The Vancouver defenceman had an obvious curiosity level about prized prospect Quinn Hughes, who left the University of Michigan to sign a three-year, $2.775 million U.S. entry-level contract with the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday. He’s another under-sized blue-liner thriving in a game where skill is supplanting size and that resonates with Stecher. “I’ve seen videos of practices and highlight reels,” Stecher said of Hughes. “The advice I would give him is just be yourself and don’t worry what people think,” added Stecher. “I played against him at the worlds and he was great,” Canucks centre Bo Horvat recalled of that 2018 event where Hughes played 10 games and looked poised.

Source: National Post March 11, 2019 00:24 UTC