Canucks 2018 Draft Class Stats

The 2018 NHL Entry Draft saw the Canucks add six players to the prospect pool.
It started on Friday night with the addition of Quintin Hughes with the 7th overall pick and was followed by five other players having their names called by GM Jim Benning.
The top three players in their draft class, Hughes, Jett Woo, and Tyler Madden, all present some intriguing underlying numbers and stats that suggest that there is more to their game than what can be taken from simply watching them play. With that in mind, we'll take a quick look at those three and focus on some stats that stand out about each of them.

Quintin Hughes

More commonly known as Quinn Hughes - he is a dynamic and skilled puck possession defenceman who isn't afraid to rush, carry, and hold onto the puck anywhere on the ice.
Quinn's father, Jim, was an assistant coach of the Orlando Solar Bears in the IHL when the newest Canucks prospect was born. At that time, Canucks Assistant GM John Weisbrod was an executive with the Solar Bears and grew up with Jim Hughes in Long Island. So the connections between the organization and the Hughes family go way back.
Many people will point to Hughes' height and suggest that he will struggle to defend but the numbers at the NCAA level disagree with that. The Orlando born defender posted a goals for percentage of 61.4% and a GF realative percentage of +7.4% in the NCAA this past season. If he was on the ice, he was pushing the puck in the right direction and those percentages show that he was excelling comparative to his teammates. He ended his collegiate season with a goal differential of +16 (43 GF/27 GA) while on the ice during 5 on 5 play.
Hughes trailed only Scott Perunovich in points by a freshman with 29, but played five fewer games and is 14 months younger. Hughes finished 15th in points-per-game (0.78) among all NCAA defencemen and was 24th in terms of shots per game (2.51) against that same group.
Hughes is an extremely adept skater who can carry the puck but is also a fantastic passer that puts the puck on his teammates stick with incredible efficiency. While representing the United States at the World Championships this year, he finished third at the event with a 70.83% success rate. That number stands out even more so as he was a draft eligible player going up against professionals.
The numbers reinforce that Hughes is a defender who can protect his own zone by just moving the puck out through his efficient passing. He isn't afraid to exit the zone with the puck as well.
Not many defencemen are first time NHL draft eligible after completing a full season in the NCAA, and that makes what Hughes did at the various levels so impressive.

Jett Woo

With the 37th overall pick, the organization grabbed WHL defenceman Jett Woo from the Moose Jaw Warriors.
Woo started the WHL season with 17 points in his first 17 games before breaking his collarbone. He returned to the lineup and was asked to play the defensive safety net for their top 4.
He excelled in this role, using his physical play and unwillingness to give up the line to shutdown opponents. Although he ended the year with 25 points in 44 games, there is more offensive talent there. He ended with an expected goals per 60 of 0.57, which is a first pairing rate at the WHL level. He saw his ice-time climb as the season ended and the post-season began but the offence just wasn't piling up. He was averaging over twenty minutes a game in the playoffs for Moose Jaw but was limited to two goals and one assist.
If he had come a little closer to his early season rate, then his numbers would've seen an uptick. He was just a victim of circumstance after doing so many things right in the offensive zone.
His goals per game of 0.2 was tied for first in first time draft eligible defenders and his 0.57 points-per-game finished 5th in that same peer group. So despite struggling in the second half to generate points, looking at the totality of the season, he rated very well against his peers.
On the defensive side of the game, the data suggests that despite being constantly keyed on during transition play, Woo would shut down the attack before it reached the line. If they did penetrate the blueline, he was extremely efficient at getting the puck out of the zone through controlled exits.

Tyler Madden

Madden was traded mid-season from the Central Illinois Flying Aces to the Tri-City Storm. He ended the season with 15 goals and 19 assists in 50 games split between the two clubs but was involved in a noteworthy 27.0% of the goals scored when he was dressed.
He led the Storm in shots on goal with 141 and finished 2nd in points-per-game with the only player above him appearing only 20 games. Although more of a hybrid offensive player, Madden finished the year in 10th in shots per game by first time draft eligible forwards. He was 13th in primary assists in that same group with 79.4% of his points being a goal or primary assist.
It's clear that Madden was the primary driver of offence when he was on the ice and since the Storm struggled to close out the season, his numbers don't fully represent what he was doing on the ice. He is headed to Northeastern University and if paired with some offensive guys, could see his numbers climb rapidly.

All three of the Canucks first picks have some things that stand out about them from the data lenses. Woo and Hughes shine in terms of puck possession and defending by getting the puck out with efficiency. Furthermore, the data also suggest that Woo and Madden have more to give and with some development they could improve further than where they currently stand.
The data used in this piece were compiled from: Prospects-stats.com , College Hockey Inc., and Mitch Brown from The Athletic