Last year, Brock Faber showed that he has the offensive foundation to become a true top-pair scoring threat. After posting 15 goals and 51 points, a jump to 20 goals and 40 assists (60 points) is an aggressive but realistic next step if he spends a full season alongside Quinn Hughes.
The biggest reason is simple: Hughes changes the geometry of the ice. Minnesota no longer has to rely on Faber to be the primary puck-moving engine from the back end on every shift. With Hughes driving exits, entering the offensive zone cleanly and attracting forecheckers, Faber can become more selective and more dangerous about when to activate.
Faber has always had the skating, edge work, and hockey sense to join the rush. The issue has not been whether he can get into the offensive zone; it has been the amount of defensive responsibility he shoulders. As Minnesota’s all-purpose No. 1 defenseman, Faber has often been the player tasked with retrieving pucks, making the first pass, defending elite forwards, and covering for others when plays break down.
Hughes is among the NHL’s best transition defensemen because he can evade pressure rather than fight through it. When he turns a difficult retrieval into a controlled breakout, Faber can push higher in the neutral zone, arrive as the second wave, or slide into open space at the blue line. That creates a healthier offensive diet for Faber: fewer low-percentage point shots and more opportunities from dangerous locations after Minnesota establishes possession.
The early results of the partnership were encouraging. Faber recorded seven goals, 14 assists and 21 points over his first 25 games with Hughes, a pace that illustrates how much more involved he can be when playing with an elite puck-driving partner. Their chemistry was strong enough that NHL.com described the pair as quickly becoming one of the league’s top defense pairings.
Faber doesn’t need to turn into a pure shooter to score 20 goals. He needs a few more repeatable chances, and Hughes’ presence should create more open shooting lanes. Opposing penalty killers and five-on-five defenders naturally cheat toward Hughes because he can walk the blue line, attack downhill, or thread passes through coverage. When the opposition shifts toward him, Faber can find space on the weak side for one-timers, wrist shots through screens, and backdoor opportunities.
When playing with Hughes, Faber can also attack below the circles more frequently. Hughes is more comfortable carrying the puck deep into the offensive zone and rotating into positions normally occupied by forwards. That allows Faber to read the play and jump into soft areas rather than remaining glued to the blue line as the safety valve.
Finally, 20 goals require more shot volume. Faber’s target should be roughly 170 to 190 shots over a healthy 82-game season. At a reasonable shooting percentage in the 10 to 11 percent range, that volume puts 18 to 21 goals within reach. Faber doesn’t need to shoot recklessly to reach that goal. He should get better shots after Hughes has forced defensive coverage to collapse and Minnesota has created traffic in front of the net.
The assist projection is likely the more sustainable part of the 20 and 40 benchmark. Faber has already proven he can distribute the puck, and Hughes gives him more high-quality passing options than he has ever had.
At five-on-five, Faber can collect secondary assists simply by making clean first passes to Hughes in transition. That may sound basic, but when Hughes is the receiving defenseman, those exits can rapidly turn into controlled entries, extended offensive-zone possession, and scoring chances.
More importantly, Faber can pile up primary assists by becoming the release valve on a dominant pair. Opponents who overload Hughes create passing seams for Faber. From there, Faber can make the quick low-to-high feed, hit a forward in the slot, or return the puck to Hughes after the defense has shifted out of position.
Minnesota acquired Hughes in December 2025 in a blockbuster deal that sent Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren, Zeev Buium and a 2026 first-round pick to Vancouver, a price that made clear the organization views Hughes as a franchise-altering player. For Faber, the payoff is that he can become the ideal complement rather than having to be Minnesota’s lone blue-line creator.
Faber’s job beside Hughes is not to imitate him. It’s to capitalize on the attention Hughes commands, defend well enough to keep the duo on the ice in every situation, and attack decisively when the opening appears. If he does that, 20 goals and 40 assists is not a fantasy. It’s the next logical step for a young defenseman playing next to one of hockey’s premier offensive blue-liners.
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