The Vancouver Canucks are off to their best start in franchise history, and the show continues to go on for Quinn Hughes, who is breaking out into a true superstar defenseman and one of the league's best in 2023-24.

And he has some history to back up his early Norris Trophy case.

After scoring a goal and three assists in a 6-2 drubbing of the Edmonton Oilers (again) on Monday night, Hughes made NHL history that hasn't been seen in the league in 50 years.

The new Canucks captain has accumulated an insane 20 points and a +16 rating through the first 12 games of the season; he's the first and only skater to achieve the feat since Bobby Orr, according to Sportsnet Stats.

Orr is widely considered the premier defensemen in National Hockey League history, and it's certainly elite company for the youngster.

Hughes just continues to look possessed on the ice, constantly jumping up into the rush while also playing phenomenal defense. Realistically, there isn't a more effective D-man in the league this season, and the only two who can probably still claim to be better are Colorado Avalanche's Cale Makar and New York Rangers' Adam Fox.

Not only is Hughes leading all blueliners in scoring — by a longshot — he's tied for second in league scoring with Nikita Kucherov, and just a point back of teammate Elias Pettersson for the league lead.

Canucks are red-hot

It's truly been a cinderella start in Vancouver, and everything is going right for a team that hasn't had this kind of early season success since Daniel and Henrik Sedin were still on the roster.

The Canucks are 9-2-1, 5-0-1 at home, and second to just the Vegas Golden Knights for the top spot in the Pacific Division. They've scored the most goals in the league, given up the second least, and are making hockey fun again for fans of a franchise that hasn't had much to cheer about over the last near decade.

Quinn Hughes will look to keep his early Norris Trophy case going when the Canucks head to Canada's capital to play the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night.