Quinn Hughes rewrites franchise history, etching his name alongside NHL legends with a phenomenal January. His assist explosion propels him into rarefied air.
ST. PAUL, Minn. - Another night and another quiet takeover from Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes.
Hughes picked up an assist as part of Minnesota’s three straight goals in regulation, extending his assist streak to six games and continuing a month that has already placed him among elite company league-wide.
His 18 assists in January are not only the most ever by a player in a single month in franchise history but they now rank among the highest totals by a defenseman in any calendar month since 1995-96.
Only Roman Josi, Cale Makar, and Victor Hedman have recorded more assists in a month during that span, placing Hughes alongside names like Miro Heiskanen, Nicklas Lidstrom, Brian Leetch, and Evan Bouchard.
The streak has Hughes one game shy of tying the longest assist run by a defenseman in Wild history, previously set by Jared Spurgeon and Ryan Suter.
Hughes, 26, has one goal and nine assists in his last six games for Minnesota. He has two goals and 24 assists in 22 games with the Wild and ranks first among defensemen in the NHL in assists.
This stretch feels less like a hot month and more like a standard. It seems almost like a guarantee that Hughes will get on the board when the Wild play.
When the Wild needed momentum, the puck seemed to find No. 43, again.
For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com.
