Quinn Hughes prepares for Canucks debut amid immense expectations

Michigan's Quinn Hughes (43) gets past Notre Dame's Jake Pivonka (20) as Hayden Lavigne (30) watches during an NCAA college hockey game Tuesday, Feb. 12, 2019. (Michael Caterina/South Bend Tribune via AP)

VANCOUVER – There were always a few kids around the Toronto Maple Leafs when Luke Schenn was starting out in the National Hockey League. At 18 years old, the defenceman wasn’t much older than some of them.

But Schenn, now a 29-year-old veteran trying to extend his career with the Vancouver Canucks, recalls meeting the two eldest boys of Jim Hughes, who worked as a player development instructor and minor-league assistant coach in the Leafs’ organization.

“He was in and out, working with different players,” Schenn said of Hughes. “But I definitely remember meeting Jimmy’s kids. I remember people telling me they were great hockey players. It’s crazy — fast forward 11 years and here we are, teamed up with Quinn opening night.”

Quinn Hughes, 19, is expected to make his NHL debut for the Canucks on Thursday against the Los Angeles Kings. His younger brother, 17-year-old Jack, could be the first player selected at the NHL draft in Vancouver in June.

“I remember he had two young boys running around,” Schenn said of the Hughes kids. “And there’s a third one, too, right? You’d laugh if you knew you’d be D-partners with him down the road.

“I was playing with Jake Chychrun two years ago in Arizona when he first came into the league. He told me he came to the draft in Ottawa with his dad (when Schenn was selected fifth overall in 2008). I asked him how old he was and he said eight. I don’t even feel that old. But man oh man, guys are just getting younger and younger. I guess I am getting up there in years.”

And in experience.

Schenn, who looks reborn with the Canucks after the Anaheim Ducks dumped him in the minors in November, will log NHL Game No. 730 on Thursday, which is partly why Vancouver coach Travis Green is putting Quinn Hughes in his care.

More than two weeks after arriving in Vancouver from the University of Michigan with an ankle far more seriously bruised than anyone thought, Hughes fully practised with the Canucks on Wednesday and is expected to play against the Kings.

The organization has never had a defence prospect like Hughes, an outstanding skater projected to play a Brian Leetch-Morgan Rielly type of game.

There are immense expectations in Vancouver for Hughes, who probably should have been on the Canucks’ roster on opening night in October but agreed with the club last summer that he would return to Michigan for a second college season of development and maturation.

The 5-foot-10 defenceman is expected to join Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser and Bo Horvat as a foundational piece on a rebuilt Canuck team.

“Everyone knows he’s a good skater,” Canuck coach Travis Green told reporters, trying again to mute the Hughes hype. “There’s a lot of expectations on this guy. I just want to let him play a game and get his feet wet and get through his first game. That’s all I’m looking for out of him. He doesn’t need to do anything but get through a game and try his hardest.”

“I feel good, feel really good,” Hughes said. “This is my fifth day (skating) and I’m pretty much back to 100 per cent. It took a little bit longer than I thought, but it is what it is.

“I don’t need to do anything special. I just need to get the puck up to the forwards because they’re so skilled. I’m just going to try to do my job and keep the puck out of our net.”

Hughes blocked a shot during Michigan’s playoff loss to the University of Minnesota on March 7, then limped through the Wolverines’ elimination game the next night. He signed his entry-level contract with the Canucks on March 9, then flew to Vancouver.

But the bone bruise on his ankle was slow to heal and Hughes underwent two CT scans and an MRI to make sure he hadn’t suffered a fracture. The rehab time in Vancouver at least allowed Hughes to see the NHL game close up and get to know his new teammates, especially defencemen Ben Hutton and Chris Tanev, who also had foot injuries after blocking shots.

Expected back in the lineup on Thursday after missing 11 games, Hutton called the injured blue-liners the “boot crew” for the walking boot each wore.

“He was pretty quiet and shy at the start,” Hutton said of Hughes. “He’s opened up a lot now. He’s asking me questions all the time and I can tell he’s really excited to be here and he wants to play. I think he’s going to be confident out there (and) he’s going to make his plays. He’s not going to be shy.”

Hughes said he appreciates the advice and encouragement Hutton and others have provided, and feels comfortable on a third pairing with Schenn.

“Really comfortable,” he said. “I remember when he was 18 playing for Toronto. And he’s had … 700 games (since then). So he definitely knows what he’s talking about. When you’ve got an experienced vet behind you like him, it’s pretty easy. I’m just going to follow his lead.”

Schenn vividly remembers making his NHL debut for the Leafs in Detroit, where he watched the Red Wings hoist the 2008 Stanley Cup banner, then played his first shift against Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk, Tomas Holmstrom, Nick Lidstrom and Brian Rafalski.

“That was my what-am-I-doing-out-here moment,” Schenn said. “You try to hurry off to the bench as quick as you can. Time flies for sure.

“It’s a moment you’ve been dreaming of your whole life. You’ve just got to enjoy it and not overthink it. Obviously, there’s going to be a few nerves and butterflies, but (Quinn) will be fine. He’ll be great and I’m really looking forward to it.”

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