Canucks Team Notes

[Vancouver Canucks]

Check out the latest news on your Vancouver Canucks.

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

Elias Lindholm thinks Elias Pettersson will be a ‘very good player’ for Canucks after 4 Nations

It’s no secret that Elias Pettersson is not having the season that he, the team, or the fanbase wanted from him going into this season.

But with 4 Nations kicking off tomorrow, his Swedish teammate and former Canucks linemate Elias Lindholm is praising his abilities and says he will be a ‘very good player for Vancouver’ when he returns from the competition:

“He’s a good person,” Lindholm said. “We all know what [kind of] player he can be, and we’re going to need him to play some good hockey here for us.

“You can see now he’s comfortable being around a lot of guys that he knows from before. Obviously, he has his former coach here [who] he had in Sweden. I think this is a good reset for him.

“We’re going to see a different Pettersson during this tournament … He’s going to be a very good player for Vancouver when he comes back for sure.”

Lindholm made the comments earlier Tuesday as the Swedish players spoke to the media ahead of their opening match tomorrow night against Sidney Crosby and Team Canada. This may provide much-needed reassurance to those in Vancouver who are worried Pettersson may not be able to turn this season around, especially after a drawn-out feud between him and JT Miller caused issues in Vancouver’s locker room.

Pettersson played for several years in Sweden to start his career before he was drafted fifth overall by the Canucks in 2017, joining the squad the following year. The centreman has previously seen success internationally, registering 13 points in 13 games played with the national team through the 2018 and 2019 IIHF World Championships, winning gold in the former.

Fans are now hoping the familiar faces and environment surrounding Pettersson at this competition will bring back his confidence and get him back on track as the Canucks aim to secure a playoff spot.

While Pettersson himself has no problem acknowledging this season hasn’t gone how he hoped, he is ready to move forward and get going with his Swedish teammates:

“It hasn’t been my best season, but that’s in the past, I’m just trying to look ahead. I’m very excited for [the tournament],” Pettersson told reporters earlier today.

In practice earlier today, Pettersson was paired on the top line with Filip Forsberg and Adrian Kempe. His former coach, Sam Hallam, is at the helm and explained how he chose the linemates.

“They’re all players that can make plays from tough situations, but with Kempe and Forsberg on the wings, you have some power around Petey. I’ve coached Petey before. I know how intelligent and how skilled he is. We want to give him a chance to have two strong wingers on each side, and Kempe plays a big role.”

Pettersson also practiced on the second power play unit with Jesper Bratt, Rickard Rakell, Forsberg, and Erik Karlsson. The special teams will be another opportunity for him to add some points this tournament and make his presence known on this deep roster.

It will certainly be a match to watch tomorrow night for Canucks fans hoping to see Pettersson get some swagger back, especially as they take on a Canadian team run by Vancouver Canucks’ head coach Rick Tocchet.

Puck drop is on Wednesday at 5 PM PST at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/elias-...-very-good-player-vancouver-canucks-4-nations

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

Lines, starters, stream info, and more as Elias Pettersson’s Team Sweden takes on Canada at 4 Nations

After months of hearing Sidney Crosby remind us that four nations would be facing off in mid-February, the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off is finally here! The action kicks off with Crosby’s Team Canada taking on Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson and Team Sweden. Let’s dive in and preview this game.

Start time and stream info

The action kicks off at 5 PM PT/8 PM ET from the Bell Centre in Montreal.

The game can be streamed in Canada from Sportsnet.ca (subscription required) and TVA Sports (subscription required). The game will also be televised on Sportsnet’s main channel. Other networks (outside of Canada): TNT, truTV, MAX.

Projected lineups

According to DailyFaceoff.com, here is how the two sides will line up tonight.

Canada:

Sweden:

Starting goaltenders

Jordan Binnington – Canada

Filip Gustavsson – Sweden

Players to watch

Sidney Crosby and Drew Doughty are the only players who suited up for Canada at the 2014 Winter Olympics who are present for this year’s 4 Nation’s Face-Off. Beyond Crosby and Doughty, Canada’s locker room is filled with Stanley Cup winners, and they’ll be leaning on that experience to get this tournament started on the right foot.

Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, the dynamic duo from the Colorado Avalanche, will be key fixtures to Canada’s first unit power play, which has three more lethal weapons on it in the form of Crosby, Connor McDavid, and Sam Reinhart.

