A new bombshell has entered the villa, or the rink, more like it. Quinn Hughes has taken not only the state of Minnesota but the nation by storm. The Florida-born player was recently traded to the Minnesota Wild in a blockbuster deal with the Canucks and has been featured in many viral social media videos, including the “Quinn Hughes Stare.” However, what else is there to know about the 26 year old defensemen?
Born on Oct. 14, 1999, to parents Jim and Ellen, the oldest of their three children. His brothers, Jack and Luke, are also players for the New Jersey Devils in the National Hockey League (NHL). Hughes began playing hockey at an early age, beginning as a forward, but eventually transferring to defense in his early teenage years. His career began when he started Bantam AAA and for the Toronto Marlboros. In his early years, his father had a job with the Toronto Maple Leafs, which is why he was placed on a Canadian team.
In 2015, at sixteen years old, Hughes joined the USA Hockey National Team Development Program. During that same year, he also had the opportunity to play for a Canadian junior hockey team, but chose to train within the USA instead. He had many accomplishments within the United States Hockey League (USHL), where he scored seven goals and recorded 17 assists in 57 games. During the 2016–2017 season, he recorded four goals and 22 assists in 26 games, making him the first defenseman in the league to have that many points per game ratio two seasons before he was eligible to play in the NHL. He was also named to the ALL-USHL Second Team.
From 2017–2019, Hughes played for the University of Michigan, for the Wolverines. Here, he was enrolled in the school of Kinesiology and majored in Sport Management. In his first season, he was the youngest male player in the NCAA ice hockey program. He racked up several achievements in his short time here, which would lead him to become a top prospect for the 2018 NHL entry draft.
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He was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks, with him being the seventh overall pick. He finished his season with the Wolverines with a broken foot he suffered in a game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. After the season ended, he began his entry-level, three-year contract with the Canucks. He played seven seasons with them, including record-breaking ones. He also led the team as a captain from 2023 to 2025.
Late last year, the Minnesota Wild received Hughes in a trade. With a 7.85 million cap salary, Hughes is settled comfortably in the state of Minnesota. With his newfound popularity and social media virality, it will be intriguing to see where Quinn Hughes goes in the future!