The 32-in-32 Series is an annual event here at DobberProspects and has been condensed from two articles to one. The article will bring you: The highlighted team’s draft; insights into its off-season moves; looking at prospect risers, fallers and likely prospects to play NHL games; and of course, the writers’ top-20 prospects. Articles may be brought back when an important team update occurs, so check back because we plan to fill your hockey withdrawal needs all off-season!
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Read past 32 series stories here: https://dobberprospects.com/category/feature/32-in-32-series/
Make sure to check out the Vancouver Canucks team page here: https://dobberprospects.com/team/vancouver-canucks/
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The Vancouver Canucks completely bottomed out during the 2025-26 season, finishing 17 points behind the next-closest finisher before losing the draft lottery and landing the third-overall pick. Sometimes the lottery ball machine is fair and just; other times, it breaks a fanbase’s heart, and this year was one of those times for the Canucks.
Vancouver deserved a better fate after losing JT Miller and Quinn Hughes in back-to-back seasons, revealing a troubling locker-room culture centered on the only remaining forward figure, Elias Pettersson. The hope is that Pettersson can rebound with the new-look team and give fans some semblance of belief, but it could be even more likely that he is the next star player from the team’s unlikely 2023-24 breakout season to find a new home.
Some hope remains in the organization that Zeev Buium, who they acquired in the Hughes trade, and Caleb Malholtra, the unlucky third-overall pick, will form a future that gives fans something to cheer about in the coming years. Caleb’s father, Manny, is also one of the brightest young coaches and could be the right man for the job.
Unfortunately, until that comes to fruition, it could be a couple of long winters in Vancouver.
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NHL Draft Recap
Round 1, 3 overall: Caleb Malholtra, C
The start of Caleb and Manny Malholtra’s coach-player relationship will have to wait, as Malholtra will continue developing at Boston University this season before signing his entry-level deal. One of the biggest riser’s in last year’s draft class, Malholtra isn’t just the third-overall pick because his father is the coach of the team. Defense was his calling card as a two-way center entering his draft year, but 1.25 points per game with the Brantford Bulldogs and no drop-off in his defensive game made him one of the draft’s top prospects instead of a fringe first-rounder. He is the team’s future franchise center.
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Round 1, 24 overall: Adam Novotny, LW
The Canucks could have a steal at 24th overall in Novotny, as the Czech winger blends elite forechecking with a ragged tenacity for the puck and high-end scoring skills. He has some flaws to manage as he develops, but his above-average skating metrics and lethal shot could have him playing in the Canucks’ top six when they finally make it back to their competitive window. Fans shouldn’t sleep on Novotny the way all the teams that passed on him before the Canucks did.
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Round 2, 33 overall: Brooks Rogowski, C
The 6-7 center from the OHL could’ve been a first-round talent, but the Canucks were lucky enough to get him with the first pick in the second round. Rogowski has some things to clean up to become a projectable top-nine player of the future, but he has the tools to be a playmaker while also blending it with a power forward’s body. Rogowski isn’t overly physical for his size, but he isn’t afraid to use his body to get the upper hand offensively. The Canucks had a slot for a development project after their first two selections, and Rogowski has the potential to be a huge second-round get, no pun intended.
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Round 2, 41 overall: Niklas Aaram-Olsen, RW
A bit of a reach with Aaram-Olsen, but the Norwegian winger’s shot impressed some people in the organization. Aaram-Olsen averaged .69 goals per game in the U20 Nationell with Orebro HK last season and also got 16 games in the SHL with the team. While the undersized winger didn’t produce offensively in the pro league, the Canucks believe his shot will one day get him to the NHL.
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Round 3, 78 overall: Dmitry Ivchenko, G
The Canucks added goaltending depth from Russia in the third round, landing Dmitri Ivchenko from Omskie Yastreby of the MHL. The 6-3 goaltender has great tools and posted a 1.91 goals-against average and .922 save percentage, but he still has development to do. He was still one of the best goaltenders in the class.
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Round 4, 97 overall: Yaroslav Bryzgalov, LW
Bryzgalov went undrafted in his first year of eligibility, but his move to the Medicine Hat Tigers in the WHL put him onto the scouting boards thanks to his .86 points per game. He won’t win any fastest-skater competitions, but when he sets up in the offensive zone, his playmaking can be elite.
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Round 5, 129 overall: Connor Davis
Another overage pick from the Canucks is Davis, who flashed some of his offensive skills in the USHL this past season with 55 points in 59 games. However, offense won’t be his calling card, as he projects more as a checking-line winger in the pro game, thanks to his willingness to get in on the physicality.
