from Iain MacIntyre of Sportsnet,

Quinn Hughes is special.

Not special in a “you’re-special-I’m-special-everyone’s-special” kind of way. He is literally unique in Vancouver Canucks history. At least we think so.

The Canucks are celebrating their 50th year in the National Hockey League and Hughes, a 20-year rookie, is the first young defenceman the franchise has possessed who has the speed, agility, instincts and sheer talent to be a game-changer on the blue line. He is also five-foot-10.

In five decades, the franchise has had a bunch of excellent defencemen, but none with the speed and dynamic skill set that Hughes is still developing. He is an early Calder Trophy candidate, perhaps the biggest challenger to Colorado Avalanche rookie defenceman Cale Makar....

So Quinn Hughes is special. But don’t just take our word for it. Listen to some of the Canucks’ top defencemen from the last five decades.

“He really controls the game when he’s moving,” Ed Jovanoski (1999-2006 Canucks) says. “That’s always a sign of a special player, when you can control the game with your legs and hockey IQ. It’s almost, as Hughes is going, the team’s going.”

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