3 Canucks players who surprised us this season

J.T. Miller was already a great player, but…

J.T. Miller has always been a reliable player, and you can argue he’s been the best in British Columbia starting in 2019-20. What we didn’t see happening when the Canucks season commenced in October was Miller hitting the century mark in points, which should at least grant him Hart Trophy consideration. 

Heading into 2023-24’s final week, Miller scored a career-high 36 goals and logged another 66 assists, giving him 102 points. His shooting percentage was an astounding 19.0 percent as of April 15th, and Miller still wasn’t done setting new career-bests. 

Through his first 80 games, Miller won 818 faceoffs, blocked 61 shots, and landed 214 body checks. He scored a lot, but let’s credit Miller’s defensive play as a catalyst for helping the Canucks maximize their scoring chances, which led to this team averaging 3.41 goals per game. 

Thanks to his fantastic play since he first trekked out west, you may not think of Miller as a surprise. While his ability to be a game-changer shocked nobody, the point is, Miller’s overall production set a new standard in British Columbia. Next season, let’s not expect similar numbers, but we’ll also be disappointed if there is too much of a drop-off.