Physical winger Dakota Joshua ‘getting better and better’ for Vancouver Canucks

The hockey world got another glimpse of his talent on Sunday as Joshua powered the Canucks to a 4-2 victory over the Nashville Predators in Game 1 of their first-round playoff series.

The performance was no surprise to Joshua’s teammates.

“I couldn’t be happier for him. He’s such a big part of this hockey team and I don’t even know if he knows how good he is, man,” JT Miller said after Sunday’s game. “He is so good at many things and I am very happy that he is being rewarded tonight. He played great.”

Linemate Conor Garland said he has often told 27-year-old Joshua how skilled he is.

“I see it in practice when there’s no pressure in the plays he makes,” Garland said. “Sometimes it takes a while before you understand the competition. I told him that. It took forever. And then you have some ups, you have some downs. You try to find yourself as a player.

“It’s getting to an age where I think he’s just coming into his own. And I think he’s just going to get better and better.”

Hailing from Dearborn, Michigan, Joshua was selected by Toronto in the fifth round of the 2014 NHL entry draft. He never suited up for the Maple Leafs, and Toronto dealt him to St. Louis in July 2019 for future considerations.

Joshua bounced between the Blues and their American Hockey League affiliates before signing with Vancouver as a free agent in July 2022 and earning a spot on the Canucks roster out of training camp. He plans to become an unrestricted free agent this summer.

There’s a lot to like about the 6-foot-1, 206-pound winger, Tocchet said, from his wall game and physicality to the way he can use his hands.

However, when he arrived at training camp last fall, the coach expressed concern about Joshua’s fitness and placed him with a group that was not expected to be in the NHL club’s lineup on opening night.

“He accepted the criticism and he was great,” Tocchet said. “He knew whatever problem we had and he owned it. And look where he is now. He did a great job for us.”

Joshua made the roster on opening night and went on to post career highs in points (32), goals (18) and assists (14) while averaging 14 minutes, 23 seconds of ice time in 63 games this season.

He missed 18 appearances with a hand injury after a fight during Vancouver’s win over the Blackhawks in Chicago on February 13, going on to score five goals and an assist in 10 appearances.

Sunday was Joshua’s second NHL playoff game – he played his first with the Blues in 2022 – and he impressed with both his physicality and his attacking prowess.

In addition to his three points, Joshua registered six of Vancouver’s 39 goals, tying Predators winger Cole Smith for the most in the game.

Playoff hockey is what everyone wants to play, whether they are known for their physicality, skills or something else, Joshua said.

“You want to participate in the play-offs and play for the cup. Emotions are high in the beginning, everyone wants to get hit and get their legs under them,” he said. “But yeah, bring on the pain. You will have to go through some things to get that ultimate prize.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 22, 2024.

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press