The Vancouver Canucks by all accounts, despite their struggles since the All-Star Break, have had a phenomenal season so far. They have already tied their third-best point total of all-time at 107 points and could conceivably finish with 111 (if they go 2-0 the rest of the way), which would only fall short of their historic 117-point season set in 2010-11.
When you have a season like that, it’s obvious many players have had breakout campaigns and are deserving of some hardware. So without further ado, let’s hand out some awards to some very well-deserving players.
Team MVP & Best Defenceman: Quinn Hughes
There’s really no contest who wins the best defenceman award, it’s Quinn Hughes. He has been otherworldly all season long, posting a career-high 17 goals and 91 points and setting a new franchise record in the process. The recently-minted Canucks captain has not let the pressure of the “C” weigh him down, rather it’s fueled him to push this team to new heights. He’s the definition of an MVP; without him, I don’t know where the Canucks would be right now. I can tell you they wouldn’t be at the top of the Pacific Division, that’s for sure.
Hughes is already the greatest defenceman in Canucks history, and by the time he retires, his numbers likely won’t be touched for a long time – maybe ever. As of this writing, he already has 43 goals and 332 points in 363 games, only 77 behind the leader Alex Edler. With how dominant he’s been the last two seasons, he will probably pass him sometime in February 2025.
Oh, yes, did I forget to mention that Hughes is only 24 years old? He isn’t even in his prime yet and he’s approaching 100 points in a season. I wouldn’t be surprised if we are sitting here 10 years from now talking about him eclipsing the 1,000-point mark. Only eight defencemen in the history of the NHL have done it, and Hughes could become the ninth if he keeps up the pace that he’s on right now.
Best Forward: JT Miller & Brock Boeser
JT Miller and Brock Boeser have been a lethal duo this season. Miller just eclipsed 100 points for the first time in his career against the Vegas Golden Knights on April 9, and Brock Boeser hit 40 goals in that same game. As you might imagine, both forwards pace the team in those respective categories.
Miller has been a revelation ever since he arrived in Vancouver from the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019-20. Since his first game on Oct. 2, 2019, he has recorded a gaudy 142 goals and 401 points in 363 games and only failed to hit the 70-point mark once – which he would have done if the 2020-21 season wasn’t shortened due to the pandemic. Those are ridiculous numbers for a guy who had only put up a career-high 58 points with the New York Rangers and Lightning in 2017-18. He has clearly come into his own as an athlete and is beyond living up to the lucrative seven-year contract he signed in 2022.
In what is the first year of a deal that pays him $8 million average annual value (AAV), Miller has 36 goals and 102 points – both career highs. I would say that’s a good start, wouldn’t you?
As for Boeser, he has more than bounced back from the underwhelming 18 goals he had last season. He probably deserves an honourable mention for the “Most Improved Player Award” as well, but with his penchant for goalscoring, he gets to share the Best Forward Award with his buddy Miller. He also has 73 points, 17 more than the career-high of 56 he set in 2018-19. Before this season, he never had more than 29 goals, and that was back in his rookie season in 2016-17. He has battled through injuries and heartbreak over the last few years and is now realizing the offensive potential everyone saw when he was drafted out of the United States Hockey League in 2015.
Honourable Mention: Elias Pettersson
Most Improved Player: Nils Hoglander
Nils Hoglander surprisingly cracked the opening night lineup in 2020-21 and appeared to be an NHL player right off the bat. He finished that season with an impressive 13 goals and 27 points and was lauded for his work ethic and relentless forechecking. He even finished with some Calder Trophy votes. His sophomore season in 2021-22 was a bit of a roller coaster, especially once Bruce Boudreau took over in December. He fell out of favour with the new head coach and was often placed on the fourth line or the press box. That continued into 2022-23, and he eventually was sent to the American Hockey League (AHL) after 25 games.
Hoglander was never called up after that and spent the rest of the season in Abbotsford, putting up 14 goals and 32 points in 45 games. He never sulked or had a bad attitude throughout his time in the minors, vowing to return to the NHL with a more well-rounded game.
“I learned a lot from last year in Abbotsford,” Höglander said. “I came back to the confidence I had before I got sent down — that was a big key for me.”
Fast forward to today, and he has not only returned to the NHL but is thriving to the tune of 23 goals and 35 points, both career highs. He has retained that relentless forecheck from his rookie season and has become one of the Canucks’ top even-strength scorers. He no longer gets criticized for his defensive game, and rarely gets stapled to the bottom-six. In fact, he’s gotten praise from his head coach for it.
“You throw the puck in the corner and he’ll probably keep it in there for about 30 seconds,” said [Rick] Tocchet. “That’s being a good defender to me.”
If anyone deserves the Most Improved Player Award, it’s the man they call “Hoggy”.
Biggest Surprise: Noah Juulsen
Coming into the season, I don’t think anyone projected Noah Juulsen to have the number 53 in the games played column. But here he is 80 games into the season, still on the roster with nary a game in the minors. While Tocchet was forced to dress him at the beginning of the season due to Carson Soucy’s injury, Juulsen took advantage of the opportunity and impressed everyone with his physicality and penalty-killing prowess. So much so, that Tocchet wants him in the lineup even when all his veterans are healthy.
Related: Canucks Have Their Luke Schenn Replacement in Noah Juulsen
Juulsen was recognized for his efforts this season by the Vancouver chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association (PHWA) when they nominated him as their candidate for the Masterton Trophy. He definitely deserves it considering how much he’s ascended the depth chart this season. He not only provides a steady presence on the blue line when he’s in the lineup, but also a large amount of physicality. He leads all defencemen with 161 hits – plenty of the board-rattling variety – and isn’t afraid to throw his body in harm’s way with 85 blocked shots.
Canucks Will Need These Performances to Continue in 2024 Playoffs
All in all, this season has been an exciting ride for Canucks fans, especially the ones that remember the dominance that was the 2010s. It’s been a long time since wins were more prominent than losses and the division was not promised to the likes of the Vegas Golden Knights, Calgary Flames, Anaheim Ducks or San Jose Sharks. The Canucks have never won the Pacific Division since it came into existence, with the last title being the Northwest Division when the Colorado Avalanche were a part of it.
But the playoffs are always a different animal, and the Canucks are going to need their top players and award winners to continue their standout performances in the postseason. If they do, and players like Elias Lindholm and Ilya Mikheyev return to the form they showcased with the Flames and Toronto Maple Leafs respectively, they might bring the elusive Stanley Cup back to Canada for the first time since 1993.