Are You Ready For Hockey? - Canucks Prospect Games Preview
The Vancouver Canucks have released their Prospect Showcase roster ahead of the matchups against Seattle’s prospects — and there are some surprising names to break down, as there are some names that I didn't think would be there and some names that I knew would be there and am excited to watch. Now the full list of names is on the thumbnail of this article, and you can see who is there, but I want to go through who I’m watching closely and for what reason. I’ll group the players into the reasons, starting with players I haven’t seen much of yet.
That list is pretty short, as it’s mainly the Canucks draft picks that I haven’t gotten the chance to see, like Kieran Dervin, Gabriel Chairot, and Aleksei Medvedev. Missing from the Roster is Matthew Lansing, who was a seventh-round pick and Wilson Bjorck, who was the Canucks fifth-round pick and an impressive showing at the World Junior Summer Showcase. They are both off the list as they are playing in the NCAA this upcoming season. Other Players on this list are the players that were Abbotsford signings in the offseason or players I haven’t heard about, like Defencemen Zach Sandhu and Xander Velliaris. Forwards Aaron Obobaifo, Ben Berard, Nick Poisson, and Jakob Oreskovic. And Goalie Aku Koskenvuo. I’m excited to watch them play and see what they are about.
The next group of players are the players that I know already, but I don’t expect them to compete for an NHL roster spot. The Players in this group are Vilmer Alriksson, Riley Pattersson, Josh Bloom, Jackson Kunz, Cooper Walker, Joe Arntsen, Sawyer Mynio, and Parker Alcos. Now I’m more familiar with some players than others, so the likes of Kunz, Patterson, and Alcos will be me learning a little more about their game than I already know and seeing their development. Mynio, Bloom, Walker, Arntsen, and Alriksson are players I’m already more familiar with and am excited as I think most of them will be playing in Abbotsford this season, and I’ll see a lot more of them this season.
The last group of players are the guys who are going to be pushing for an NHL roster spot, even if I don’t think that they will make it. Those players are Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Braeden Cootes, Tom Willander, Elias Pettersson (defenceman), and Krill Kudryavstev. Now these are the guys that everyone knows and is excited to watch here, as these are big pieces of our future. Lekkerimaki looked great in the NHL this season, even though he still needs some time. In my opinion, the upside he showed is enough to get me excited for his future, and he should have a great two games along with the other players. Braeden Cootes should have all the hype going into these two games. The fifteenth overall pick has great upside and should put up a good showing alongside Lekkerimaki as the top two forwards on the roster. I can’t wait to watch those two play. D Petey, Willander, and Kudryavtsev are going to make that defence solid. Krill should be solid, but I’m not sure if he makes the NHL. But he’s got good upside and should put on a good performance like he does in Abby. Willander is the one I have the most hype for, as he is our best prospect, and he should make a good push for an NHL roster spot, and even if he doesn’t make it, he will be a top pair in Abby, getting great minutes under a good coach. D Petey, we already know what he’s about, so I don’t have to say more, but he is the most NHL-ready one so far.
In Conclusion, this Team should be fun to watch as we have a mix of different levels of prospects and should expect different things from each of them. I’m excited to watch the players I haven’t seen yet. See the progression from the players I know already. And last but not least, watch the top prospects dominate and put up great performances. The Games start tonight at 6 pm Pacific and the next one is tomorrow at 4 pm Pacific, and are available to watch here: https://www.nhl.com/canucks/. I will make another article after both games and talk about what I saw and how close I think certain prospects are. I’ll see you guys on Monday.