Prospect System Ranking – 23rd (28th last year)
The Jim Benning era as GM came to a close December 2021, and new GM Patrik Allvin has been adding his imprint to the team since then, running last year’s draft and selecting Jonathan Lekkerimaki 15th overall. It may be early to draw any conclusions as he inherited a complicated cap situation, that remains an issue to be resolved this offseason. Bo Horvat was moved for a 1st from the Islanders (18th overall) for 2023, along with prospect Aatu Raty (plus Anthony Beauvillier). He then traded that pick plus a second for Filip Hronek and a fourth from Detroit. Are they sellers or buyers? They have some foundational pieces in Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes. The supporting cast is generally in their mid-20’s. Their graduated prospects are solid pieces in Nils Hoglander, Vasily Podkolzin and Quinn Hughes. However, they are forced to clear some cap space this offseason, perhaps surrendering more future pieces to get the relief they need.
They retain their first three picks for 2023,2024, and 2025 with a healthy slate of picks. Having only made the playoffs once in the last eight years, the fan base is growing impatient given the young stars are entering their prime. Rumours attached to Brock Boeser, Conor Garland, and even J.T. Miller have been rampant in a dispirited season, in which their coach, Bruce Boudreau, was left twisting in the wind for much of it. They get a fresh start this season, but Allvin has a complicated puzzle to untangle before they begin to make progress.
Lekkerimäki hasn't had the smoothest post-draft season, but he's not the first or the last top prospect to experience that, especially among ones who still have a lot of physical development left to do. At his best he is an electrifying offensive winger, able to skate through or around traffic, control the puck at high speeds, and then beat a goalie with slick hands or a well-placed shot. Where he gets into trouble is due to his strength and resistance, as it isn’t hard right now for pro defenders to pin him to the boards, box him out of the slot, or otherwise neutralize him when they catch him. Conditioning can be a problem too, struggling to keep his engine running all game or through busy schedules. But once the training catches up to the talent, watch out. He is finishing his year on a high note though, with scoring totals that match what he did during the regular season.
2. Aatu Raty
Räty has a reputation for swinging wildly between hot and cold, which dates all the way back to his time in Finland's highest junior league and has now followed him all the way to British Columbia. It's a real shame too, because when he gets everything clicking in unison, he is legitimately one of the best prospects in the sport. He's at his best when the puck is on his stick and he's feeling determined and confident, maintaining possession in traffic and making defenders look foolish by throwing them on his back, undressing them or threading passes right through them. It remains a large mystery why he has such a bad habit of taking his foot off the gas and deciding that he's content being a passenger instead of a driver. Any coach that can light a consistent fire under him will look like a genius.
3. Jack Rathbone
Rathbone lost a lot of the momentum that he had going for him last season, and his point totals took a dramatic tumble. Vancouver's early struggles and desperate lineup turnover had ripple effects throughout the organization, and some players never fully regained their balance. The good news is that the Boston native is still wildly talented and should be more than fine in the long run. He is a premier puck-moving blueliner with plus offensive instincts, and that type of player is arguably more valuable in the NHL now than ever before. He manages opposing forechecks with escapability since he doesn't have enough bulk to help him absorb a lot of hits. Vancouver will need to be careful with Rathbone next season, because he will require waivers to go to the AHL and a lot of teams would jump at the chance to acquire him for free.
4. Aidan McDonough
Convincing McDonough to sign with the team that drafted him instead of going the free agent route after college was a top priority for Vancouver, and they accomplished their mission. Promising him NHL games straightaway was a smart carrot to dangle, and he was rewarded for his loyalty to the team by scoring his first career goal in the show. He is a strong, shoot-first winger who is difficult to box out or tie up when he really wants to get to the net front. Staying with Northeastern for four seasons was a smart decision, because that extra time in the gym allowed him to fill out his frame and improve his conditioning, two necessary gains that he will now have an easier time maintaining moving forward. McDonough might have to start next season in the AHL, but some time down at that level won't stunt his progress.
