(Vancouver) Head coach Rick Tocchet has long believed that forward Dakota Joshua has something special to offer the Vancouver Canucks.
He saw it when he took the reins of the team in January 2023 and began his work to get the best out of the big winger.
“He’s an easy young man to manage,” Tocchet said on Monday. I believe he just needs to be pushed in the right direction and in the right way. »
Joshua really got going under Tocchet’s orders. He set personal highs at the end of the season, helping the Canucks rise to the top of the overall National Hockey League standings before capturing their first sectional title since 2013.
The hockey world got another glimpse of his talent Sunday when he scored two goals and added an assist in a 4-2 Canucks victory over the Nashville Predators in Game 1 of this premier playoff series. round.
His performance did not surprise his teammates in any way.
“I couldn’t be happier for him,” JT Miller said. He’s such an important piece of this hockey team and I don’t even know if he knows how good he is. He excels in several aspects of the game and I am happy that he is being rewarded. »
His linemate Conor Garland said he had often proclaimed Joshua’s talent.
“I see in practice, when there’s no pressure, the plays he makes,” Garland said. Sometimes it takes a while to understand the league. I told him. It took me forever. You have ups and downs. »
A native of Dearborn, Michigan, Joshua was a fifth-round draft pick of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2014. He never played for the Toronto club, being traded to the St. Louis Blues in July 2019 for future considerations.
He then shuttled between the Blues and the American League before signing with the Canucks in July 2022. He earned a spot on the roster in his first training camp with the club.
However, at last camp, Tocchet expressed concerns about his fitness and placed him in a group of players who were not intended to be in the lineup at the start of the season.
“He took the criticism and he was great,” Tocchet said. He knew what the problem was and he made it his business. And look where he is now. He did a hell of a job for us. »
Joshua was in the lineup for the season opener and set personal marks for points (32), goals (18) and assists (14) while playing an average of 14 minutes 23 seconds in 63 games.