Watching Quinn Hughes in the NCAA was special. 

The game tilted in Michigan's favour every time he stepped on the ice; it belonged to him. He controlled the breakouts, the entries, and the offensive zone play. 

Everything flowed through Hughes in a way that none of the few draft-year blueliners have accomplished at this level before or after.

Hughes shouldn't have been available with the No. 7 pick back in 2018. That’s even more true now, armed with hindsight and knowledge of how the game has evolved.  

So, how did Hughes control the NCAA game? It starts with skating. 

Explosiveness, evasiveness, and effective skating

Skating formed the basis of Hughes’ game back then, just as it does now. His mechanics haven’t fundamentally changed, instead undergoing the more common shift of getting stronger and