5. Linus Karlsson
Karlsson transitioned quite nicely to North America in his first season, immediately slotting into a top six job and eclipsing the 20-goal mark. That was what was expected, since he's an older prospect and enjoyed a lot of success professionally in Sweden beforehand, but it wasn't a guarantee. He is a Jack-of-all-trades forward who can play different forward positions, do damage as a shooter or a playmaker, handles and protects the puck well, and doesn't usually sacrifice his defensive responsibilities to cheat for his offense. He has been a go-to guy at times but might be better suited in general as more of a supporting piece The Canucks acquired Karlsson from San Jose in exchange for Jonathan Dahlén, and since Dahlén played one uneventful season with the Sharks before heading to Europe it's safe to assume that Vancouver is happy with how that transaction is currently looking.
6. Arturs Silovs
Over the past few years Silovs has played a relatively sparse number of games for a goalie, even going back before the pandemic hit, but somehow it appears to have not really hindered his development, which can't be said for a lot of netminders in his age group. He's also one of the few pro-level prospects in the organization who maintained stability amid all the turbulence, and you always want to see unflappable composure in a goaltender. He has done a very good job taking the natural foundation provided by his huge frame and then stacking improvements in all areas on top. It's still not quite certain whether Silovs has what it takes to become a true NHL starter in the future, but he has played well enough that the Canucks will now commit to try grooming him for that role.
7. Joni Jurmo
Jurmo is often the epitome of firewagon hockey, and while it probably drives his coaches crazy at times you can't deny that it's entertaining as hell to watch. Every time the big, mobile defenseman winds up behind his own net with the puck there is an exhilarating chance that something dramatic happens, though that could either be a year-end highlight-reel-worthy rush that leads to a goal, or an utterly brutal turnover barely past his own net that leads to an easy goal against. And while his macro game is high risk, high reward, his micro game and fine details are mostly riddled with concerns. It's difficult to rely on a blueliner too heavily when their puck management is not trustworthy. Still, Jurmo is worth continually investing development resources into due to the possibility that he can further utilize his fantastic raw tools to increase the good moments while significantly reducing the bad ones.
8. Danila Klimovich
Klimovich has taken a genuine step forward this season compared to last season, though the question still persists about whether spending the last of his teenage years in the AHL was the right decision for his long-term development. With his combination of size, athleticism, puck skill and long skating strides he has so much growth potential, but the less a young guy plays, the harder it is to master those tools. After his breakout performance for Belarus at the 2021 IIHF U18s it wouldn't have been surprising to see him once again dominate against his age group, this time in the QMJHL, as Rouyn-Noranda held his North American rights. Luckily for him, Vancouver's shallow prospect depth puts him in a favourable position to play a prominent role and log a lot of ice time for the Canucks in the foreseeable future. However, will the finished product be as good as it could have been?
9. Elias Pettersson
No, that's not a typo: there is another Elias Pettersson in the Canucks organization. This one is nowhere near the same caliber of player as the older, 100-point-scoring forward, but don't assume that Vancouver drafted him for some kind of novel reason: the young blueline is a top-notch prospect, and that selection is already looking like one of the smartest mid-round picks from the 2022 draft. He scored at a point-per-game pace in Sweden's top under-20 league this season, but his ability to defend is his real bread and butter, and that's how he carved out a role on his SHL club that carried over into the playoffs. With a good blend of size, skating, puck control, smarts and grit, Pettersson is ideally equipped to eventually become a bottom four NHL defenseman and might even reach a top pairing with the right partner to work with.
10. Jett Woo
The hype that once followed Woo has disappeared, and it's never coming back. The big question now, however, is whether he will ever actually make the cut as an NHLer in any capacity. There are things to like about his game, such as his heavy shot from the point and his propensity to throw thunderous hits. The problem is that he just doesn't leave enough of a positive impact on a regular basis. He goes through long stretches where he is unnoticeable, but then pops into focus for an unwanted reason. Even though there aren't really any red flags to worry about he desperately needs to find another element in his game that he can really hang his hat on, whether that's puck transportation, playmaking, off-puck defending or something else. If Woo isn't careful his shot at making the NHL could dry up sooner than he might think.