On Sunday afternoon, the Vancouver Canucks announced that they'd signed defenseman Quinn Hughes to his three-year entry-level contract, now that his sophomore season at the University of Michigan is complete.
#Canucks sign their 7th overall pick in 2018, Quinton Hughes to a 3 year ELC in which the first year of the contract is 2018-19.
— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) March 10, 2019
Points to remember:
- Hughes is an EL SA 20, meaning his contract can not slide
- If he plays in 11 gms this season he'll be expansion draft eligible https://t.co/KyqR3YyxSq
That tweet reiterates what I've been reporting for the last few days: because Hughes turns 20 in October, he'll burn the first year of his entry-level contract as soon as he plays his first NHL game. And he'll remain exempt from the 2021 Seattle expansion draft unless he plays 11 games or more between now and the end of the season.
As one would expect for a top-10 draft pick, Hughes' contract included all the available bonuses.
For those asking Quinn Hughes got all the individual A bonuses for d man he’s eligible for to a max of 337,500 in year one this year and 875000 in year 2-3 next year and year after. #Canucks
— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) March 12, 2019
The ankle injury that Hughes suffered when he blocked a shot in the first period of Michigan's first game against Minnesota last Friday might be a bit of a blessing in disguise, in terms of keeping him under that 11-game threshold.
From Monday's press conference:
Benning says Hughes gets to Vancouver tomorrow. Will complete a physical. Get a scan on his ankle to make sure everything is ok. His ankle is still fairly swollen. Will not play until he is 100% healthy. #Canucks
— Irfaan Gaffar (@sportsnetirf) March 11, 2019
The ankle injury might also help temper expectations about just how much Hughes can do when he steps into the Canucks' lineup. He has been a point-a-game player at the college level, but based on his production when I've seen him play live at the World Championship and World Juniors, I'm not expecting him to turn around Vancouver's sputtering power play overnight. He tallied no goals and two assists in both those tournaments—in 10 games at the World Championship in Denmark, and in seven games at World Juniors here in Vancouver.
When he played against men for the first time in Denmark, he drew praise for holding his own defensively despite his smaller stature. We've also seen that he has a certain amount of bite to his game, especially for a smaller guy.
So I'm in the camp that wants Hughes to use his experience this season to get a feel for NHL hockey and give him a sense of what to work on this summer. He'll have no shortage of mentors, with Adam Gaudette and Brock Boeser having gone down similar roads over the last two years while Troy Stecher and Thatcher Demko also came up through the NCAA ranks.
Tyler Motte is also a Michigan guy, who spent three years as a Wolverine and won a Big Ten championship before signing his entry-level contract in April of 2016. Motte played a total of eight regular-season and playoff games with the Rockford IceHogs that spring, then made his NHL debut with the Chicago Blackhawks at the beginning of the 2016-17 NHL season. That's when his entry-level contract kicked in, so he's finishing that up now and will be a restricted free agent this summer.
Alex Biega, Chris Tanev and Tim Schaller also came up via the college route, but they're a little older and none of them came into the NHL with anywhere near the expectations that Quinn will face.
With the Hughes signing, the Canucks are now at 47 contracts, so they've got three more spots they can potentially fill with college signings and other free agents before the end of the year.
So, what about Quinn's Michigan teammate, Will Lockwood? We'll have to wait a little longer for his decision.
Benning says he talked to Will Lockwood this morning. Will is going to talk with his coaches and family and come up with a decision next week. #Canucks
— Irfaan Gaffar (@sportsnetirf) March 11, 2019
Here's his coach's assessment of his game:
Mel Pearson on Will Lockwood: Just his overall game and his strength. He's wiry strong, but he could get stronger. He's gotta learn to distribute the puck more. He likes the puck on his stick and sometimes won't give it up, but he's a competitor. He's a good one. I love the kid
— TSN Radio Vancouver (@TSN1040) March 11, 2019
Finally, on the college front, here's another name to know:
Lots of teams after Princeton D Josh Teves. Certainly sounds like the Canucks are a finalist.
— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) March 12, 2019
Teves is a 24-year-old Calgary native, who's a senior this year. His hockey season also ended last weekend after Princeton was swept by Brown in the first round of the ECAC playoff.
Josh Teves is a solid two-way guy. Skates well, blocks shots, has a decent first pass. https://t.co/LXIzQcui0n
— /Cam Robinson/ (@Hockey_Robinson) March 12, 2019
During Monday's presser, Jim Benning also offered a couple of non-updates on injured players. Ben Hutton's bruised foot is still too swollen for him to even get his skate on, and while Sven Baertschi is getting on the ice a bit, he's still officially in concussion protocol.
That brings us to the lines from Tuesday's practice:
Lines for the #Canucks at Tuesday practice:
— Brendan Batchelor (@BatchHockey) March 12, 2019
Roussel-Horvat-Pearson
Leivo-Pettersson-Boeser
Goldobin/Granlund-Gaudette-Virtanen
Eriksson/Schaller-Beagle-Motte
(Spooner)
Edler-Biega
Brisebois-Stecher
Pouliot-Schenn
Sautner-Tanev
Ryan Spooner's back at practice, and Chris Tanev is skating in a regular pair and looking like he could be close to a return. Even without Hughes and with Hutton still sidelined, they'll have eight healthy defensemen for Wednesday's game against the New York Rangers if Tanev is ready to go.