On Sweden, Canucks fans will no doubt be keeping an eye on Elias Pettersson, who despite a down season by his standards, is slated to be Sweden’s top line centre tonight. He’ll skate on a line with Filip Forsberg and Adrian Kempe. Sweden head coach Sam Hallam talked about the thought process behind that line.

“They’re all players that can make plays from tough situations, but with Kempe and Forsberg on the wings, you have some power around Petey. I’ve coached Petey before. I know how intelligent and how skilled he is. We want to give him a chance to have two strong wingers on each side, and Kempe plays a big role.”

Tonight will be game one of three for each of these teams. The two top teams from the tournament will play in a championship game on Thursday, February 20th.



Daily Faceoff Live is on the road! From February 10th to 20th, we’re bringing you live shows every weekday straight from Four Nations, delivering exclusive coverage, insider analysis, and all the tournament action as it unfolds. Don’t miss a beat—subscribe to the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel and follow us on social for the latest updates. It’s international hockey, so expect intensity, excitement, and maybe even a little chaos. Stay locked in and catch us live from Four Nations!

Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/lines-...elias-pettersson-team-sweden-canada-4-nations

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

The Farmies: Jonathan Lekkerimäki scores 16th goal, but Abby Canucks fall to San Diego

While you were busy enjoying some best-on-best Canada versus Sweden action, the real matchup of the night was taking place in the Fraser Valley.

That’s right, the Abbotsford Canucks hosted the San Diego Gulls for the backend of their mid-week back-to-back series. With one of the most potent lineups the Canucks had seen so far, combined with them taking on a basement-dwelling Gulls team, this one screamed a blowout.

Unfortunately, with a 3-2 (Canucks) win, we didn’t see that on Tuesday, and this game was even worse.

If you caught the thrilling overtime 4 Nations finish, this one was the polar opposite. On a brisk Wednesday night at the Abbotsford Centre, the Canucks put up a sleepy stinker to drop a 4-1 decision to a 30th-ranked San Diego team.

Granted, they did run into an incredibly hot goaltender and doubled the visiting team in shots. And yet, something just doesn’t sit right, given their incredibly stacked lineup.

Here’s how things developed.

Starting lineup

Aman – Sasson – Karlsson
Bains – Räty – Lekkerimäki
Blais – Mueller – Di Giuseppe
Nielsen – Stevens – Wouters

Kudryavtsev – Mancini
Wolanin – Woo
Arntsen – McWard

Tolopilo

Thanks to the 4 Nations Face-Off mentioned above, the Canucks’ lineup remained heavily stacked – especially upfront. They rode the same lineup as the previous night.

On the backend, however, we did see one lineup change. Elias Pettersson, who briefly left Tuesday’s game after taking a slapshot up high, was unavailable for the match.

If you missed it, here’s another look at the incident:

As a result, Joe Arntsen, a free agent signing from last summer, slid in to make his AHL debut.

Nikita Tolopilo got the state between the pipes.

First period: Johhny to the rescue

Linus Karlsson wasted no time showing off his tenacious tricks. He fought for positioning in front of the net, ate the Nils Aman shot, and nearly cashed in on the bouncing rebound.

After a Victor Mancini giveaway, Arshdeep Bains caught Nikita Nesterenko with his head down, dropped and delivered a bone-crushing hit.

If we’re being honest, the first instinct was to assume that this was a slight clip and likely a penalty.

But a closer look shows it was a clean and effective hit that just happened to catch the Gull forward off guard.

The low-attended crowd needed that spark, as the game saw just two shots in the initial 10 minutes. That included a power play for the Gulls in which they posted zero shots.

Giveaways and scrambled play at both ends fueled most of the opening period. Pray for the fans who skipped the Four Nations Face-Off to attend this game.

It wasn’t just the players struggling to get into this game.

After successfully killing a penalty, Jett Woo received a two-minute phantom tripping (?) call that raised everyone’s eyebrows in the building.

Please leave a comment if you can spot the infraction:

As things typically go in those cases, the Gulls wasted no time in making the Canucks pay.

San Diego goal – 1-0 – Sasha Pastujov from Ryan Carpenter and Tristan Luneau

Just seven seconds into their second man advantage of the period, Sacha Patsjuvo took the puck at the face-off dot and unleased a wicked farside shot past Tolopilo to open the scoring for the second consecutive night.

