As Canucks fans watch the brilliant play taking place in the second round of the NHL playoffs, it’s hard not to notice how very far away the team seems from playing meaningful hockey at this time of the year.

After all, the quality of play being delivered by each of the clubs still in the hunt for the Stanley Cup easily dwarfs anything the Canucks put forward this season.

However, help may be on the way.

Since the end of the Canucks season, Vancouver prospects (not to mention Brock Boeser, who was nominated for the Calder Trophy in his first year in the NHL) have been graced with nominations and awards left, right and centre.

Here’s some of the hardware Canucks youngsters have taken home.

Adam Gaudette – Hobey Baker Trophy winner

Gaudette capped off a brilliant season at Northeastern in the NCAA by winning the trophy awarded to the best collegiate player. The Braintree, Massachusetts native is now projected to land a third-line role in the NHL after originally being drafted in the fifth round of the 2015 NHL draft.

The progress Gaudette has seen in the last couple of years is evident by the points he put up, going from 30 in his rookie season to 60 this campaign, his third in the NCAA. He was also called up for a stint with the Canucks at the end of the year and didn’t look out of place.

Elias Pettersson – Swedish League MVP, playoff MVP, forward of the year, rookie of the year

Truly the Canucks’ golden boy, Pettersson’s arrival has been heavily anticipated since the team drafted him fifth overall in the 2017 NHL draft.

His rookie season in Sweden’s top league only served to excite fans and team brass alike, as Pettersson absolutely tore up the Swedish Elite League.

He was also named to Sweden’s World Championship roster and has begun making his mark there as well, putting up two points in three games.

Petrus Palmu – Finnish Elite League rookie of the year

Palmu is not on anyone’s list of Vancouver’s top prospects, as the smallish forward isn’t often regarded in the same breath as other wingers in the system like Kole Lind and Jonah Gadjovich. But the sixth-round draft pick had a nice year in the Finnish Elite League, scoring 36 points and winning the rookie of the year award.

Fellow Canucks prospect Olli Juolevi just missed out on a nomination for the same award, finishing fourth in voting.

Jonathan Dahlen – Allsvenskan MVP and forward of the year

Since last summer, Canucks fans have been dreaming of a future first line consisting of Pettersson and Dahlen, who have played together in the past. This year, Dahlen was in the second-best league Sweden has to offer and he didn’t disappoint.

The forward who was acquired for Alex Burrows put up 44 points in as many games while leading his Timrå team to promotion up to the Swedish Elite League.

Michael DiPietro – Ontario Hockey League goaltender of the year

Though Thatcher Demko gets all the attention as the Canucks goaltender of the future (and rightfully so, given the fantastic year he just had in his first pro season in Utica), DiPietro has emerged as a capable netminder in his own right.

After being left off Canada’s World Junior Championship roster in December, DiPietro had a strong second-half of his season, winning the Memorial Cup with the Windsor Spitfires and, in an extremely rare move for a goaltender with no pro experience, was added to Canada’s World Championship team. He’s the second Canuck on Team Canada’s squad, joining forward Bo Horvat.

At least two of the aforementioned prospects figure to be with the Canucks on a full-time basis next year (Gaudette and Pettersson), while Dahlen and Palmu will likely be with the Utica Comets in the AHL. DiPietro figures to need a couple of years in junior or in Utica, but he may get some games in against NHL stars during the World Championships.