With the 2019-20 NAHL Season coming to an abrupt and unexpected end, the Austin Bruins are taking this time to thank the players whose junior careers wrapped up this season. TJ Chillot takes you through each of the 1999-born players who finished the season on the Austin roster and what they brought to the Bruins both on the ice and off. In addition, TJ looks ahead to see what’s on the horizon for these incredibly talented hockey players. #OnceABruinAlwaysABruin
Thank you, Hugh Quinn!
Hugh Quinn is well-traveled, there’s no getting around that. From the fact that he was born outside of Philadelphia, PA, but spent majority of his youth in Sweden, to the fact that he played with four separate NAHL franchises, he’s been around. “Quinner” as he’s known to his teammates, never saw that as a disadvantage or a negative thing. Through all his travels however, it would be Austin where he wrapped up his junior career, a career that saw him play for Philadelphia, Topeka, and Springfield in addition to Austin. It was on Wednesday, November 27, 2019, when the Bruins acquired the forward, just a day before Thanksgiving. Now it’s our turn to give thanks to the 1999-born Hugh Quinn, who was seemlessly transformed into an Austin Bruin in not time at all.
If you were a casual fan who didn’t know that the Bruins brought in Quinn mid-season, you’d never know. The 6-foot-1, 180-pounder slipped right into the Bruins lineup and made contributions nearly right away. From his first few games with the Bruins it was apparent that he had the knack to finding the puck, garnering several scoring chances in his first games wearing black-and-gold. With that production, it didn’t take long for his first goal as a Bruin to come, in fact it only took Hugh 10 days. That’s DAYS, not games.
It was Thursday, December 7, the first of a three-in-three with the St. Cloud Blizzard, a series that would see Austin play away-home-away. The Bruins started the game falling behind, something they knew they had to rectify because it could spell disaster as far as momentum goes in a long three-game series. It was Hugh Quinn to the rescue duing the final minute of the first period.
Quinn played 29 games for the Bruins during the 2019-20 season, and it seems like so many more. During his time with the Bruins he was nominated to the NAHL Top Prospects Tournament where he registered an assist in his two games played for the NAHL Central Division Team.
Through my own interactions with Hugh, I’ve gotten the impression that he’s very composed and doesn’t seem to rattle. In addition, the core trait that runs his personality is kindness. I remember before the Top Prospects Tournament, I approached him regarding some Swedish pronunciations of other players who I’d be talking about on the upcoming broadcast. Hugh helped me wade through some of the “ringed” and “umlauted” letters of the Swedish alphabet which eleveated my broadcast days later.
Though he played more games, and scored more points, for the Topeka Roadrunners, Hugh Quinn is an Austin Bruin through and through. After 29 games played for the Bruins, Quinn scored six goals while adding three assists. A little quick math tells me that’s an average of 1/3rd point per game, something to be celebratory of for a guy who was shuffled up-and-down the lineup through his tenure. That’s not a knock on him either, he was shuffled because he could fit in with anyone, and produce with anyone. He was versitile and impactful whether he was playing with the first or fourth line.
So while we await to hear what’s next from the American/Swede dual citizen, we’ll watch closely for the news that he’s taking his career to the next level as he certainly has the right talent and makeup to accomplish that goal should he so choose.
To hear more from Hugh Quinn about growing up in the United States and Sweden, what it’s like to play for so many franchises in the NAHL, and his time in Austin, check out The Austin Bruins Show episode from earlier this season where he and I sat down to discuss those very topics.
Hugh Quinn
29 Games Played, 6 Goals, 3 Assists, -7, 20 PIM
