Quinn Hughes

Quinn Hughes is an American professional ice hockey defenseman for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously served as captain of the Vancouver Canucks from 2023 until his trade to the Wild on December 12, 2025. Born on October 14, 1999, in Orlando, Florida, he was selected by the Canucks with the seventh overall pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft following a distinguished junior career. Hughes achieved a career highlight by winning the James Norris Memorial Trophy as the NHL's top defenseman in the 2023–24 season, leading all defensemen with 92 points.

The eldest of three hockey-playing brothers, Hughes grew up in a family immersed in the sport, with his father, Jim Hughes, serving as a scout and skills coach for the Philadelphia Flyers and his mother, Ellen, a former Irish international hockey player. His younger brothers, Jack and Luke, are also NHL players for the New Jersey Devils, with Jack serving as the team's captain; the siblings made history as the first trio of brothers to play in the same NHL game during a December 2023 matchup. Hughes honed his skills in the Ontario Junior Hockey League with the St. Michael's Buzzers before joining the U.S. National Team Development Program, where he excelled in the United States Hockey League (USHL), recording 26 points in 26 games during the 2016–17 season.

Quinn Hughes was born on October 14, 1999, in Orlando, Florida, to parents Jim and Ellen Weinberg-Hughes.

The Hughes family has deep roots in hockey, with both parents having competed at high levels in the sport. Jim Hughes, Quinn's father, was a defenseman and team captain at Providence College from 1985 to 1989, later serving as an assistant coach for the Boston Bruins from 2000 to 2003, assistant coach for the Toronto Marlies from 2006 to 2008, followed by a stint as head coach for Dynamo Minsk in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) during the 2008–09 season, and as director of player development for the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2009 to 2015. Ellen Weinberg-Hughes, Quinn's mother, was a standout athlete at the University of New Hampshire, where she played hockey, lacrosse, and soccer; she also represented the United States women's national ice hockey team, helping secure a silver medal at the 1992 IIHF Women's World Championship.

Quinn is the eldest of three brothers, all of whom have pursued professional hockey careers, underscoring the family's athletic legacy. His younger brother Jack Hughes was selected first overall by the New Jersey Devils in the 2019 NHL Draft and remains a key center for the team. His youngest brother Luke Hughes was chosen fourth overall by the Devils in the 2021 NHL Draft and plays as a defenseman for the same franchise.

Quinn Hughes has Jewish heritage through his mother, Ellen Weinberg-Hughes.