Canucks Prospect Quinn Hughes Undecided On Turning Pro For 2018-19

The Canucks are in discussions with the representatives for prospect defenseman Quinn Hughes to determine whether he should turn pro for 2018-19 or return to school for his sophomore year, reports Sportsnet’s Iain MacIntyre.  The matter is expected to be discussed further on Friday.

Hughes was the seventh-overall selection back in last month’s draft following a strong rookie season at the University of Michigan that saw him collect 29 points (5-24-29) in just 37 games.  He also spent time with Team USA at both the World Juniors as well as the World Championships back in May which certainly helped his draft stock.

At just 5’10, the 18-year-old is undersized for his position which could give Vancouver pause as to whether he’s ready to handle the rigors of full-time NHL duty already.  They could certainly benefit from his mobility and offensive prowess on their back end, however, so there’s no obvious right way to go.

One other option in play here is for Hughes to turn pro but play at the minor league level.  He’s eligible to do so since he was drafted out of the NCAA and not the CHL.  While that would still put an early end to his college eligibility, going this route would allow him to ease into the pro game and be available to be recalled at any point by the Canucks should it be deemed necessary.  For his part, Hughes hasn’t stated that he wouldn’t be open to starting with AHL Utica and hasn’t made a guaranteed NHL roster spot part of negotiations to this point.

While technically a decision could be made in training camp, college players rarely attend as their college classes will have already started.  As a result, expect both sides to come to an agreement on which route to take in the near future.