2023-24 Vancouver Canucks Player Review: J.T. Miller
A deep dive into the 2023-24 season of Vancouver Canucks forward J.T. Miller.
Photo by Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports - 2023-24 Vancouver Canucks Player Review: J.T. MillerWelcome to the 2023-24 Vancouver Canucks player review series. Over the summer, we will be taking a look at Canucks players performances from the 2023-24 season. Today's player is J.T. Miller, who had 37 goals and 103 points in 81 games.
What a season it was for Miller. Voted MVP by the fans, Miller became the seventh player in franchise history to record 100 points in a season. He was also one of the team's emotional leaders all year, both on and off the ice.
Miller is the perfect example of a player who can thrive once a new coach is brought in. Playing in Rick Tocchet's system, Miller saw improved play at both ends of the ice, which led him to receive Selke as well as Hart votes last year. On top of setting a new career high in points, he also recorded career highs in blocks and hits, while his plus/minus of +32 was the highest of his career.
Despite being used in a matchup role most nights, Miller's even strength zone time numbers showed just how effective he was at shutting down the opposition's top players. He finished the regular season playing 42.9% of his even-strength time in the offensive zone, which ranked in the 85th percentile. He also was able to keep his defensive zone time below 40%, finishing the year at 39.6%. Ultimately, Miller did a great job keeping the puck out of his defensive zone when on the ice, which led to him posting his best goals against per 60 at even strength since joining Vancouver.
The power play was also an area where Miller thrived this past season. He recorded 30 assists for the second time in his career while he hit the double-digit goal mark for the second consecutive season. Ultimately, he was a threat every time the puck was on his stick, as he could roof shots or deliver tape-to-tape cross-ice passes that would often result in scoring chances.
As for the playoffs, Miller was consistently one of the Canucks best players night after night. He finished tied for the team lead with 12 points while recording 42 hits over the 13 games. Miller was also dynamic in the faceoff dot, winning 58.6% of over 200 faceoffs. If not for Miller's play, the Edmonton Oilers series could have gone sideways, as he did a fantastic job limiting Connor McDavid's production for the majority of the series.
While Miller has had productive seasons with Vancouver, this was arguably his best year to date. He has developed into a more complete player and one that the fanbase has grown to love. Heading into his sixth season with the Canucks, Miller has the chance to achieve something only Pavel Bure, which is recording 100 points in back-to-back seasons.
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