It's award season within the Canucks organization and after announcing the team MVP (Elias Pettersson) and the Most Exciting Player (Andrei Kuzmenko). They've now announced the recipient of the top defenceman award.
It's not a surprise to see Quinn Hughes as the recipient. The 23-year-old has been outstanding in all spheres of the game. While his offensive output has only grown, he's made it a personal mission to improve his defensive game and he's brilliantly fulfilled the task.
''It's been a record-breaking year for Quinn Hughes, earning him our 2022-23 Walter (Babe) Pratt Trophy for «Best Defenceman!''
Hughes broke the record as the fastest defenseman in the NHL to reach 200 career assists, he's establishing a new franchise high for points by a defenseman with an impressive total of 73 with 2 games remaining. Hughes currently slots 2nd for points amongst all defensemen in the league, tied with Dougie Hamilton and behind only Erik Karlsson.
It's been a truly impressive season for the youngster and the Canucks, along with their fans, want to thank the Carolina Hurricanes, the Montreal Canadiens, the Ottawa Senators, the Arizona Coyotes, and the Detroit Red Wings for their different draft selections that ultimately let him slide to the 7th rank.