Vancouver Canucks training camp is less than a week away, and the Young Stars Classic kicks off tonight. Both events will take place in Penticton, BC, at the South Okanagan Events Centre. We’ll be on location providing wall-to-wall coverage of both events, but today, we’re focusing on training camp.
Every year, all 32 NHL teams hold camps and make cuts until they have their opening night 23-man roster. There are surprises along the way as jobs are won and lost throughout camps and NHL preseason games.
So how many roster decisions do the Vancouver Canucks really have left to make for the 2024-25 season? Let’s take a look.
The Locks to make both the roster and the opening night lineup:
Jake DeBrusk, JT Miller, Brock Boeser, Dakota Joshua, Elias Pettersson, Conor Garland, Pius Suter, Teddy Blueger, Kiefer Sherwood, Danton Heinen, Quinn Hughes, Tyler Myers, Vincent Desharnais, Filip Hronek, Carson Soucy, Derek Forbort, Arturs Silovs, and Jiri Patera (for now, as long as Thatcher Demko remains on the shelf).
In total, it would appear that 18 of the Canucks’ 23 roster spots are locked up heading into training camp.
If we put those players into a projected lineup, it would look something like this:
Jake DeBrusk-JT Miller-Brock Boeser
Dakota Joshua-Elias Pettersson-Conor Garland
Danton Heinen-Pius Suter-Kiefer Sherwood
WINGER SPOT-Teddy Blueger-WINGER SPOT
Quinn Hughes-Filip Hronek
Carson Soucy-Tyler Myers
Derek Forbort-Vincent Desharnais
Arturs Silovs-Jiri Patera
Basically a lock for the roster, but going to have to earn their spot in the lineup:
Nils Höglander, Daniel Sprong, and Noah Juulsen.
Now we go into the tier below, where we find the two obvious fits for the open winger spots in the projected lineup listed above, along with the frontrunner to serve as the Canucks’ seventh defenceman.
Höglander scored 24 even strength goals last season and spent a good chunk of time in the Canucks’ top six next to Elias Pettersson. He was also a healthy scratch in the playoffs and tallied just two points through 11 games at the most important time of year. He enters a contract year with the Canucks, and at $1.1 million, the Canucks are certainly hoping Höglander knocks down the door and makes it a no-brainer to have him in the opening night lineup, let alone the roster.
As the title of this category suggests, Höglander is basically a lock to earn a roster spot, as he’d require waivers to be sent down and is a valuable asset given his scoring output last year. That being said, he’s also firmly in the territory of a player who’s going to have to earn his spot.
Another player who falls into this category is Daniel Sprong, who signed late in the offseason after a promising phone call from Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet. Sprong enters 2024-25 with a chip on his shoulder and a real desire to improve his all-around game in order to put himself in the best possible position to cash in when free agency hits next summer. A player with that profile almost certainly isn’t getting cut from the roster, but he’s not yet a lock for the lineup, either. Sprong will certainly need to earn his ice time, but it doesn’t feel like a smart move to bet against a player as motivated as he seems to be.
If a young and hungry winger from Abbotsford — or PTO signing Sammy Blais — shows up to camp and puts pressure on the Canucks to make a decision, then it could be Höglander and/or Sprong that lose their spot in the lineup, but likely not the roster.
Frontrunners to round out the roster, but also the likely cuts if somebody surprises and earns a spot:
Phil Di Giuseppe, Nils Aman, and Noah Juulsen again
Last year, Phil Di Giuseppe started the season alongside JT Miller and Brock Boeser, which was great news for Phil Di Giuseppe, but not great news for the Vancouver Canucks. Joking aside, Di Giuseppe won the spot that was quite clearly carved out for Vasily Podkolzin, and did an admirable job filling that role. He was defensively responsible and chipped in on offence. Eventually though, Di Giuseppe’s shine wore off and he became a solid bottom six piece, which is exactly what was expected of him.
