What We Learned About the Canucks at Training Camp 2025!
Hockey is back, and training camp just finished up for the Canucks, so let’s get into what was said in the interviews, what happened at the practices, and who shined in the scrimmage.
Interview Notes
I will be going through each interview in all the scrums and giving a summary on what was said, and then giving my thoughts at the end of each one.
Quinn Hughes
Said the skate was system-focused but still fun. Shut down more contract questions by saying he’s not thinking about it and wants the focus to stay on hockey. He emphasized improving his leadership skills, listening to his body, and building on what he’s already good at. For him, last year is in the past — this season is about staying present and focused. He also doubled down on his confidence in Demko, calling him the best goalie when healthy. I was happy with his interview. He dealt with the contract questions in a good way and really tried to change the focus to what’s coming next instead of the past of a clicky story.
Elias Pettersson
He said he’s enjoying skating with Boeser and DeBrusk, noting that he feels stronger after putting in extra offseason work. His shot is harder, and he’s buying into the team’s new system that emphasizes creating odd-man rushes through strong defence. He kept his focus on the season at hand, avoiding future talk, and added that he wants Hoglander to work hard and really show what he can do this year. Same with Hughes, they tried to bait him into questions about last year, but he kept the focus on this season.
Thatcher Demko
Spoke with confidence, saying he feels refreshed, stronger, and back to where he was two years ago. He worked on his mental game as much as the physical side this offseason, and he’s eager to step up as a leader. He praised Foote’s leadership approach and stressed his commitment to being part of the solution in Vancouver. Demko highlighted the trust he and Lankinen have built, calling it a partnership rather than a competition, and said his goal is Canucks success and that with that, he’ll prove he should be on Team USA at the Olympics. Liked this interview as well, kept it honest, and really hyped up the upcoming season
Jake DeBrusk
He described training camp as “go time,” admitting he’s just shaking off a little rust but will be ready to go soon. He praised Foote’s practices, said he’s really enjoyed playing alongside Pettersson, and showed his lighter side with a laugh about losing some street cred for being a big Pokémon guy. Overall, he came across relaxed and comfortable, clearly happy to be back.
Conor Garland
He reflected on learning a lot from playing at the World Championships and wants to take another step forward this season. In particular, he mentioned a focus on being leaned on more defensively and improving his role on the penalty kill.
Filip Chytil
He started by saying that he’s been preparing since May and isn’t overthinking his 2C opportunity with the Canucks. He’s focused on rounding out his game, avoiding injury-prone situations, and building chemistry with his new teammates and he’s specifically been working on being stronger at the net front and getting to the dirty areas of the ice. I’m excited for this season with him in an elevated role, hopefully he succeeds.
Brett McLean
Assistant coach Brett McLean highlighted the high pace of camp, with lots of skating drills designed to set the tone. He was complimentary of the Pettersson, Boeser, and DeBrusk line’s chemistry and noted that line combinations will be mixed up throughout the preseason. McLean emphasized putting centers in positions to succeed and praised Evander Kane’s leadership and physical details. He also pointed out how impressed he’s been with Braeden Cootes’ attitude and work ethic. Seems like a good, helpful leader to add to the coaching staff, excited for his future with the team.
Adam Foote
He stressed leadership, pointing out Pettersson (Forward), Myers, and Marcus Pettersson as key figuresin the leadership group. He liked what he saw from Boeser and Pettersson early on, praised the group’s transitions, and said it’s normal for players to need time to adjust to the physicality. Foote specifically mentioned not wanting Chytil to drift too much east-west on entries to avoid hits, and wants to put him in positions to let his skill shine. He’s been encouraged by Cootes’ hockey IQ and liked what he’s seen from the Pettersson, Boeser, and DeBrusk line, though he emphasized that the real tests will come in games. The audio on his interview was bad, so I went off Canucks Summaries, so thank you for that.
On Ice Notes
Before I get into this section, I want to thank Thomas Drance for his information on the practices that I was not able to attend. I will go through this section by player, starting with Pettersson
PETTERSSON
He had good moments on day one, including a short-side laser on Tolopilo and a nice sauce to Debrusk and a high work ethic. He looked a tad sluggish at the start, but his pace picked up towards the end, and he looked stronger on his feet in battles. Overall, not too worried, but I’m remaining realistic for his season.
FOOTE
Wants to get chemistry in quickly, says he has little time to test lines, shown with the lines looking like either NHL or AHL lines, and he is happy with what he saw, but there's still testing to do. Hopefully, he can get his mind set on the lines by the time the season starts.
COOTES
Has quiet confidence that he can make it, but is hopeful for a 9-game sample to help his development. Looked impressive throughout camp with Bains and Sherwood.. Good pace, fast shot with a quick release, and he's able to elevate it in close to the net. Has problems with size, though and strength, and has a tough time in the corners with endurance. Players are testing him in an effort to show his work ethic and skill to help him shine. A bright spot in camp so far, being far in his skill and should be even better once he’s built out his frame.
