Vancouver Canucks defence prospect Cole McWard is dealing with a “minor nagging injury” according to Postmedia’s Ben Kuzma. Kuzma reports that Abbotsford Canucks GM and Vancouver Canucks AGM Ryan Johnson cited this as the reason for McWard’s absence from the club’s 2024 Young Stars Classic roster, which was released earlier this week.
McWard, a 23-year-old right shot defenceman, is heading into his second full season with the Canucks organization after signing as a college free agent at the tail end of the 2022-23 season. McWard got a long look with Quinn Hughes during last year’s training camp, and it will be interesting to see where he slots in this year with a full year of pro experience under his belt.
The Fenton, Missouri native appeared in 57 games with the Abbotsford Canucks last season, where he tallied four goals and 13 assists. McWard’s injury is not expected to limit his availability for Canucks training camp, which kicks off a week from today in Penticton, BC, at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
McWard is an intriguing case heading into 2024-25, as he is clearly somebody the Canucks believe in. With all the talk this offseason about the Canucks’ apparent desire to play Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek on separate defence pairings, the look McWard got last preseason alongside Hughes makes him somebody who’s progress is worth following along with this season.
McWard came in at number 14 on our most recent ranking of the top 20 prospects in the Vancouver Canucks’ prospect pool. Read the full report on him and his game by clicking here.
While the Canucks will be without McWard for the Young Stars Classic, they should have a fairly decent team, headlined by Jonathan Lekkerimäki and Arshdeep Bains up front, with Elias Pettersson, Akito Hirose, and Kirill Kudryavtsev on the back end. Follow along all weekend starting tomorrow as we bring you all the action from the 2024 Young Stars Classic in Penticton!
