Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet has high praise for captain Quinn Hughes

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Cooper Godin
October 10, 2024 (3:19 PM)

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Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet had high praise for captain Quinn Hughes on Wednesday morning.

Before Vancouver's opening night game against the Calgary Flames, Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet was a guest on Halford and Brough where he gave his thoughts on the team heading into the new campaign and had some high praise for his captain, Quinn Hughes.

Tocchet said that he's really luck to have Quinn Hughes part of the team and as their captain. He added that Hughes was in a very tough position last season with being just 24-years-old and captain in a Canadian market, but he thrived off that pressure and not only helped the Canucks make the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2020, also took home his first Norris Trophy.

"I'm lucky to have the guy. I took the job a year and a half ago; the guy's played great hockey for me. He's a Norris trophy winner. What he's done for me to help my career, I owe him a lot. Saying that, I think he knows going into this season, obviously the playoffs is the goal. And I think he learned a lot in the playoffs. I give him a lot of credit. He did a hell of a job as a captain of this team. That's a tough position to put a kid who's 24, he's the captain, the pressure. He took that pressure and ran with it. Very lucky to have him as my captain."

Many are curious what Quinn Hughes has in store for the 2024-25 campaign after registering 92 points in 82 regular season games last year, following that up with ten assists in 13 playoff games.

Hughes got off to a great start last night in the Canucks' season opener, registering two assists, but the team fell to the Calgary Flames in overtime by a score of 6-5.

Everyone knows what Quinn Hughes is capable of doing as he's one of the best defencemen in the entire National Hockey League. Could this be the year he becomes the seventh defenceman in NHL history to reach the 100-point mark? Only time will tell.