Hughes' mesmerizing skating and masterful passing fuel an historic offensive surge, rewriting Wild franchise records and leaving opponents in his wake.
ST. PAUL, Minn. — What Quinn Hughes is doing through his first 20 games with the Minnesota Wild has moved beyond impressive and into historic territory.
With another three-assist performance, Hughes recorded his fourth three-assist game with the Wild and pushed his totals with the club to 2 goals and 22 assists for 24 points.
His 22 assists are the second-most by a defenseman through his first 20 games with a franchise in NHL history, trailing only Paul Coffey.
“Everyone see this. He’s a great skater and helps so much everywhere, especially when we have puck and he move around," Kirill Kaprizov said on Hughes. "Start attack first, go on offense, give you more space and stuff like that.”
Hughes also became just the second player in league history to post four three-assist games through his first 20 games with a team, joining Dan Daoust.
The numbers tell part of the story. The rest shows up every time Hughes touches the puck.
His skating has become the engine of Minnesota’s transition game, allowing the Wild to escape pressure cleanly and turn defensive-zone recoveries into immediate offense. Hughes consistently draws forecheckers toward him before slipping passes through seams that briefly open as defenders commit.
"Hughes’ mobility and his edgework is what I think separates him, that allows him to be able to make those types of plays and spin out of things," Wild head coach John Hynes said. "And, you know, even when he runs the blue line and kind of spins out and then just his ability to get his body around it, to trigger the puck, it’s pretty impressive."
When lanes aren’t available, Hughes creates them himself. By walking the blue line, changing shooting angles, and forcing penalty killers or defenders to collapse.
That movement has tilted the ice in Minnesota’s favor.
"I mean, I feel like that's kind of my MO, a little bit. I don't know, like, it's things I work on in summer, and it's a work in progress," Hughes said on his skating. "I mean, it's my seventh year in the league, so obviously, continuing to get better and better. But I feel like I've been doing that the last couple years."
The Wild have spent more time attacking with Hughes on the ice, generating sustained offensive-zone possession rather than one-and-done looks.
His presence has also steadied the power play, where his ability to move laterally keeps shooting lanes alive and defenders guessing.
None of it looks rushed. Hughes plays at a pace that feels controlled even when it’s fast, a product of elite edge work and anticipation rather than sheer speed alone.
Through just 20 games, Hughes has already placed himself in rare company. And if his skating continues to dictate games the way it has so far, the history he’s making may only be the beginning.
He also thinks he should be scoring more based on his chances. So watch out when he does because this won't be the end of Hughes stories.
"Sometimes I feel like they've been falling a little bit more in the previous years, where I'm kind of missing a lot of my grade A's right now," Hughes said. "But like we just said with Kirill, you just have to continue to get the chances, and then percentage wise, you know, they'll fall."
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