{"id":439449,"date":"2024-04-06T11:30:27","date_gmt":"2024-04-06T15:30:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/?p=439449"},"modified":"2024-04-06T11:15:53","modified_gmt":"2024-04-06T15:15:53","slug":"picking-winners-of-vancouver-canucks-team-awards-for-2023-24","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2024\/04\/06\/picking-winners-of-vancouver-canucks-team-awards-for-2023-24\/","title":{"rendered":"Picking the Winners of the Vancouver Canucks Team Awards for 2023-24"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/category\/canucks\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Vancouver Canucks<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> have punched their ticket to the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs and are looking to finish the 2023-24 regular season strong. The whole season has been a breath of fresh air for Canucks fans as the last decade has been a dark one. The players, of course, deserve a ton of credit and there are a few who have really impressed. Every season the Vancouver Canucks have team awards. One for team MVP, Most Exciting Player, Unsung Hero, and Best Defenceman. Fans vote on the awards and the winners are unveiled before the final home game of the regular season. Us at Last Word will give you our picks, will you agree or disagree? Fans can have their say and vote<\/span> <a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/tradablebits.com\/tb_app\/499737\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">here<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> until April 8th.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Vancouver Canucks Team Awards: MVP<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Cyclone Taylor Trophy goes to the team&#8217;s MVP. Three players make strong cases for this award.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The first is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/h\/hughequ01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-04-05_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Quinn Hughes<\/a>. Not only does he make a strong case for Canucks MVP, but for the Norris trophy as well. He leads all NHL defencemen with 86 points and that includes 16 goals. The Canucks captain has consistently been not only putting up points but has been excellent defensively as he often takes away the passing and shooting lanes and starts the counterattacks. Hughes&#8217; skating just gets more elusive every game and you could practically call him an escape artist.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This 15-second sequence by Quinn Hughes that led to the Canucks game-winner on Wednesday was special \ud83d\udd25 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/VOSXCCeqNB\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/VOSXCCeqNB<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; B\/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BR_OpenIce\/status\/1775959096363024677?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 4, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">There is also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/m\/millejt01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-04-06_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">J.T. Miller<\/a>. Over a year ago, Miller was prone to giveaways and poor backchecks. Since current Head Coach <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/t\/tocchri01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-04-06_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Rick Tocchet<\/a> took over in January of 2023, Miller has improved a lot defensively. This season, he has taken his game to a different level. Miller has 96 points including 35 goals and joins <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/b\/burepa01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-04-05_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pavel Bure<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/n\/nasluma02.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-04-05_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Markus Naslund<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/s\/sedinhe01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-04-05_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Henrik Sedin<\/a> as the only Canucks to have multiple seasons with at least 90 points. Miller has made his presence known every game by not only putting up points but with his hits and blocks as well. The 31-year-old has been the driver of the offence this season and proved that he is the heart of the team.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">all the other names sound made up. jt miller is the only real hockey player <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/NU6CeJXpCe\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/NU6CeJXpCe<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; kw\u00efn h\u00fcz (@riotsurvivor) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/riotsurvivor\/status\/1775743280086475140?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">April 4, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/d\/demkoth01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-04-05_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Thatcher Demko<\/a> also deserves consideration for team MVP. Before his injury, he would make the saves when the Canucks needed him most. Even though he has been out since March 9, Demko is\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quanthockey.com\/nhl\/seasons\/nhl-goalies-stats.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">still in the top 10 among NHL goaltenders who have played 20 games in goals against average and save percentage.\u00a0<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Demko made Turcotte question all of his life choices with that save. <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Canucks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#Canucks<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/QRaVOvZdpv\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/QRaVOvZdpv<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Daniel Wagner (@passittobulis) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/passittobulis\/status\/1765250698852311135?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">March 6, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">It&#8217;s a tough choice but our pick goes to Hughes. He&#8217;s been the engine of the Canucks all season and it is a scary thought if he goes out out of the lineup.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Most Exciting Player<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">There are plenty to choose from. Several Canucks players have brought fans out of their seats.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Demko has made highlight reel saves, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/p\/petteel01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-04-05_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Elias Pettersson<\/a> did his dekes, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/g\/garlaco01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-04-05_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Conor Garland<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/j\/joshuda01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-04-05_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Dakota Joshua<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/h\/hoglani01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-04-05_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nils H\u00f6glander<\/a> brought fans out of their seats with their grit, goals, and skating. Miller also deserves consideration for this award as he scored some nice goals and made some great passes as well.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">But the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/b\/burepa01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-04-06_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pavel Bure<\/a> Most Exciting Player award is Hughes&#8217; to lose. Every time he has the puck, he does something exciting, whether that is by keeping the puck at the blueline, using his agility to get around an opponent scoring or making a great pass.