I’m not going to sugar-coat it. This season has been an unmitigated disaster so far for the Vancouver Canucks. Many things have gone wrong and it’s looking extremely unlikely that the team makes the playoffs. Still, despite this, I believe in the power of positivity, so I want to shed some light on some positive stories that have taken place with some of the Canuck players so far this year.
10. J.T. Miller
J.T. Miller had a career year in 2019-20 and although he was incredible, many fans reasonably expected it was the best year of his career and he’d fall back a bit to Earth this year. Although Miller has remained under a point-per-game, in contrast to last year, he has still remained close to that mark, currently sitting at 21 points in 23 games.
9. Jordie Benn
Jordie Benn started the 2019-20 season as the #6 defenseman, but was eventually usurped by Oscar Fantenberg midway through the season, which resulted in many healthy scratches from Benn. This year, Benn has nearly doubled his offensive output (6 points in 20 games so far) and is tied for the team lead with +3. Defensive coach Nolan Baumgartner has elected to use Benn in more offensive situations this year, which may play into his increased stats.
8. Tyler Myers
Tyler Myers signed a large contract in the summer of 2019 that caused a stir among fans and pundits alike and after a mediocre first season in Vancouver, many were calling his contract the successor to Loui Eriksson’s infamous deal. Even though Myers can be a bit of a defensive misadventure sometimes, he has seen a significant uptick in his offensive production so far in the 2020-21 NHL season. Despite seeing fairly heavy usage on a pretty bad team, Myers sits at just -2 and also finds himself being used in defensive situations more than in the past. His increased offense is also welcome given the fall in production from elder statesman Alex Edler.
7. Quinn Hughes
Quinn Hughes has admittedly been a mixed bag this year. His defense, which was quite solid as a rookie, has become uncharacteristically shaky this year, in part contributing to his poor -15. However, despite being in his second full NHL season, he is still managing to put up an incredible number of points, even moreso than as a rookie. Hughes is so far producing at a 0.85 points-per-game level, which would get him about 70 points in a full 82-game season and would set a new Canuck record. If Hughes can ever get a full NHL season, he has a strong chance at breaking a lot of Canuck records.
6. Olli Juolevi
Like Hughes, Juolevi has been a bit of a mixed bag, though for Juolevi, expectations have been very different. His first NHL season has been a good one so far, but it wouldn’t be immediately evident from a quick look at the stat line. Although Juolevi has been struggling to find the scoresheet, his defense has been remarkably sound for a rookie. His +3 points towards that and is even more impressive given his slightly defensive usage so far this year.
5. Tyler Motte
Tyler Motte became a fan favourite as soon as he stole a starting job on the Canuck roster back in 2018. His hard working playstyle has made him an invaluable part of the Canucks’ bottom six, but in the 2020 playoffs, he showed a surprising offensive spark. That spark has so far continued into the 2020-21 season, with Motte putting up 6 points in 15 games so far, a big increase of years past.
4. Elias Pettersson
Pettersson had a difficult start to the season, scoring just one point in his first 6 games, but following that, he has been back to the normal Elias Pettersson. Since then, Pettersson has scored 20 points in 20 games with an even balance of 10 goals and 10 assists, which is a very positive sign. Pettersson also has an even plus/minus rating in that time, which is another encouraging sign.
3. Nils Hoglander
The biggest surprise this year has probably been the early arrival of Nils Hoglander. After a strong season in Sweden in 2019-20, Hoglander started strong in Sweden again in 2020-21 before coming to training camp for the NHL in 2021. Hoglander impressed and made the team as a regular and has been a fan favourite right out of the gate. His offense has slowed as of late, but he still appears to be an exciting prospect for Canuck fans to watch, and at just 20 years of age, he has a long future ahead of him.
2. Thatcher Demko
Like Pettersson, Thatcher Demko struggled at the start of the season, losing his first three starts with poor numbers. Since then, however, Demko has been steadily improving and showing more consistency. In his last 12 starts, Demko has a 5-6-1 record and a sparkling .920 save percentage. While many thought that Demko and Holtby would evenly split games, it’s become clear that Demko has won the starting role and will likely play significantly more games than Holtby, barring an injury or illness.
1. Brock Boeser
By most accounts Brock Boeser has been the MVP of the Canucks so far in the 2020-21 season. He’s scoring goals at the rate he did as a rookie and getting assists at the rate he did last year, when he was on pace for 42 assists. He leads the Canucks in goals, points, and both of those metrics per game. Boeser’s stats this year would pro-rate to 38 goals, 41 assists, and 79 points in an 82-game season. After slowly dipping in production over the last two years, it’s thrilling to see Boeser rise back up to the level of a great 1st line winger.
So while the 2020-21 season is likely to end in a disappointment for the Canucks, there will still be some positives to take out of the year and we can hope these ten will continue for the rest of the year.
Hooked on Hockey History 