louis (23-23-4) are chasing the second wild card into the playoffs from the Western Conference.

"There are so many things that he does, the way he moves at the blue line," Canucks defenseman Vincent Desharnais said. "It's funny, you want to learn from him, but I don't have that in my bag even though I'm trying to learn.

"He's such a unique player. For two years (with the Edmonton Oilers) I saw Connor (McDavid) and Leon (Draisaitl) do their thing and you get here, and you have Quinn, who is a different type of player, but just bringing so much offense. He brings so much to every shift he's on the ice. He's creating something. I find myself pretty fortunate to be here."

A native of Orlando, Florida, Hughes played for the University of Michigan. He is in his sixth full season with the Canucks, won the 2024 Norris Trophy with 92 points (17 goals, 75 assists) in 82 games and is on pace for similar totals this season.

"I think everyone sees him in the offensive zone kind of just dancing around out there, but just his hockey IQ in general is so good, he's going to certain spots for certain reasons," Canucks forward Jake DeBrusk said. "I think he's really good at reading players' body positioning when he attacks and things like that.

"For me, just kind of how he controls the game is the most impressive part. Usually, we see forwards do that most of the time, but he is obviously the guy who handles the puck the most when he's on the ice. I don't know what his possession time is, but it feels like it's better in his hands."

Hughes drives the Canucks offense from the back end. His speed and puck-handling abilities have defenders backing off when he carries the puck into the zone.

In the win against the Capitals, Hughes scored the opening goal at 12:23 of the first period, taking a pass inside the Washington blue line, moving the puck into the high slot and firing a backhand shot past goalie Charlie Lindgren. He scored again 1:24 into the second on a wrist-shot through traffic from the point after drifting across the blue line with the puck.

"When he gets it, he attacks the inside," Tocchet said. "You can call him small or whatever, but he's not scared to go to the interior. That's how you score goals. He gets it, and that's how he scored those two goals, He goes right to the interior, right to the inside.

"He goes right to the interior. That first goal was incredible. If he doesn't go to the interior, he doesn't score the goal. I give him a lot of credit. That's a big team, so if you go in there are a lot of white jerseys (Capitals) in the middle and he's not scared of that. That's what I love about the kid."

Along with trying to lift Vancouver into the playoffs, Hughes will play a big part for the United States at the 4-Nations Face-Off from Feb. 12-20 at Bell Centre in Montreal and TD Garden in Boston. The 25-year-old will join his younger brother, 23-year-old New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes.

"The way he trains and his mindset, his days off, the way he works his body, everything is about trying to make himself better, so I have a lot of respect for that kid," Tocchet said. "I hope it translates; you want to do that. You can look at a guy like McDavid with Edmonton, he inspires a lot of teammates. You need the players to inspire each other, and Hughes does that."

Hughes, named the 15th captain in Canucks history Sept. 11, 2023, is considered a quiet leader who lets his game do the talking.

"He's not the most vocal, although he's starting to take a bigger role in the locker room, which is great to see," Desharnais said. "When he says something, when he stands up and says something, guys listen to him. His work ethic, every shift, he wants to win so bad. He wants to win every single game, and I think he's been doing great and he's just getting better every game, every week at just leading. He's just so young, but it's great to see how he's growing."

NHL.com independent correspondent Kevin Woodley contributed to this report