Three members of the Vancouver Canucks received votes this year for the Frank J. Selke Trophy, which is awarded annually to the National Hockey League forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game.
Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov won the award for the second time in his career, receiving 165 out of 194 first-place votes. Carolina Hurricanes captain Jordan Staal and Toronto Maple Leafs forward Auston Matthews rounded out the top three.
J.T. Miller appeared on five ballots submitted by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. The 31-year-old centre received one first-place vote, one second-place vote, one third-place vote, and two fourth-place votes, enough to finish 15th in balloting.
Conor Garland appeared on five ballots, including one fifth-place vote from The Province‘s Patrick Johnston. The 28-year-old winger also received a third-place vote and another fifth-place vote, which put him in a tie for 23rd in balloting with Tampa Bay’s Anthony Cirelli.
Finally, Elias Pettersson appeared on four ballots but finished narrowly behind Garland in voting. The 25-year-old centre received one fourth-place vote and three fifth-place votes, enough to finish in 26th place — just one point back of Garland, and 22 behind Miller.
Miller previously received Selke votes in 2020, 2022, and 2023, finishing 19th, 23rd, and 34th, respectively. His 15th-place finish this year is now the highest of his career.
Garland had never previously received votes for the Selke or any other award during his six-year NHL career. Pettersson finished seventh in Selke voting in 2023 after scoring a career-best 102 points and finishing with a plus-16 rating.
Bolstered significantly by the contributions of all three of their Selke vote recipients, the Canucks finished the 2023-24 regular season with a plus-56 goal differential, the sixth-best in the NHL. They won the Pacific Division with a 50-23-9 record and 109 points in 82 games.
The Canucks emerged as one of the best surprise stories in the league throughout the season, coming together seamlessly under head coach Rick Tocchet and making aggressive moves to land Elias Lindholm and Nikita Zadorov ahead of the trade deadline. They defeated the Nashville Predators in the first round of the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs and have now pushed the Edmonton Oilers to the brink of elimination in Round 2.