Some people learn by studying, some by doing. One week after the blockbuster trade that brought him to the Minnesota Wild, defenseman Quinn Hughes is doing plenty of both as he gets up to speed with his new home and his new team.

In addition to his skills with the puck and an unmatched availability to break out of the defensive zone, Hughes added a new tool to the trade on Thursday night in Columbus, Ohio.

With the Wild missing four regulars on defense, and with the mostly untested trio of David Jiricek, Matt Kiersted and Carson Lambos in the lineup, veterans Brock Faber and Hughes combined to spend 63 minutes on the ice as the Wild rallied for a 5-2 win, their sixth consecutive victory.

“Hughes has come in and obviously played really well. I think the circumstance dictated a little bit more ice time for some guys, but I think the schedule lended itself towards that,” Wild coach John Hynes said Friday at TRIA Rink after cancelling practice for the team. “He was a big impact. You see the way he plays on both sides of the puck; I think you see how he can transport the puck, move the puck, his scoring chances, his offensive blue line work. All of those things stand out to all of us all the time.”

It has become a popular social media video already to show the intense look on Hughes’ face when he’s been on the Wild bench. His coach said that perhaps the concentration comes from an inquisitive player trying to soak in all he can, on and off the ice.

“He asks questions. I think he has a really good assessment of his game, too,” Hynes said. “Even after the first game, he was like, ‘I thought it was pretty good, but there’s a couple of reads in the D zone or things like that I was a little hesitant on.’ ”

The need for workhorse minutes on the blue line came in part due to a pile-up of injuries, with seven regulars not making the trip to the Blue Jackets’ home rink. But the first off-ice move the Wild made on Friday was to send forward Nicolas Aube-Kubel and defenseman David Spacek to Iowa, an indication that Hynes expects at least a player or two to be back in the lineup on Saturday afternoon when the Edmonton Oilers visit St. Paul.

Later in the day, they sent Lambos and forward Ben Jones down, as well.

On Friday, Hynes said defensemen Zach Bogosian and Daemon Hunt are out for the coming weekend. At least a few of the four other missing in action players — forwards Mats Zuccarello and Marcus Johansson and defensemen Jake Middleton and Jonas Brodin — could face the Oilers on Saturday and/or the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday.

With Edmonton playing in the last two Stanley Cup Finals, and Colorado leading the Central Division, both games are measuring sticks that have the players and the fan base excited.

“I think the guys are highly motived right now,” Hynes said. “I think it’s not so much who we’re playing, it’s how we’re playing and continuing to drive winning and play the way we need to play to win. That brings excitement to the group, and you take each game as it comes.”

If they are not healthier on defense by the weekend, Hynes knows that in a pinch veterans like Faber and Hughes can log 30-plus minutes in a game if needed.

“They are workhorses and, you know, thirty-two is high (minutes), but I also think that’s in the bag if you need it,” Hynes said.

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