SportsHockeyCanucks

Open competition? Canucks experiment with defence partners for Hughes

Trevor Beggs
Trevor Beggs
|
Sep 22 2023, 8:36 pm
Open competition? Canucks experiment with defence partners for Hughes
@Canucks/X

NHL training camps are always full of surprises. On Day 1 of Vancouver Canucks training camp in Victoria, the defence partner of Quinn Hughes was one of those surprises.

Abbotsford, B.C. native Noah Juulsen found himself lined up beside Hughes.

Juulsen has spent the majority of his Canucks tenure playing in the AHL for the Abbotsford Canucks. He’s played just 20 games for the Canucks in the NHL over the last two seasons.

In those NHL games however, he was largely partnered with Hughes.

While the Hughes-Juulsen pairing was a training camp surprise, the Canucks captain was unsurprisingly complementary of his counterpart on defence.

“Yeah, Jules is great. He knows what he is. He’s a competitive guy, he’s smart,” Hughes told reporters in Victoria.

“We work well together, we talk, he talks a lot, he makes things easier and he gets me the puck.”

Canucks’ Tocchet sheds lights on Juulsen decision

After the first day of training camp concluded, Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet provided some context behind his decision to start Hughes with the 25-year-old Juulsen, who has played just 68 career NHL games.

“I have to be convinced to put a lefty on that [pairing with Hughes],” Tocchet said on Thursday.

“I’m not quite sure a lefty-lefty works with Huggy unless something else convinces me. But right now, we’ve gotta find that guy that can get the puck up. You see that in the offensive zone. You give [Hughes] the puck, he’s walking that blue line.

“So whoever plays there, they’ve gotta give him the puck. It’s easier to sling it with a righty than a lefty. I’m mostly a righty, lefty guy.”

Tocchet’s comments were interesting, largely because it was expected that one of the two defencemen that the Canucks brought in during the offseason – Carson Soucy and Ian Cole – would play with Hughes to start the season.

Both Soucy and Cole are left-shot defencemen.

The Canucks bench boss did have a change of heart during Day 2 of camp, as Hughes lined up beside Soucy. It was one of the only lineup changes for Day 2.

Regardless, the decision to start Juulsen there before pivoting to Soucy was an interesting one. And, as Tocchet mentioned, his preference isn’t to have a lefty playing with Hughes.

Between Soucy and Cole it’s the 34-year-old Cole who has much more experience playing on the right side.

During his last two NHL seasons, Cole spent some time playing the right side alongside Victor Hedman with the Tampa Bay Lightning. He also rode shotgun with defensive stalwart Jaccob Slavin while playing for the Carolina Hurricanes.

Cole ironically spent most of the 2020-21 season playing alongside Soucy, and it was Cole who played the right side on that pair.

Soucy’s right-side experience is limited. He spent a bit of time playing off the right side with the Seattle Kraken in 2021-22, but it isn’t something he’s done regularly in his career.

Canucks don’t have many RHD options for Hughes

Tocchet paired Juulsen and Hughes together for a couple of reasons. One was that he wanted that right side, left side symmetry. The other was he mentioned Juulsen and Hughes had some success together last season.

Another unmentioned reason? The Canucks aren’t flush with right-shot defencemen to pair with their captain.

Aside from Juulsen, the only other right-shot defenceman on the roster that Hughes has spent significant time with is Tyler Myers.

That duo hasn’t had a ton of success together.

Tocchet also mentioned that he wants to give Hughes a right-shot defence partner who can get the puck to Hughes quickly. During his four years in Vancouver, Myers has never proven to be that guy.

Could Canucks pair Hughes with Hronek?

This seems like the “break glass in case of emergency” option for the Canucks.

However, with a lack of viable right side options on the Canucks blue line, the possibility of a Filip Hronek and Hughes pairing might be likelier than expected.

According to some statistical models, both defenders were two of the best in the NHL last season.

However, the big knock with pairing Hughes and Hronek is that it leaves the rest of the Canucks defence looking pretty thin.

Cole and Soucy aren’t great top-four options, especially without a partner like Hughes or Hronek beside them. When those two defenders played together in Minnesota, they were on the third pair.

This market is also far too familiar with Myers’ struggles in a top four role.

Beyond that, the rest of the Canucks options are depth defenders who might not even crack the lineup on a good team.

ADVERTISEMENT