Quinn Hughes Makes History in Wild's Loss to Flyers

In a 3-2 shootout loss to the Philadelphia Flyers, Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes earned his 60th assist this season. This is Hughes' fifth season in his professional career tallying at least 60 assists. However, this is the first time he's accomplished this in anything other than a Vancouver Canucks uniform. His previous 60+ assist seasons were during the 2021-22 season with 60 assists over 76 games, the 2022-23 season with 69 assists over 78 games, the 2023-24 season with 75 assists over 82 games, and the 2024-25 season with 60 assists over 68 games.

Hughes has joined the likes of defensemen Ray Bourque and Paul Coffey, all with five seasons, for the second-longest 60-assist run by a defenseman in NHL history. The only defenseman with more? Bobby Orr, who had a six-season run. He also passed Denis Potvin for the fourth-most-60-assist seasons by a defenseman in NHL history, a list that is also led by Coffey (11), Bourque (10), and Orr (6).

Quinn Hughes became the third defenseman in NHL history with 60 assists through 60 games of a season, after Bobby Orr (6x; most: 72 in 1973-74 & 1970-71) and Paul Coffey (4x; most: 68 in 1985-86).#NHLStats: https://t.co/QnQrgI6dQh pic.twitter.com/vDApOm4VKe
— NHL Public Relations (@NHLPR) March 13, 2026

Hughes' assist on Kirill Kaprizov's game-tying goal was the 17th time he's done that just this season alone. Another category that he leads all defensemen in with the next closest being Lane Hutson of the Montreal Canadiens. This also owns the most assists by a blueliner through 60 games in a season since Sergei Zubov who had 59 in the 1993-94 season with the New York Rangers. The player that owned that record prior to Zubov was Coffey with 61 in the 1992-93 season.

Amidst the NHL-specific records, he also beat a Wild team record of most points by a Wild defenseman in their first season with the team, surpassing Marek Zidlicky, who has held that record since the 2008-09 season.

Mar 1, 2026; Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes (43) plays the puck against the St. Louis Blues in the first period at Grand Casino Arena. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images | Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Hughes' Standout Career

While these are kind of specific stats that some might say are "cherry-picked," this is a big accomplishment for Hughes, especially after winning a gold medal in this years 2026 Olympic Games alongside brother Jack Hughes.

In addition to these things, Hughes was the 2024 Norris Trophy winner, an award given to the top defenseman in the league. He was the fastest defenseman in NHL history to reach the 200 assist milestone, completed in 263 games, just one game less than Brian Leetch. He has previously been named to the 2024 NHL All-Star Team, and has played in both the 2020 and 2024 NHL All-Star Games.

Hughes was selected 7th overall by the Canucks in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft and was named Captain on September 11, 2023. He was then traded from the Canucks to the Wild on December 12, 2025 in exchange for Zeev Buium, Marco Rossi, Liam Ohgren, and a 1st-round pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.

During his time with the Canucks early in the 2025-26 season, he tallied two goals and 21 assists over 26 games. Since joining the Wild, Hughes has scored four goals and assisted on 39 over 34 games. He made an immediate impact with the Wild, scoring his first goal 54 seconds into the third period in a 6-2 win against the Boston Bruins. Hughes signed a six-year $4.71 million contract, with an average annual value of $7.85 million on October 3, 2021.

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