Every year coaches from the Ontario Hockey League’s Eastern and Western Conference vote for the best players in their respective conferences as defined by a vast array of categories: from best offensive defenseman, to best face-off man; from best defensive forward, to best shootout player.

In past years Canucks prospects like Brendan Gaunce and Bo Horvat have shown rather well in this coaches poll and in the 2014-15 edition current Canucks prospects Jordan Subban and Cole Cassels cleaned up, as did late-round pick Kyle Pettit. Oddly enough though Jared McCann – Vancouver’s first-round pick at the 2014 NHL Entry Draft – was left off of the list entirely, despite being easily the best prospect of the four.

Read on past the jump.

Let’s start with Subban, the promising but undersized unsigned draft pick with star pedigree. Subban, who plays for the Belleville Bulls in the Eastern Conference (like in the NHL, the much weaker of the two conferences) shows up three times in the coaches poll: in the hardest shot category, in the best offensive defenseman category, and in the best shootout player category. 

Subban was named the Eastern Conference’s best offensive defenseman and best defensive player by Eastern Conference coaches on Wednesday, while he placed third in the hardest shot voting. Not too shabby. 

Now the Canucks just need to sign him to that entry-level contract… 

Sticking with the Eastern Conference poll, Cassels was nominated in a variety of different categories, a flattering testament to his all-around game.

The OHL’s Eastern Conference coaches voted Cassels the second smartest player (behind Calgary Flames prospect Sam Bennett who only appeared in nine OHL games), the second hardest worker (behind possible top-five draft pick Lawson Crouse), the second best playmaker, the second best face-off man and the second best defensive forward. Pretty solid. 

In the much tougher Western Conference, McCann was snubbed from all mention. He didn’t earn a first, second, or third place mention. In part this is just an unfortunate outcome of playing in a stacked conference – where the likes of Dylan Strome, Mitchell Marner, Connor McDavid and Max Domi dominate. 

Oddly enough though while McCann was snubbed out West, defensive centre Kyle Pettit of the Erie Otters – Vancouver’s sixth-round selection in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft – warranted mention. Pettit was tied in the coaches poll for the second most under-rated player in the Western Conference Conference, was named the best face-off man in the West, and finished third in the voting for best defensive forward. 

Pettit’s counting stats still suggest that he’s a long shot to make any sort of impact in the NHL, but the 6-foot-4 centreman’s defensive game has obviously caught the eye of the hockey men who run their star players out against him on a nightly basis.