‘Hughes Effect’ boosts Brock Faber and Wild defense

On Saturday night in Edmonton, Hughes had a goal and an assist in the 7-3 slap-down of the Oilers, extending his points streak to eight games. That’s the longest run by a defenseman in the history of a franchise where he has been employed for fewer than two months.

In addition to his relentless attack on the record books, Hughes’ presence and partnership with the team’s other defensemen – most notably Brock Faber, who has been Hughes’ defensive partner for much of their relatively short time together in Minnesota – now has its own label.

Outside the jubilant locker room at Rogers Place in downtown Edmonton late Saturday night, Wild coach John Hynes spoke to reporters about the “Quinn Hughes Effect,” and how it has subtly changed Faber’s game for the better.

“I just think (Hughes) helps drive offense and helps the tempo of the game continue to pick up,” Hynes said. “Obviously, Brock plays with him for the most part and Brock’s playing at a faster pace. I just think, from an offensive perspective, when he can go, when he can move it, his decisions are quick and he’s skating good.”

In the midst of the season-high explosion of seven goals in Edmonton, Faber carried play through the neutral zone, saw an entry to get over the blue line, held onto the puck and ended up ripping a shot past the Oilers’ second goalie of the night to add the post-touchdown PAT late in the game. It was the 12th goal of the season for Faber, adding to his career best season with two months of hockey still to play.

Of those dozen goals, half have come since Hughes’ arrival in Minnesota, as the Wild have gone from one of the NHL’s worst teams in terms of defenseman scoring to the top of the league. After a night where he was one of 15 players – including goalie Jesper Wallstedt – who recorded at least one point, Faber spoke of the importance of getting all four lines and six defenders involved in the offense.

“Depth scoring is huge. It takes a little bit off the top guys when you have deep scoring lines that play the right way – lines that make you feel their presence every time they’re out there, every shift,” Faber said in a postgame interview with Joe O’Donnell of the Wild radio network. “That’s important in a good regular season, that’s important in a deep playoff run. It’s huge and we all need to keep building that way.”

A standout with the Gophers where he played three seasons and was a team captain during their 2023 run to the NCAA title game, Faber jumped right from college into the NHL and has been a mainstay on Minnesota’s blue line ever since. He was already a fan favorite, an Olympian and probably should have been the NHL’s rookie of the year two years ago. But it’s clear, in the past two months, that the “Hughes Effect” has changed his game, and the Wild’s defense in general, for the better.

“He’s always been a strong two-way defenseman,” Hynes said on Saturday. “I think his defensive play has continued to stay strong but I would say offensively he’s been a little bit better for us. He’s moving his feet. I think his shot’s good. He’s more mobile at the offensive blue line. He’s becoming harder to handle from an offensive perspective.”

And for Wild opponents, as they barrel headlong toward the Olympic break on a 6-1-1 run, that’s becoming more of a problem.