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Round 6, 176 overall: Lucian Bernat
Bernat has a ton of raw tools that could translate to a successful pro career, but whether that career happens in the NHL is still a work in progress. He has a ton of raw skills that could either help him reach his ceiling and make the NHL or make him a productive player in Europe’s top leagues.
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Round 6, 184 overall: Samuel Eriksson
The Canucks got a bit of a steal in the sixth round with defenseman Eriksson. Eriksson isn’t an offensive contributor, but he can be a physical force on a team’s bottom pair.
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Off-Season Moves
Incoming
Matt Steinburg – 1-year, $850,000
Luke Schenn – 1-year, $2.25 million
Jamie Oleksiak – 2-year, $10 million
Trey Fix-Wolansky – 1-year, $900,000
Akil Thomas – 1-year, $900,000
Paul Cotter – 1-year, $2.15 million
Ilya Safonov – 1-year, $950,000
Brendan Gallagher (Trade with MTL)
Outgoing
Marcus Pettersson (Trade to NYR)
Nils Hoglander (Trade to NSH)
Re-Signed
Zeev Buium – 8-year, $75.04 million
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In the System
Risers
Riley Patterson, C
The former Barrie Colts winger joined the Niagara IceDogs in the OHL and experienced a prospect renaissance, increasing his point total from 59 in 2024-25 to 84 in 2025-26. He was a 40-goal scorer for the IceDogs before joining the Abbotsford Canucks at the end of the season and posting a goal and an assist in four games.
Anthony Romani, RW
Former sixth-round picks sometimes fall by the wayside, but Anthony Romani took his opportunity to play D1 hockey and ran with it, recording 14 goals and 14 assists in his freshman season at Michigan State. The scoring winger once had 58 goals and 53 assists in a single OHL season, so his offensive upside is high.
Braeden Cootes, C
Cootes is a bit of a different case: he was a top-five prospect in the Canucks’ system entering last season, but making the team out of camp as an 18-year-old shot him to the top of the rankings. This year’s draft class knocked him back a bit again, but the sky is still the limit.
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Fallers
Alexei Medvedev, G
Perhaps the reason the Canucks felt it necessary to add another goaltender to the prospect pool in this year’s draft is Medvedev’s drop-off after his draft year. He lost the starting job in London and posted a 3.26 goals-against average and an .891 save percentage.
Vilmer Alriksson, LW
The former fourth-round pick didn’t do too much to impress in his first season in Abbotsford, recording just nine points in 43 games and looking out of place for much of the season. An injury in January put him out for the season and did nothing to help his development.
Jonathan Lekkerimaki, W
The former first-round pick continues to stall out since coming to North America, with injuries and illness causing him to miss out on meaningful development time. He had 20 points in 21 AHL games last season but played just 34 between Vancouver and Abbotsford and now has just nine points in 37 career NHL games.
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Likely to See NHL Action
Jonathan Lekkerimaki, W
Braeden Cootes, C
Kirill Kudryavtsev, D
Riley Patterson, C
Sawyer Mynio, D
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Top 20 Prospects
This section is intended to paint a picture of the Vancouver Canucks prospects whose current trajectory projects them making the most positive fantasy impact at the time that they reach the NHL. Arrival date and NHL certainty have been taken into consideration; however, potential upside is the most important factor in determining this list.
- Caleb Malholtra
- Braeden Cootes
- Adam Novotny
- Jonathan Lekkerimaki
- Brooks Rogowski
- Aleksei Medvedev
- Kirill Kudryavtsev
- Niklas Aaram-Olsen
- Riley Patterson
- Sawyer Mynio
- Anthony Romani
- Ty Mueller
- Vilmer Alriksson
- Kieren Dervin
- Dmitri Ivchenko
- Connor Davis
- Gabriel Chiarot
- Ty Young
- Wilson Bjorck
- Basile Sansonnens
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Make sure to check out the Vancouver Canucks team page here: https://dobberprospects.com/team/vancouver-canucks/
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Final Thoughts
The Canucks were far and away the worst team in the league last season in a year where the Pacific Division was once described as a “pillow fight”. The division likely won’t get any worse, and Vancouver didn’t get any better, so that could be a bad equation for a long year. The light at the end of the long tunnel could be top prospect Landon Dupont in the 2027 draft, as Canucks fans will be left at the mercy of the dreaded lottery ball machine once again.
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