August 31-in-31: Vancouver Canucks

 

As the focus slowly shifts from backyard barbeques and relaxing floats on the lake to fantasy drafts and eventually, puck drop, the realization that there is no offseason for prospect junkies becomes clearer. With an eye towards helping you prepare for all your scouting needs, we’ll continue our offseason tour of 31 organizations by digging into the Canucks’ prospect cupboard, checking in on some players who are rising and falling, who fits where in the depth chart and which players could be of use to you as quickly as this season.

 

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Recently ranked as the ninth best prospect pipeline by Corey Pronman over at ESPN, the Canucks have come a long way from the days of shipping youth and picks out the door with regularity come deadline season. For several years, the organization were legitimate Cup contenders and made sure to leave nothing on the table in their quest for the team’s first Stanley Cup. As we all know, they came up just a whisker short and were left holding an empty bag that represented their future assets.

 

Fast forward four entry drafts into Jim Benning’s tenure as the team’s General Manager and much has changed. The scouting department has been reorganized and revamped. Many old voices have been shown the door and new Director of Amateur Scouting, Judd Brackett has brought in a fresh and innovative eye for talent – one that puts great stock in speed and skill; something that wasn’t always prioritized in past years.

 

It also doesn’t hurt that in three of those four years the team has had a top six overall selection.

 

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To review the team’s most recent crop of draftees, take a gander at the July portion of this series.

 

Prospect Depth Chart

 

     Left Wing                Center            Right Wing

 

    Left Defense             Right Defense             

 

Goaltenders