Ethan Cairns/Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesThe Vancouver Canucks' Quinn Hughes has won the 2023-24 James Norris Memorial Trophy as the top defenseman in the NHL.
B/R Open Ice @BR_OpenIceQuinn Hughes is your 2024 Norris Trophy winner 🏆 <a href="https://t.co/QB56qmGM1D">pic.twitter.com/QB56qmGM1D</a>
The honor, as voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, was announced Thursday at the NHL Awards show in Las Vegas.
The Nashville Predators' Roman Josi and Colorado Avalanche's Cale Makar finished as runners up.
Skating in all 82 games for the Canucks, Hughes led all NHL defenseman with 75 assists and 92 points on his way to breaking his own franchise points record for defensemen.
The 24-year-old also joined Paul Coffey and Bobby Orr as the third NHL defenseman to record 200 assists over a three-season span.
The Canucks largely controlled scoring attempts when Hughes was on the ice at even strength, allowing him to drive Vancouver's defense through offense.
He spent 45 percent of his shifts in the offensive zone, ranking in the 95th percentile of all NHL skaters including forwards, per NHL Edge.
Although his time on the penalty kill decreased this season, he remained a staple on the Canucks' power play on his way to leading the league with 33 power-play assists.
His deft puckhandling and offensive contributions helped Vancouver to finish the regular season on top of their division for the first time since the 2012-13 season.
Hughes is the first Canucks player to win the trophy in 53 years of franchise history.
The Orlando native joins Chris Chelios, Brian Leetch and Adam Fox as the fourth American player to win the trophy.
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