The Vancouver Canucks selected University of Michigan blueliner with the seventh overall pick, fulfilling the expectation that they would go with the organizational need more than the best player available.
Halifax Mooseheads star Filip Zadina fell out of the top-three and wound up going to the Detroit Red Wings with the sixth pick. With a plethora of intriguing blueliners on the board, general manager Jim Benning rolled with the speedy, puck-moving Hughes.
Nobody knew what to expect for the Canucks when their pick came up. The Arizona Coyotes made the surprise picked Barrett Hayton with the fifth selection.