A deep dive into the 2023-24 season of Vancouver Canucks forward Nils Åman.

Welcome 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 Nils Åman, who, in his second season with the organization, had three goals and seven points in 43 games. 

After starting the season in the AHL, Åman developed into a safe option on the fourth line. Averaging 10:20 a game, Åman recorded seven takeaways while also throwing 31 hits. He also had an xGF% of 52.99% at five-on-five while playing over 60 minutes shorthanded. Ultimately, he did his job when called upon and showed that he can be reliable in his own zone. 

When looking at NHL EDGE, one area that stood out was Åman's even strength zone time. At 41.4%, Åman was in the 65th percentile for offensive zone time, while his 40.4% in the defensive zone was in the 56th percentile. While these numbers may not look impressive, they show that when Åman is on the ice, he and his linemates are able to keep the puck out of the defensive zone 59.6% of the time. Even if he is not producing at a high rate, his ability to keep the puck away from his net is important, and it shows that he brings value to the lineup constantly. 

One of the more encouraging signs for moving forward for Åman was his performance in the postseason. After not playing for close to a month, Åman jumped back into the lineup during Game 4 of Vancouver's second-round series versus the Edmonton Oilers and stayed as the fourth-line center through Game 3. Averaging 9:27 of ice time, his work in the defensive zone was strong enough to impress Rick Tocchet and keep the 24-year-old in the lineup at the most important time of the year. 

During his five-game postseason run, Åman also saw time on the penalty kill in each game. In 7:28 of shorthanded time, Åman was able to keep the Oilers off the scoresheet while recording a shot on goal for himself, which was classified as a high-danger chance. The fact that Tocchet and his coaching staff continued to give Åman chances on the penalty kill is a good indicator of how much they trust him, as well as an endorsement of his overall play.

For Åman to take his game to the next level, he needs to work on his faceoffs. He was below 50% during both the regular season and playoffs and really struggled in the offensive zone. On the positive side, he did post a 54.8% win percentage on 42 defensive faceoffs in the regular season, showing that he has the capacity to win draws when they matter most. While a 45.6% win rate on 158 draws is not alarming, he does need to become more consistent in the faceoff dot moving forward.  

The biggest takeaway from the 2023-24 season for Åman is that he can be a reliable fourth-line option at the NHL level. Now entering his third year with the organization, he will be one of the players fighting for a permanent roster spot come training camp. If he can continue to take steps forward during the 2024-25 season, the Canucks could be looking at a long-term option in their bottom six. 

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