CANUCKS ARMY YEAR IN REVIEW: BO HORVAT

The face of the Canucks franchise for years to come may well be Bo Horvat. Regarded as the heir to the captaincy of Henrik Sedin, Horvat has shown he has the leadership, poise, and talent to represent the Canucks. This season, Horvat proved that, especially in the second half of the season. He was one of the lone bright spots in the dog days of the year, as he got better as the years got on. The sophomore season is often lauded as being a step back for players that performed at great levels in their rookie seasons. For the first half of the year, Horvat looked like he might fall into the trap of that stereotype. But he broke through and showed Canucks fans yet again that he was ready to make the next step in his career.

As I’ll mention below, his Corsi stat lines are concerning, but the hope is he can change his ways on a team that will benefit him more in those opportunities as the years go on. He’s a top 6 scorer, which is definitely a positive for the team.

40 points on a losing team isn’t a bad number, but if we would have performed at the same level he did near the end of the year, his numbers would have been stellar. He had a nice hit total, which isn’t really what he’s known for, and stayed out of the penalty box for the most part.

Corsi is definitely where you can count Horvat’s flaws this season. His 45.83 CF% was one of the worst on the team and his -152 stat line is really an eyesore.

His scoring chance stats weren’t ideal, but they also weren’t the worst ever especially considering the team he was playing on. 

Horvat had a respectable sophomore campaign, with room to grow as the seasons go on for sure. He proved he can be a formidable scorer in this league, and lead this franchise for the years to come. 

Photo via Grainne, of course.