Pastujov, who began the year in the ECHL, has 31 points in 30 games since being recalled in late November and has points in 19 of his last 21 games. So, it’s been quite the run for him, and he wasn’t done there.

But as they did on Tuesday, the Canucks responded with a speedy goal of their own.

Abbotsford goal – 1-1 – Jonathan Lekkerimäki from Ty Mueller and Christian Wolanin

Off the heads-up stretch pass from Christian Wolanin, Ty Mueller threaded a cheeky backhand pass over to Jonathan Lekkerimäki, who was left open in the slot.

If there’s a skater on the Canucks you don’t want all alone, it’s the Swedish Sniper, and he made them pay.

As quick as he took the pass, the puck was off his stick to beat Oscar Dansk cleanly on the farside for his 16th goal of his rookie campaign.

The Gulls enjoyed a whopping 1:29 lead, but this one was all knotted up after 20 minutes.

Since we know you’re dying to see Victor Mancini, here’s him showing off his skating ability. Arshdeep Bains’ skate ruins the odd man rush, but here’s a little breakout to enjoy his skating ability.

Shots: ABB 5, SD 6
Score: ABB 1, SD 1

Second period: Oscar Dansk, the wall

Linus Karlsson almost cashed in on an in-tight rebound in a nearly identical play to the first few minutes of the first. He was sporting a six-game goal streak heading into tonight’s match, so he was working like a bull all night to try and extend that streak.

Remember Pastujov? The Gulls broke out on an odd-man rush thanks to a failed Jett Woo punch.

San Diego goal – 2-1 – Sasha Pastujov from Carson Meyer and Noah Warren

Receiving the puck as the wide man in, Pastujov went through the wickets to beat a sliding Tolopilo for his second goal of the match.

For the first time in four leads throughout the series, the Gulls held that lead cushion for over three minutes.

But Jett Woo was doing his part in trying to find that equalizer. Starting with the puck in his end, he started up the ice and went for one of his best rushes of the season. Or, ever? What a move.

Jonathan Lekkerimäki saw that and said, “Hey, I can do that, too.”

Linus Karlsson continued his push to extend his goal streak, taking another shot from the slot. Once again, he was stymied by the Gulls’ netminder.

Oscar Dansk deserves all of the credit for the Gulls’ 2-1 lead. He stopped all 18 shots in the frame, including this robbery on Aatu Räty off the Kirill Kudryavtsev rebound.

Despite the Canucks dominating the second frame, Dansk kept the game at bay to earn a 2-1 lead after 40 minutes of play.

Shots: ABB 23, SD 9
Score: ABB 1, SD 2

Third period: Sleepy finish

Lekkerimäki picked up where he left off from the middle frame, nearly capitalizing early to even the score off the opening face-off.

The sharpshooter got the inside track off the Bains give and go, nearly capitalizing on the backhanded.

So, really, Oscar Dansk picked up where he left off.

Propelled by a power play, it was Gulls who spent the next 10 minutes pressuring inside the Canucks’ zone.

Despite all that pressure, they managed just one shot on Tolopilo.

By the third period’s first TV timeout, the Abbotsford Canucks led by a 26-10 shot advantage but just couldn’t solve their red-hot tender.

With little energy on the ice and even less in the building, the game slowed its pace for the next several minutes, experiencing a bit of a Wednesday night lull.

That was until the six-minute mark when the visiting team doubled its lead to put the game out of reach.

San Diego goal – 3-1 – Judd Caulfield from Nikita Nesterenko

After the puck popped out in the Gulls’ end, Judd Caulfield sent former Chilliwack Chief Nikita Nesterenko, who turned on the jets.

Getting the edge on Mancini, he fired the shot-pass toward Tolopilo. The Canucks goaltender left a juicy rebound bounced right out to a streaking Caulfield, who pounced on the puck to put this game out of reach.

With the netminder pulled, the Canucks did generate some looks, but nothing that could solve Dansk.

Despite those chances, the Gulls struck on the empty net and, despite being one of the league’s bottom dwellers, tripled up on the Abbotsford Canucks to split the series.

San Diego goal – 4-1 – Nathan Gaucher

The Canucks doubled the Gulls in shots but couldn’t get anything to go on the scoresheet.

Final shots: ABB 34, SD 17
Final score: ABB 1, SD 4

What’s next?

The Canucks stay home for an odd-ball doubleheader against the Colorado Eagles, with games on Saturday and Monday. The puck drops at 7:00 pm PT.

