Kornacki: Hughes Living the Dream as NHL Draft Approaches
6/20/2018 10:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey, Features
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Quinn Hughes is just 18, and may go on to NHL greatness in the seasons ahead of him. But what he has experienced in the past three months is something that will always remain special. The opportunities and accomplishments were so unique that no other college hockey player was along for the entire ride.
Hughes went to the NCAA Frozen Four with his University of Michigan teammates during the first week of April, and spent half of May playing in Denmark as the lone collegiate member on the U.S. bronze medal-winning team in the World Championships. He then had just enough time to unpack and pack again before taking part in the NHL scouting combine in Buffalo, and even turned up at one Stanley Cup Final game.
He has been flying across the continent ever since, meeting with teams interested in drafting a tough, high-scoring, passing-proficient defenseman whom The Sporting News recently projected as the No. 5 overall selection of the Arizona Coyotes. He could be the first American taken in Friday's (June 22) NHL Draft, and is not sure whether or not he will return for his sophomore season with the Wolverines. He said that all remains to be seen.
But one thing is for certain: He is living the wildest dream of every young hockey player.
"A lot of people my age don't get these opportunities," said Hughes. "So, I'm just trying to take advantage of all of it. We met a lot of the Washington Capitals (at Game 3 against Las Vegas) and that was fun for sure. It's been an exciting time. I'm very busy. I haven't been home very much, but there have been a lot of great experiences for sure."
One-of-a-kind hockey analyst Don Cherry, 84, tweeted out a photo of Hughes and several top draft prospects alongside him, and the former coach of two Stanley Cup Finals teams with the Boston Bruins (1977 and 1978) was adorned in his classic wild garb, a knee-length, lime green pinstripe jacket.
"That was pretty funny, huh?" said Hughes. "Still, at the end of the day all that matters is what you do on the ice. A lot of other stuff comes along with it, and it is what it is. But it is just fun being around all of it."
And, on the ice, Hughes has been dynamite.
He scored five goals with 24 assists -- the most by a Michigan freshman defenseman -- for 29 points. For comparison, Zach Werenski, a rising star with the Columbus Blue Jackets, had 25 points with nine goals and 16 assists as a Wolverine freshman in 2014-15.
The Sporting News wrote: "Hughes had an outstanding season as a freshman for Michigan … He's quick, nimble and passes the puck with authority, and his size (5-foot-10, 170 pounds) doesn't prevent him from out-muscling bigger forwards in the corners … Hughes, a dynamic puck rusher with great speed and pro-level vision. He's an automatic breakout who can handle a physical forecheck and create plays for his forwards."
Hughes said, "A lot of people like my game for sure. But at the end of the day, I don't get too involved in all that. There's always room for improvement, and I'm always trying to get better. All the compliments are nice, but there's so much more to be gained."
He credited Michigan head coach Mel Pearson and his staff for taking him up a notch.
"I really got better at everything -- my skills and my stock," said Hughes. "It was definitely an awesome year at Michigan and I valued every minute of it. The thing they helped me with most was I just became a better person because I met so many special people.
"I can't say enough good things about Coach Pearson. He's unbelievable for sure, and is a first-class person and a very, very good coach."
Hughes had four points, including one goal, in a 6-5 win over Wisconsin. He scored a goal against Michigan State while falling down to make No. 3 on the ESPN SportsCenter Top 10 and notched a goal in the 6-3 win over Boston University that sent the Wolverines to the Frozen Four in St. Paul, Minnesota, along with conference foes Notre Dame and Ohio State.
What was the highlight of the season?
"Making it to the Frozen Four was the biggest thing for me," said Hughes. "We were picked to finish sixth in the Big Ten, finished third, and showed people what Michigan is all about. No one gave us any chance at all. Then, there was 'no chance' we'd beat Northeastern (in the NCAA tourney opener), but we walked out with the win."
They also beat Boston University in the regional final before dropping a thriller to the Fighting Irish in the Frozen Four semifinal that ended on a last-second goal.
