Quinn Hughes Returning to Michigan to Pursue Unfinished Business
7/28/2018 10:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey, Features
By Steve Kornacki
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Quinn Hughes walked into Michigan ice hockey coach Mel Pearson's office inside Yost Ice Arena on Friday morning (July 27) and said he was still undecided.
Should he leave the Wolverines for the Vancouver Canucks, the team which on June 22 made him the seventh overall pick in the first round of the NHL Draft?
Should he stay at the University of Michigan, where he developed into an elite defenseman as a freshman and helped take a team to the Frozen Four?
Some would say he could not lose with either decision. Hughes himself said that. But, man, was this a tough call. Hughes spent 90 minutes with Pearson and still did not have an answer.
Hughes got in his car and left Ann Arbor, driving a half-hour east on M-14 to the Plymouth home of his parents, both of whom played college hockey, and two younger hockey-playing brothers. His family advisor, Pat Brisson, was there, too, and they spoke candidly for over four hours.
Then Quinn had a decision, and it was one that will make Wolverine fans rejoice.
"My heart's obviously still at Michigan," Hughes told MGoBlue.com. "I was heartbroken when we lost to Notre Dame in the Frozen Four last year. I've never really been on a team that cares so much about each other, and I think that's a big reason why I'm coming back, because I love my teammates.
"I think we have a good team this upcoming year, and I believe in the group. So, for me, I have a lot of goals in my mind. I want to be the best player in college hockey, and I want to win the national championship. I think we can do it with the group and the coaching staff we have, and we believe in each other.
"So, it was unfinished business, of course. I want to win. When I look back at my season last year, I had a great year. But I didn't win a national championship. So, that's my goal next year, and anything less than that would be disappointing."
Michigan has won a record nine NCAA championships, but has not finished on top since 1998, when Red Berenson won his second as head coach and Pearson was an assistant.
Hughes and his defensive partner, Joseph Cecconi, nicknamed "Cheeks," returns as well. Cecconi, a fifth-round pick of the Dallas Stars in 2015, will be the team's senior captain. He had five goals and 22 assists last season.
"I've been talking to 'Cheeks' a lot," said Hughes. "I was really happy when he decided that he was going to stay. He had a decision as well, and now coming back to Michigan I'll be playing with 'Cheeks' again. We have great chemistry together, and he's one of my best friends on the team and will deservedly be our captain. Our relationship off the ice is what makes us so great on the ice.
"When he decided to come back, that obviously helped my decision. There's no limits to what we can do together."
Hughes scored five goals with 24 assists -- the most ever 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. He also was a high first-round pick after his freshman year, returned for his sophomore season, and went straight to Columbus the next season.
Hughes said his "love of the coaching staff" also weighed in heavily.
Still, he could not make a choice until Friday.
Hughes said, "There were positives and negatives both ways and, honestly, you can go back and forth all day. That's what I've been doing for the last month. And I'd been thinking about this a lot over the last couple weeks, especially with contract talks heating up. So, I went over to see Mel (Friday) morning to go over some things and see where his head was at. And he wanted to speak to me about things, too. I have a really good relationship with him, and there's always an open line of communication with him. Then I talked to my family members and, obviously, the Vancouver Canucks.
"The Canucks had a big part in this decision, and I think they're happy with this decision, too. They agree with it. With everyone I spoke with, this made the most sense."
So, what did it come down to?
"What I really thought about is that it's not the path," said Hughes. "It's the player. If you're a good player, it will work for you. So, that was what I thought about at the end."
His family and advisor were the first to know.
"We talked from 5 (p.m.) until at least 9," said Quinn. "Then we came to a conclusion and I got on the phone with (Vancouver general manager) Jim Benning and we talked. He's on board and he agreed."
Quinn's father, Jim, was the captain at Providence College in 1989 and has been a college and pro coach, serving as an assistant coach for the Boston Bruins and as director of player development for the Toronto Maple Leafs for six seasons. His mother, Ellen Weinberg-Hughes, played on the U.S. Women's National Hockey Team and played hockey and soccer at the University of New Hampshire.
Brother Jack is a 17-year-old center in the USA Hockey National Team Development Program in Plymouth, Michigan, and brother Luke, 14, is a forward playing for the prestigious Little Caesars AAA Hockey Club out of Detroit.
Hockey is in their DNA, and big brother's decision means the family will be in close proximity to one another at least one more year. There were smiles all around the room when Quinn announced his decision.
Then he called Pearson.
"Mel was really excited," said Hughes. "I told him that I was really excited. And he told me, 'No way! I'm more excited than you.'
Pearson said: "I know that I can say everyone involved with Michigan hockey will be extremely excited to know that Quinn has decided to return to the University of Michigan for another season. Quinn was one of college hockey's best players last year and I look forward to his continued development both on and off the ice. I also would like to thank the Vancouver Canucks organization for their cooperation and support."
Benning and Canucks head coach Travis Green began cementing a strong relationship with Hughes in their handling of his decision.
"They are thinking big picture and really want what's best for me," said Hughes. "I think they handled the situation great, and there was always communication there. They were thinking four, six, 10 years down road: 'What's best for Quinn Hughes?' They're happy with the decision, and I am, too. My family advisor, Pat Brisson, has been talking to Jim Benning for probably three, four weeks. I talked to Jim and the coach, Travis Green, as well."
Hughes spent half of May playing in Denmark as the lone collegiate member on the U.S. bronze medal-winning team in the World Championships, and was scheduled to fly Saturday morning (July 28) to the World Junior Summer Showcase in Kamloops, British Columbia.
Then he will return to Ann Arbor, looking to enjoy another year on campus and cement a special legacy.
'"My legacy at Michigan's important to me,'" Hughes said. '"I want to do something special at Michigan -- something that nobody's ever done.'"
The Wolverines have never had a Hobey Baker Award winner on a national championship team. Brendan Morrison won it in 1997, between a pair of national titles, and Kevin Porter won the Hobey in 2008.
Hughes wants that winning double-punch to be his legacy.
"I'm looking forward to it," said Hughes, "and hopefully I can accomplish what I want to. The last thing I talked about with my mom was, 'If I stay one year, that's great. I've built a lot of relationships here, but by staying another year, maybe 20 years from now, I can call this place home just because I built more relationships here and was here longer.'
"That was also important to me. Someday, maybe I'll want to rest my legs up in Michigan."
