September 11th, 2023
Ryan Gurevitz
The Vancouver Canucks announced today that Quinn Hughes will wear the 'C' when the team takes the ice in their first regular season game in exactly one month. Hughes will assume the duties most recently held by Bo Horvat, who was traded to the Islanders about 8 months ago in exchange for Aatu Raty, Anthony Beauvillier, and a first-round pick which was later flipped for Filip Hronek.
Hughes is the first American captain of the Canucks, and only the third non-Canadian along with Markus Naslund and Henrik Sedin. It is reasonable to expect Elias Pettersson and JT Miller to remain on the leadership team as alternate captains, but given the departure of Oliver Ekman-Larsson, and Hughes' promotion, the Canucks now have the task of assigning up to two more alternate captains if they so desire.
Hughes is certainly a good choice for the captaincy, his improvement in all facets of the game shows his dedication on the ice and his sheer determination to forge himself into the dominant defenceman he's become in the last season.
Hughes will spearhead a newly renovated blue line as the young stud defenceman, and will now have the honour of leading the team as its captain. His anointment as captain can be added to the list of things to be excited about as a Canucks fan entering this new season.