Quinn Hughes becomes Canucks’ all-time assists leader by a defenseman

Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes now has his name in the record books.

In picking up a secondary assist on Jake DeBrusk’s second-period marker Sunday versus the Detroit Red Wings, it counted as the 311th career assist for Hughes, a feat that saw him leapfrog former Canucks rearguard Alexander Edler to assume the franchise’s all-time mark for assists by a defenseman.

Hughes, who later added two more assists Sunday, including another secondary helper on DeBrusk’s overtime winner, now stands at 313 career assists. Originally chosen seventh overall by the Canucks in the 2018 NHL Draft, Hughes has spent part of seven seasons in Vancouver in which he has amassed 361 points through 388 career appearances.

Through 23 games this season, Hughes has collected five goals and 23 assists for 28 points, good for top spot in scoring on the Canucks and second-best among all defensemen league wide, behind only Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche, who sits at 32 points.

In all, this season has been a continuation of the 2023-24 campaign for Hughes, a year in which he reached new heights in all major offensive categories including 17 goals, 75 assists, and 92 points coming in 82 games. For his efforts, Hughes was presented with the Norris Trophy as the NHL’s Defenseman of the Year.

Now with 313 career assists, Hughes sits seventh on the Canucks’ all-time list. Next up, Hughes sits only 41 assists back of Swedish-born center Thomas Gradin, who skated in eight seasons with Vancouver from 1978-86. Top spot on the Canucks’ all-time assists leaderboard is held by former captain Henrik Sedin, who amassed 830 helpers through 1,330 career appearances with the club.

A 25-year-old native of Orlando, Fla., Hughes is one of three siblings to suit up in the NHL, whose brothers Jack Hughes, a center, and Luke Hughes, also a defenseman, play for the New Jersey Devils.