2023-24 NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown: Vancouver Canucks

Steven Ellis
Steven Ellis
2023-24 NHL Prospect Pool Breakdown: Vancouver Canucks
Credit: Anne-Marie Sorvin-USA TODAY Sports

For a non-playoff team, the Vancouver Canucks have an underwhelming prospect pool.

With Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes and Thatcher Demko being the core of this group, the Canucks have a decent base to build around. With the right coaching, this team has what it takes to challenge for the playoffs.

But does the pipeline have enough to make this team a realistic contender for the next decade? I don’t think so. The majority of the team’s top prospects are likely more complementary players, and not difference-makers. I like Tom Willander and Aatu Raty, but I have my concerns about most of the other skaters. I think Arturs Silovs will be a good backup, not much more than that.

It would benefit the Canucks to have a few more difficult seasons.

But with that being said, there might be some decent value to be found here, with players that can at least find ways to contribute.

Biggest Strength

The Canucks have solid defensive depth, with Willander leading the way. While the quality drops off after that, Hunter Brzustewicz, (defenseman) Elias Pettersson, Akito Hirose and Cole McWard are interesting choices that could all see NHL games over the next few years. Hirose and McWard, specifically, both played a handful of games at the end of the year and could do the same this year. At the very least, they’ve got options.

Biggest Weakness

Center depth is a big issue here. If it wasn’t for the acquisition of Aatu Raty, the Canucks wouldn’t have a center with a realistic shot of becoming an NHLer. The team drafted three over the past two years – Ty Mueller, Matthew Perkins and Daimon Gardner – but none is a big-name prospect.

TOP 10 PROSPECTS

Tom Willander (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)
Tom Willander (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)

Grade: C-

1. Tom Willander, D, 18 (Boston University, NCAA)

Drafted: No. 11, first round in 2023

The Canucks needed some defensive depth, so Willander made a lot of sense here. He’s one of the best skating defenders in the draft class and loves to rush the puck. That was especially prevalent at the World Junior A Challenge, where he showed how dominant he can be at speed. There’s a ton of raw talent that needs refining, but I think he’s capable of it. He grew on me the more I watched him play.

2. Aatu Raty, C, 20 (Abbotsford, AHL)

Drafted: No. 52, second round in 2021 by NY Islanders/traded to Vancouver in 2023

Raty’s career has been full of swings. After entering the 2021 NHL Draft year as the top projected prospect, he fell to the latter stages of the second round. He followed that up with a tremendous Draft+1 year, establishing himself as the Islanders’ top prospect. He had a difficult first year of pro in North America, bouncing between the NHL and AHL. But in Vancouver, he has a chance to play a big part in the team’s rebuild. He’ll likely start the year in Abbotsford again, but a big first half could pay off big time for the Finnish forward.

Jonathan Lekkerimaki (Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports)

3. Jonathan Lekkerimaki, RW, 19 (Örebro, SHL)

Drafted: No. 15, first round in 2022

Lekkerimaki had a rough year, struggling to find consistency at both the Allsvenskan and world junior level. He seemed to pick up the pace with a great playoff run with Djurgardens, which saw him record 15 points in 15 games, giving fans some hope. Lekkerimaki is a solid goal-scorer who needs to find ways to be more effective without the puck. I believe in him as a middle-six offensive threat one day, but I’d like to see him come to North America after one year in Örebro.

4. Arturs Silovs, G, 22 (Vancouver Canucks)

Drafted: No. 156, sixth round in 2019

Silovs catalyzed Latvia’s bronze medal effort at the World Championship. The 22-year-old AHLer had a 7-3-0 record with a .921 save percentage, standing tall against teams like Czechia, Switzerland, Sweden and the United States. He won the World Championship MVP and top goalie honors in his first year as starter with Latvia. After a solid year in the AHL with Abbotsford, capping it off with an excellent performance at the World Championship was icing on the cake.

5. Hunter Brzustewicz, D, 18 (Kitchener, OHL)

Drafted: No. 75, third round in 2023

After two years with the USNTDP, Brzustewicz moved to the OHL this year and was one heck of a pickup for Kitchener. He put up nearly 60 points thanks to his strong puck-moving play, and he’s as good of a transitional defender as it gets. His skating drags him down a bit – he’s fine enough for the OHL, but gets beaten a bit too often. Still, there’s enough of a base here for Brustewicz to become something notable. I thought he also looked great at the recent World Junior Summer Showcase.

Hunter Brzustewicz (Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff)

6. Elias Pettersson, D, 19 (Örebro, SHL)

Drafted: No. 80, third round in 2022

Pettersson might get a bit more attention due to his name, but he’s a good mobile defenseman with a solid 6-foot-2 frame. He’s a good passer and moves well along the ice, but I don’t love his play with the puck. I feel like he’s prone to mistakes too easily. Is there third-pairing potential? I think so, but he’ll need some coaching to make the most of his passing decisions.

7. Danila Klimovich, RW, 20 (Abbotsford, AHL)

Drafted: No. 41, second round in 2021

Count me as one of the people shocked to see Klimovich go so high in 2021. He had a great U-18 World Championship tournament that year, but all his offense came on the power play. Still, I think there’s a chance for him to have a good pro career. He’s strong, has a good shot and scored 17 goals last year, which you can’t look past given his age. He gets beat with poor skating, though. The Canucks can afford to give him a few extra years of development right now.

8. Josh Bloom, LW, 20 (Abbotsford, AHL)

Drafted: No. 95, third round in 2021/traded to Vancouver in 2023

The Buffalo Sabres wanted defensive depth, and it cost them Bloom to get Riley Stillman. Bloom played his best junior hockey after a trade to North Bay, scoring 25 goals and 55 points in 49 games. The energetic winger skates well and is always trying to push the pace, but will he be able to score enough to make him a full-time NHLer? Maybe enough so to play a bottom-six role, but I think he can handle that.

Akito Hirose (Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports)

9. Akito Hirose, D, 24 (Abbotsford, AHL)

Undrafted, signed as a free agent in 2023

After receiving some attention last summer following a solid 26-point campaign, he upped it to 37 points while playing a key role again this season. That decision to go back for a third college season quickly made him one of the better free agent options, and there were a couple teams believed to be in the mix for Hirose’s services once Minnesota State University was eliminated from Frozen Four contention on Thursday. Hirose’s speed, with and without the puck, is already NHL-level, and the offense has followed him throughout. Players that think and move like Hirose have good careers, but Hirose’s age won’t buy him a ton of time, likely.

10. Cole McWard, D, 22 (Abbotsford, AHL)

Undrafted, signed as a free agent in 2023

Simply put, I like McWard. His skating has improved since his USHL days, and he controlled the puck much more often than he did as a freshman. It paid off with nine goals and 21 points with Ohio, showing a new confidence missing from his game. He’s physical, looks good in his zone and has some excellent footwork. He’ll need some AHL seasoning, but I feel he can play some NHL games this year.

Other notables: Jacob Truscott, D (21), Lucas Forsell, LW (19), Aidan McDonough, LW (23), Linus Karlsson, RW (23), Arshdeep Bains, LW (22), Max Sasson, C (22), Jett Woo, D (23), Joni Jurmo, D (21), Aku Koskenvuo, G (20), Ty Young, G (18), Sawyer Mynio, D (18), Aiden Celebrini, D (18), Jackson Dorrington, D (19), Hugo Gabrielsson, D (20), Daimon Gardner, C (19), Jackson Kunz, LW (21), Matthew Perkins, LW (19), Dmitri Zlodeyev, C (21), Ty Mueller, C (20)

Previous 2023-24 NHL Prospect Pool instalments

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