Sponsored by bet365

Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/farmie...-scores-16th-goal-abby-canucks-fall-san-diego

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

Instant Reaction: Canucks’ Lankinen should start Finland’s next game after 6-1 loss to USA

Welcome to Instant Reaction — 4 Nations Face-Off edition! Typically, we give our Instant Reaction to Vancouver Canucks games, but since those aren’t happening right now, we thought we’d do the same for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

So it appears we might see more Canucks than just Elias Pettersson get into game action at this tournament after all! Let’s dive into this one.

Joel Armia took the game’s first penalty early when he was called for cross-checking. Despite a pretty dominant start at 5v5, the USA power play failed to register a shot on goal and struggled to even get set up.

The US appeared back in the driver’s seat, but it was Finland that opened the scoring after capitalizing on an odd-man rush after the US defence pinched.

Henri Jokiharju let go of a shot that Connor Hellebuyck likely should have had to make it 1-0 Finland.

FINLAND GETS THE FIRST GOAL OF THE GAME pic.twitter.com/QioOvMDIDS

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 14, 2025

Team USA struck back quickly, as Brady Tkachuk stayed with his own rebound and banked a shot in off Saros to tie this one up.

BRADY TKACHUK TIES THE GAME 1-1 pic.twitter.com/vmCprL8aad

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 14, 2025

1-1.

Finland got their first power play of the game after Noah Hanifin tripped up Patrik Laine.

The Fins had good movement on the power play, and even got some decent looks, but the US PK held them off this time around. This was thanks in part to JT Miller making a beautiful kick save on the goal line.

In the second period, neither team scored for most of it, but my goodness it became evident that Team USA’s blueline needed to stop pinching.

Finland had multiple odd man rushes in the second period, and although not all of them even resulted in a shot on goal, the Americans were playing with fire.

Late in the second, Brock Faber let go of a point shot that Matt Boldy deflected past Saros to push USA’s lead to 2-1.

BROCK FABER WRISTER, MATT BOLDY DEFLECTION pic.twitter.com/6bfKe2j7HX

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 14, 2025

With 2.2 seconds to go, Olli Maatta tripped up Auston Matthews to give the Americans a power play heading into the third.

Matthew Tkachuk caught Saros by surprise to open the third period, as his wrister from the point deflected off a Finnish stick to make it 3-1.

MATTHEW TKACHUK'S TURN… BOTH TKACHUK BROTHERS HAVE SCORED FOR TEAM USA pic.twitter.com/AxfFmMWW1B

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 14, 2025

Back at 5v5, USA kept coming, as Auston Matthews found Jake Guentzel off the rush to put the Americans in the driver’s seat.

2 GOALS IN 26 SECONDS FOR TEAM USA pic.twitter.com/DJx47SHaFJ

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 14, 2025

4-1 just like that.

The US kept coming. Brady Tkachuk with his second of the game.

THE UNITED STATES OF TKACHUK

BRADY HAS HIS SECOND OF THE GAME pic.twitter.com/6A2tl3UXaR

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 14, 2025

5-1.

What a night for the Tkachuk brothers, who were put together on a line just over halfway into the second period. I’m thinking that line will stick.

How about one more USA goal from a Tkachuk for good measure?

MATTHEW TKACHUK HAS HIS SECOND GOAL NOW pic.twitter.com/qHpzmZ8Lsv

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 14, 2025

Not a joke, I think it’s fair to say that Kevin Lankinen should at the very least get the next start. Finland played pretty well in this game, and Saros couldn’t make a save when they needed him to.

6-1 USA final.

One thing I’m even more sure of after tonight: USA vs. Canada on Saturday at 5 PM is going to be a hell of a game.

Finland’s next game is Saturday at 10 AM against rival Sweden. It will be interesting to see if Lankinen or UPL start that game.

What’s your instant reaction to tonight’s game? Let us know in the comments section below!



Daily Faceoff Live is on the road! From February 10th to 20th, we’re bringing you live shows every weekday straight from Four Nations, delivering exclusive coverage, insider analysis, and all the tournament action as it unfolds. Don’t miss a beat—subscribe to the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel and follow us on social for the latest updates. It’s international hockey, so expect intensity, excitement, and maybe even a little chaos. Stay locked in and catch us live from Four Nations!

Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/instan...lankinen-start-finland-next-game-6-1-loss-usa

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

CA’s top 20 Canucks mid-season prospect rankings: #12 Cole McWard

We are back with our 2025 mid-season edition of our CanucksArmy top 20 Vancouver Canucks prospect rankings.