"I've played a lot of hockey games since that one," said Hughes, "but we were really sad the way that one ended. Still, I tell people that we weren't the most skilled group, but we were so close off the ice, and that really helped us on the ice. I couldn't be prouder of our team.
"We didn't go as far as we wanted, but that's the goal for everyone coming back."
Hughes went on to collect two assists, a plus-2 rating and average 12:13 per game for the U.S. team packed with NHL stars. They beat Canada, 4-1, in the bronze medal game.
Where is his medal?
"I gave it to my dad," said Hughes. "Just playing with those guys and bringing home a medal was very cool. It was a great experience, and I'm really grateful."
Detroit Red Wings forward Dylan Larkin, who roomed with Werenski in a South Quad dorm before leaving for the NHL after his freshman season, was the assistant captain of the U.S. team.
"That was a dream come true, playing with Dylan," said Hughes. "It was awesome because he kind of took me under his wing, and he's such a good person. It'll be great to have a relationship with him for the rest of my life. I learned a lot from him."
Hughes noted that several Larkin-Werenski class members were seniors this season.
"If they'd stayed we'd probably be wearing a ring on our fingers right now," Hughes said of the national championship that would have been difficult to deny a Wolverine team that included them.
Hughes was the youngest player in college hockey last season, and didn't turn 18 until Oct. 14, two weeks after scoring his first Michigan goal against St. Lawrence. Hughes, like Werenski, wasn't 18 in time for the 2017 NHL Draft. But now his time has come, and he is about to learn his fate along with a close friend.
Hughes lived with Boston University forward Brady Tkachuk, and his father, Keith (who scored 538 goals in the NHL from1991-2010), when they played for the U.S. National Team Development Program team in Ann Arbor. They are projected to go 5-6 in the first round by The Sporting News, and will be sitting side-by-side or near one another Friday during the NHL Draft in Dallas.
"I was able to get really close to those guys," Hughes said of the Tkachuks. "It was awesome. Brady and I are really good friends, and they were like a second home for me. We're kind of like brothers. I hope Brady goes as high as he can.
"When we get drafted, we'll probably go over and hug each other. I'm really looking forward to it."
A tweet from Wolverines radio analyst Andrew Merrick (@andrewmerrick78) tied so perfectly into the dream Hughes is living, and how it is a never-ending one fostered by your heroes.
It all starts with a dream! @umichhockey pic.twitter.com/MZVz0ZN9B2
— Andrew Merrick (@andrewmerrick78) May 22, 2018
Merrick, who also played at Michigan and was a draft pick of the Carolina Hurricanes, is the son of Wayne Merrick, who won four Stanley Cups with the New York Islanders from 1980-83. Andrew now has three sons, and posted a photo of Cameron, 10, having fallen asleep with his head resting next to an article on Hughes.
"It all starts with a dream!" wrote Merrick.
Indeed.
When that was mentioned to Hughes, he was genuinely touched by it.
"I was that kid growing up," said Hughes. "So, I am definitely going to look at that picture after we hang up. I definitely understand who he is. I got to meet so many guys when I was growing up that I said, 'I want to be like these guys.'"
His father, Jim Hughes, was an assistant coach for the Orlando Solar Bears when Quinn was born in that town. He also coached for the Boston Bruins, and Quinn and his two talented younger brothers spent several years in Toronto, where Dad was the director of player development for the Maple Leafs. He said "so many" of the Leafs were "awesome" in how they treated him.
So, the dreams live on, and Quinn has become the one other youngsters want to emulate. He could be in the NHL next year or could wait. Werenski, taken No. 8 overall by Columbus after his freshman year at Michigan, returned to become even better as a sophomore before jumping straight to Columbus in 2017.
When asked if he were coming back for 2018-19, Hughes said, "I can't promise that. But I know that I have two great opportunities. If I'm fortunate and able to play pro hockey, that would be awesome. But if the team (drafting me) said, 'Go back to Michigan and work on your skills a little bit more and try to win a national championship,' I would love that, too.
"So, either option is great, and whatever works out is a win-win situation for me. It all depends on what the team wants me to do, and I don't know who's going to draft me. So, I've just got to wait."
But not much longer. The dream is ready for its next chapter.