SYSTEMS
1-2-2 in the neutral zone instead of a Pressure 2-3. Works from the back to the front, good pressure down low to cause turnovers with the risk of getting beat, but with the advantage of possibly having numbers on offence. 4 man rushes are what coaching wants. Having Hughes would help with that. Myers can benefit as well. I don’t mind the thought of the system; my worry is the execution, and I feel it can be exploited by a star player with a high IQ and good passing, but should exploit the weakness of lower lines, causing good odd-man rushes. In terms of the 4-man rushes, I’m worried about the defence getting stuck behind, so hopefully the third man in can provide support. I’m hopeful about this system, though.
CHYTIL
Playing as if he has something to prove, even in drills, had impressive reps against Blueger in 1-1 and 2-2 drills. His puck protection looks better than last year. Had a nice five-hole goal on a rush drill. Barring an injury, could impress at the 2C role this season.
JOSEPH
Great energy, looks like he belongs in the NHL, maybe beats Mancini for a spot. Also is a help for those players to push harder. always great to have competition instead of a back up plan like Juulsen.
MEDVEDEV
Canucks are excited about where he’s at for a goalie who just turned 18. Great news, as our goaltending development has been great.
SASSON
Happy to play center instead of on the wing. Not sure if he will get NHL time there, but if an injury occurs should be a good 4th line guy.
KRAVTSOV
Might start in the AHL, but wait for him to get into games. Not great to hear after his year in the KHL, hopefully, that changes.
WILLANDER
Will need AHL time, most likely will be like a D Petey this season. Not bad at all, I thought this would be the case all summer, probably just needs time to adjust to the pro level.
KARLSSON
Improved skating, his game is fit for a bottom-line guy, should look like he did in the Calder Cup playoffs. My pick to make the fourth line is just a consistently solid player.
RATY
Skating is the same; hopefully, his IQ helps him, a little scary, but hopefully, he improves in his development
KLIMOVICH
Has the NHL shot, but apparently messed up a drill and had to get it reexplained. Has the tools; he just needs to work on the small things will be in Abby
KUDRYAVTSEV
Holding his own against NHL forwards and looks better, but will most likely be an injury call-up.
Scrimmage Notes
The Scrimmage was the only part of training camp that I was able to watch and I have to say it was a good one. Overall, I was impressed by a lot of players out there, but there are only a few who had standout moments. The players who impressed the most are guys like Chytil, who had a great performance with his effort. He didn’t get on the scoresheet, but his effort made him shine through the screen. The reason this is great to see is that he is seen as a 3C currently, but he is being elevated to a 2C role and needs to show an improved effort to unlock the potential he has.
Another Player who impressed was Teddy Blueger, who showed out in the scrimmage along with his linemates Hoglander and Garland. The line looked strong with Hoglander playing great in the corners with good puck protection and speed. Garland looked normal, which is all he needs to be to help this team succeed, but even with those performances, Teddy Blueger stood out. He played with great pace and even ended up scoring a beautiful goal, lifting the puck opposite of where he was skating to over the glove of Tolopilo. With that performance, Blueger is sure giving Raty a run for his money in earning a 3C role on opening night.
Next up are the players who had above-average performances or are players we are looking out for, starting with Elias Pettersson (Forward). Although he didn’t have an amazing performance, he had some good moments, with the big one being his efforts to push Hronek off the puck to set up Boeser for the empty-netter. The other play I was impressed with was during a zone exit, he made a smart play setting up Joseph for a rush and that materialized into a great chance for Kudryavstev that was helped by the next player, Sherwood. Before we get to him, I just want to say that just because Pettersson didn’t get a goal or had an amazing performance doesn’t mean he’s still struggling. Star players don’t show out at camp because they have a guaranteed spot.
Now on to Sherwood, he had a great performance with a goal and an assist and a great effort on every shift. He’s definitely made a case to be a dark horse for the top 6, but realistically, he should be a great 3rd liner for the Canucks this season.
Players who had standout moments are Lekkrimaki with an opportunity early, Kane and Sasson, who had good rushes; Alriksson with his great shot on his goal; Tolopilo with his overall performance; Hronek, not looking rusty at all; Kilmovich drawing a penalty and giving a nice effort on the penalty shot with Boeser showing good speed trying to catch him on it; and Raty with his comfort level on the ice. Overall, a great scrimmage with a lot of odd-man rushes that you can both like and worry about. But I chose the former.
In Conclusion, there is a lot to be excited about after this camp, and I think that some position battles will push players to not only win but to get better. The lines that were put out were very NHL and AHL focused, and it seems that the coaching staff has an early eye on what the lines will look like opening night. The new system should give a fresh new look for the team going in with it, designed to work off our strength to help create more offence with odd-man rushes. Still more to come in the preseason with different line combinations and the power play to get worked in. Hopefully, they get the team to where they need to be on opening night. I’ll see you guys next week for This Week in Canucksland. Game articles will be on hold until the season starts, so I can get them down to a point where I think they are good enough. But lastly, thanks for reading. I’ll see you next time.