When it comes to goals, new Vancouver Canucks forward Jake DeBrusk sets them – and scores them. However, unlike many National Hockey League players who set a target for an entire season, the 27-year-old winger prefers to establish his personal goals on a month-to-month basis.
On Monday at the team’s Jake Milford golf tournament, DeBrusk wasn’t willing to reveal just how high he’d set his sights for his first month with his new team. But over the course of the season, the Edmonton native feels confident he can push to better his career-high of 27, which he first accomplished in 2018-19 and then matched in 2022-23.
“There are always goals and you try to do better than the previous year,” DeBrusk explained after scoring 19 times in 80 games in Boston last season. “I kind of want to get back to that 25 to 30 goal range. I think I could possibly get more if things go really well. At the same time, it’s a new experience for me. I’ve been brought in to score goals. So I’m going to try to do the job the best I can. I usually do my goals on a month to month basis, so I guess I’ll let you know after month one.”
What’s important to note about DeBrusk’s goal scoring is that when he reached 27 goals, both seasons were cut short due to injury. The first time, he scored 27 goals in 68 games and the second time, he reached that mark in 64 outings. In both of those seasons, he scored at nearly a 35-goal pace.
So establishing a career-best in his first season in Vancouver seems possible, given the role DeBrusk is expected to play. He’s pencilled in on left wing with Elias Pettersson at five-on-five, and there’s an expectation that he will be slotted in on the team’s top unit power play.
“Sounds like a treat,” he quipped when it was suggested there is an open spot with Pettersson, Quinn Hughes, JT Miller and Brock Boeser on the Canucks first unit. “I think any player would say yes to that. When it comes to the power play or the bumper or whatever position, I’ll do whatever I can if I get the opportunity to do the most I can with that. It’s exciting. Lots of skilled players. I haven’t done a deep dive on the numbers like you guys obviously, but looking from the outside in, it’s a very dangerous unit that I think any player would be lucky enough to play with. Wherever I get slotted in, one thing I’ve been taught in Boston is how to be versatile. I can play different positions, so whatever helps us.”
DeBrusk, who signed a seven-year free agent contract on July 1st worth $5.5M per season, has been in town and skating with his new teammates for the past week. He’ll continue participating in informal workouts ahead of main training camp in Penticton next week.
It’s been a couple of months since he inked his contract, and while he had the summer to prepare, the reality of coming to a new hockey home hit him squarely as he packed his bags and moved to the West Coast.
“For sure, it was different putting on the blue equipment in the summer, but it’s a little bit different when you’re in the city and I’ve skated a couple of times with the guys, just getting to meet them and it definitely feels real,” he said. “ It’s like your first day of school again and I’m just trying to get straight As.”
The first exam doesn’t come until October 9th, when DeBrusk and the Canucks open the regular season at home against Calgary. So he still has time to settle into his new surroundings.
The Edmonton native and 2015 NHL first-rounder should add speed to the Canucks line-up and will likely be utilized as a penalty killer, too.
“I feel pretty prepared,” he said confidently. “I know what I can do. I’m confident in myself and I think I can do it in different ways than just production, but that’s what everyone likes to look at. They (the Canucks) showed they really wanted me here and that’s something I take very seriously. I just want to pay that back and do the best I can.”
On Monday, DeBrusk and his new teammates took a day to relax and bond on the golf course. But now it’s all about putting the focus where it needs to be most – on the ice. DeBrusk was brought in to make a good team even better. And it will be one of the leading storylines when main camp begins to see how he’s fitting in with his new teammates.
“I really like where the team is going,” he said. “Obviously they made some big steps last year and I just thought I’d be able to fit in pretty well. It excited me looking at the roster with the make-up for the next couple of years. To join a group like that, I couldn’t say no.”
The Canucks are certainly glad he didn’t.