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Quinn Hughes doing Quinn Hughes things <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Canucks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#Canucks<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/FlyTogether?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#FlyTogether<\/a><br \/>\ud83c\udfa5: Sportsnet | NHL <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/UGb1V5QptE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/UGb1V5QptE<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/CanucksArmy\/status\/1774557387724329264?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">March 31, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Unsung Hero<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">This one is tough and can cause debates. The Fred J. Hume Award is the Canucks team award for an &#8220;unsung hero.&#8221; That is a player on the team that doesn&#8217;t deserve enough credit.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Joshua won last year&#8217;s award. He could win it again. It&#8217;s hard to see why not. His hits, feistiness, and goals have gone under the radar but one could argue that he has become a fan favourite and made himself ineligible for this award.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Garland and H\u00f6glander also make strong cases. If we look at 5 on 5 goals scored ranks on the Canucks, H\u00f6glander is first (23), and Garland is third (16)<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0according to\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.naturalstattrick.com\/playerteams.php?fromseason=20232024&amp;thruseason=20232024&amp;stype=2&amp;sit=5v5&amp;score=all&amp;stdoi=std&amp;rate=n&amp;team=VAN&amp;pos=S&amp;loc=B&amp;toi=200&amp;gpfilt=none&amp;fd=&amp;td=&amp;tgp=410&amp;lines=single&amp;draftteam=ALL\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">NaturalStatTrick<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. It is also worth noting that Garland is fourth on the team behind Miller, Hughes, and Pettersson at 5 on 5 points with 37. H\u00f6glander&#8217;s 5 on 5 goals put him in a <\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/www.naturalstattrick.com\/playerteams.php?fromseason=20232024&amp;thruseason=20232024&amp;stype=2&amp;sit=5v5&amp;score=all&amp;stdoi=std&amp;rate=n&amp;team=ALL&amp;pos=S&amp;loc=B&amp;toi=700&amp;gpfilt=none&amp;fd=&amp;td=&amp;tgp=410&amp;lines=single&amp;draftteam=ALL\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">three-way tie for ninth in the NHL<\/span><\/a><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/p\/peterjo01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-04-06_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">John-Jason Peterka<\/a> of the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/category\/sabres\/\" target=\"_self\">Buffalo Sabres<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/m\/mooretr01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-04-05_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Trevor Moore<\/a> of the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/category\/kings\/\" target=\"_self\">LA Kings<\/a>. He has more 5 on 5 goals than <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/r\/rantami01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-04-05_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Mikko Rantanen<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/n\/nylanwi01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-04-05_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">William Nylander<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/k\/kucheni01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-04-05_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nikita Kucherov<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/c\/crosbsi01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-04-05_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Sidney Crosby,<\/a> and even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/m\/mcdavco01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-04-05_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Connor McDavid<\/a>. That&#8217;s pretty good.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">There are cases to be made for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/d\/desmica01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-04-05_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Casey DeSmith<\/a> who has been mostly a reliable backup this season especially since Demko got hurt. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/z\/zadorni01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-04-05_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nikita Zadorov<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/j\/juulsno01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-04-05_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Noah Juulsen<\/a>, have had their bad defensive moments but have proven they can be good defensively. Juulsen, in particular, has\u00a0<\/span><a class=\"editor-rtfLink\" href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2024\/02\/13\/look-noah-juulsens-improvement\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\"><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">improved throughout the season and has silenced his critics.<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">One name to throw in the ring is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/c\/coleia01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-04-05_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Ian Cole<\/a>. Cole has made smart defensive plays all season and has quietly been a solid defenceman for the Canucks. Sure, he&#8217;s had horrid games but when he is on his game, he is very reliable.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">It&#8217;s tough to decide. So, let&#8217;s have fun and throw another name into the ring and that is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hockey-reference.com\/players\/s\/suterpi01.html?utm_medium=linker&amp;utm_source=lastwordonsports.com&amp;utm_campaign=2024-04-05_hr\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pius Suter<\/a>. Suter has been a reliable bottom-six forward. He has been good defensively and has contributed offensively with 13 goals and 14 assists for 27 points. The Canucks have outscored opponents 21-10 at 5 on 5 when Suter is on the ice. He doesn&#8217;t get a lot of praise or credit for his efforts.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3>Best defenceman&#8230;is So Obvious<\/h3>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">No doubt about who wins the Walter \u201cBabe&#8221; Pratt Trophy for the best Canucks defenceman. It&#8217;s Hughes by a country mile. The reasons why have been said above. Who knows? Maybe one day after his career is over, they will name the best defenceman award after him.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Main photo: Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The\u00a0Vancouver Canucks have punched their ticket to the 2024 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs and are looking to finish the 2023-24 regular season strong. The whole season has been a breath of fresh air for Canucks fans as the last decade has been a dark one. The players, of course, deserve a ton of credit and [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4956,"featured_media":137869,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[26,4547,4548],"tags":[3951,7681,932,5373,4037,4762,2138,158],"class_list":["post-439449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-canucks","category-hockey","category-nhl","tag-conor-garland","tag-dakota-joshua","tag-elias-pettersson","tag-jt-miller","tag-nils-hoglander","tag-pius-suter","tag-quinn-hughes","tag-vancouver-canucks"],"modified_by":"Levi Pike, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/439449","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4956"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=439449"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/439449\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/137869"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=439449"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=439449"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=439449"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}