The young defenseman becomes the 15th captain in franchise history.
It was announced Monday that Quinn Hughes, 23 year old defenseman, would become the next captain of the Vancouver Canucks. The vacancy was left by the departure of Bo Horvat before the 2023 trade deadline.
“There’s so many great guys on that team, it really didn’t matter who they gave it to,” Horvat said Tuesday in an interview with Sportsnet. “But, I mean, if it was going to be a guy that I would pick, it would be Hughsie. I definitely think they made the right choice there.” Horvat followed, “He’s an unbelievable kid and he’s turning into a good man. He already is. He deserves it. He gives everything he has every single night. He’s a heckuva hockey player and a good guy in the room. He just has all these qualities a captain needs. I couldn’t be happier for him.”
It was the natural choice, Hughes has been acting as a silent captain capacity for at least the last few years while wearing the A on his chest for the past season. The quote that most suits his mild personality: “This is just the beginning for me but I’m hoping obviously to be a great leader. I think I will be.”