The Vancouver Canucks’ prospect pool may not be a masterpiece, but it’s undoubtedly showing progress. In a recent ranking by Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis, the Canucks climbed two spots to 20th among the 32 NHL teams, improving from last year’s 22nd position.
“The goal of drafting prospects is to turn them into NHLers, and I think the Canucks will have a decent success rate, at least compared to others in the bottom half,” Ellis said. “The Canucks are one of the most active teams when it comes to scouting Europe (their GM is Swedish, which helps), and they’ve got top-quality options at every position. They’ve got high-end players like Jonathan Lekkerimaki and Tom Willander, the depth in Arshdeep Bains and Sawyer Mynio, and even a decent young goaltender in Artūrs Šilovs.”
Despite the overall positive outlook, Ellis did identify one blaring concern: the team’s thin centre depth. “The Canucks are lacking centre depth, but I think they’ve got enough variance in their player styles to be positive about what’s next.”
It’s a hole in the system that is easy to spot and one of the areas that will certainly keep them from cracking the top 20 if not addressed over the next few seasons. Räty is currently the only pivot ranked in Ellis’ top 10, and even his skillset offers some questions about whether he can transition effectively to the NHL level. Beyond the Finnish forward, the centre pool thins out with names like Max Sasson (23), Tristen Nielsen (24), and Ty Glover (23), representing the next wave of prospects. The lack of depth at such a key position leaves the Canucks’ future lineup somewhat vulnerable, even as they bolster their wings and defence.
Jonathan Lekkerimäki tops Ellis’ list as the club’s best prospect, followed by Tom Willander, Artūrs Šilovs, Elias Pettersson (D), and Aatu Räty to round out the top five. While the upward trend is encouraging, the Canucks’ organizational depth is still a work in progress.
Ellis recently joined the Canucks Conversation podcast to break down his top 10 Canucks prospects and provide further insight into the organization’s pipeline.
Here’s how the Pacific Division took shape among Ellis’ list:
- San Jose Sharks, 1st
- Anaheim Ducks, 3rd
- Seattle Kraken, 9th
- Calgary Flames, 15th
- Vancouver Canucks, 20th
- Los Angeles Kings, 22nd
- Vegas Golden Knights, 28th