Heading into 2024-25, he has the inside track to earn an NHL job, but that job might end up being as the team’s 13th or 14th forward. That means that if somebody off the board were to earn a roster spot, Di Giuseppe would likely be among the first ones cut. Right there with him in that conversation is Nils Aman, who the Canucks signed to a two-year contract extension last season. Aman was a regular healthy scratch during the playoffs and with the Canucks’ additions to the forward group, he’s entering make or break territory with the Canucks. Both players would need to pass through waivers to be sent down, but that shouldn’t change the fact they’re the first options IF a player earns a roster spot.
But who might that player be? Is there more than one?
Potential (but not likely) camp surprises: Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Max Sasson, Arshdeep Bains, Cole McWard, and Sammy Blais
Remember when Nils Höglander shocked everyone by winning a spot on the Canucks’ second line out of training camp in his rookie season? How about when the Canucks cut Sam Gagner during just his second camp with the Canucks after signing a three-year deal worth $3.15 million per? There are surprises at this time of year, and we’re going to try to project all of the potential ones for this year’s Canucks here.
First and foremost, there’s Swedish sniper Jonathan Lekkerimäki, who is going to spend this upcoming season with either the Abbotsford or Vancouver Canucks after a taste of AHL hockey following his SHL campaign’s conclusion late last season. After a down year following his draft season, Lekkerimäki re-established himself as one of the game’s top prospects in 2023-24, as he scored 19 goals and added 12 assists through 46 games as a 19-year-old. Heading into this season, most agree that the best spot for the 20-year-old is down in Abbotsford, where he’ll get top line deployment, number one power play time, and the opportunity to be “the guy” in the AHL.
It’s a path that Jim Rutherford-led teams often lay out for their prospects to follow, and it’s the most likely landing spot for Lekkerimäki. But as you saw above, there are two winger spots up for grabs, and it would be a bit surprising if the Canucks didn’t at least give their top prospect a look next to Elias Pettersson during training camp and the preseason. He’d have to absolutely run with the ball to force the Canucks to make space for him on the roster, but as Nils Höglander once taught us, anything can happen in the preseason when the guys you’re competing with are Loui Eriksson and Jake Virtanen.
Two other forwards who could surprise are Max Sasson and Arshdeep Bains. The Canucks are very high on Sasson, who they signed as a college free agent a couple of seasons ago. His chances of making the NHL roster out of camp, however, remain low. Could Sasson beat out Aman on the centre depth chart? It’s not likely just yet, but he’s at the forefront to be the first man called up if an injury hits one of the Canucks’ pivots.
The same can be said for Arshdeep Bains, who got a taste of the NHL last season to mixed results. Bains showed promise in his NHL debut, but looked a tad out of place in the games that followed. He’s still young, and his strides in Abbotsford cannot be ignored. Can he beat out PDG for a roster spot? Again, it’s not likely, but stranger things have happened. Like Sasson, Bains will be among the first call ups if a Canucks winger goes down with an injury.
Finally, Cole McWard may be the most interesting player in this tier, due in part to the long run he got alongside Quinn Hughes during the preseason last year. At 23 years old, the offensive defenceman is somebody worth keeping an eye on as he heads into his second full season of pro hockey. Heading into camp though, is he really going to springboard ahead of Noah Juulsen, who took major strides under the Canucks’ coaching staff last season? No, it’s not likely, and yes, you guessed it, McWard may have to wait for an injury before he gets his shot with the big club.
And don’t you dare forget Sammy Blais, who the Canucks signed to a PTO last month. Blais is a speedy winger who seems like he could find a home on a Rick Tocchet-coached team. He’ll be competing for a roster spot and a contract this season, and is a player to keep an eye on during camp for sure.
Aatu Räty: Aatu Räty
Without looking it up, how old is Aatu Räty? The answer is 21, and he doesn’t turn 22 until mid-November. He gets his own category, because nobody really knows what to expect from Räty, who has 15 NHL games under his belt.
There are plenty of questions surrounding Räty as heads into his second full season with the Canucks organization after coming over from the New York Islanders in the Bo Horvat trade. Will he play the wing? Will he be a centre? Where is he in the hierarchy on receiving an NHL call up? Above Sasson and/or Bains?
Let’s see what Räty can do this preseason.
The Canucks will announce their training camp roster next week, but these players vying for spots on the NHL roster are sure to be the main stories heading into Penticton next week.