If you are curious about our ranking criteria, check them out in our Honourable Mentions installment.

• 20 — Lucas Forsell
• 19 — Jett Woo
• 18 — Parker Alcos
• 17 — Josh Bloom
• 16 — Aku Koskenvuo
• 15 – Ty Young
• 14 – Danila Klimovich
• 13 – Nikita Tolopilo

Number 12 is…

Cole McWard

Team: Abbotsford Canucks | Age: 23 | Position: Defence | Height: 6’1 | Weight: 192 lbs | Shoots: Right | Drafted: Undrafted | Last year’s rank: 14

If you type “steady” into your Google search engine, here is what you get as a definition:

• Firm in standing or position; not tottering or shaking; fixed; firm.
• Not subject to change or variation in behaviour.
• Firmly fixed in position; stable.
• Having a regular movement or course of action.
• Not easily upset; calm.
• Dependable: one who can be trusted.

Honestly, we couldn’t have said it better. That’s Cole McWard in a nutshell.

If you’ve been following along here at CanucksArmy, you know we’ve been pushing for McWard to get a look in Vancouver. While the undrafted defender does not bring anything “elite” to the table, he is dependable in nearly every area.

Now in his second full-time AHL season, he has improved in nearly every facet and has proven to be a tremendously valuable “plug and play” asset for Manny Malhotra and the Abbotsford Canucks.

He doesn’t see full-time power play minutes, but he could. He doesn’t kill penalties on a nightly basis, but he could.

He’s averaging around 18 minutes a game, and that’s primarily five-on-five time, where he’s been one of the team’s most effective even-strength defenders. When injuries occur, he slides in to help with special teams but hasn’t taken over a full-time role in either respect.

While he’s not necessarily considered a potent offensive threat, he’s even taken steps in his offensive production. As of last weekend, he’s tied his rookie goal numbers (4) and has set a new career-high with 18 points. Of course, with a quarter of the season left on the ledger, he’s done so in 16 fewer games.

While he’s not incredibly physical — an area he could improve in — he does a good job of making tight gaps and shutting opponents down, thanks to his smooth skating ability.

He plays mistake-free hockey, skates with his head up, can transition the puck as a mover, and carries a good shot from the point.

His pathway toward NHL games recently encountered more obstacles, as the club brought in Victor Mancini, who arguably plays a “stronger” version of his brand — not to mention the likely addition of Tom Willander in just a few short months.

Sure, McWard may not cater to top-four minutes, but if the Canucks do face injury woes and require plug-and-play to play reliable third-pairing minutes, here is your guy.

Like many names in the depth chart, McWard is an RFA this summer. Still, given his age and reliable style, we can’t imagine the two sides won’t reach an agreement. Considering the number of instances in which General Manager Patrik Allvin has mentioned his name in past press conferences.=

Ceiling: McWard plays a very sound game, but it isn’t necessarily exciting in a particular respect. He’s one who you may not notice, and that’s a compliment. With that in mind, we have no doubts that he can handle the rigours of NHL competition, but likely as a bottom-four pairing type player. With that said, the Canucks have already dangled the carrot of having him skate with Quinn Hughes, so perhaps there’s a hint more to his upside than what we initially thought. Overall, he’s a good bet as a safe and sturdy five-to-eight defenceman on any given NHL team.

Floor: At the very least, McWard is an AHL defender. He’ll be a sound 5v5 defender, will kill penalties, and can even audition as a power play option in a pinch.

ETA: We believe McWard is ready to be of service whenever needed. Will he get the opportunity? That remains to be seen. However, considering he does not have to pass through waivers, you can bet that McWard will be a call-up option for the foreseeable future and a damn good one at that.

That’s our #12 spot. Stay tuned for another installment later today here at CanucksArmy.

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Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/cas-to...s-mid-season-prospect-rankings-12-cole-mcward

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

CA’s top 20 Canucks mid-season prospect rankings: #11 Ty Mueller

We are back with our 2025 mid-season edition of our CanucksArmy top 20 Vancouver Canucks prospect rankings.

If you are curious about our ranking criteria, check them out in our HM installment.

• 20 — Lucas Forsell
• 19 — Jett Woo
• 18 — Parker Alcos
• 17 — Josh Bloom
• 16 — Aku Koskenvuo
• 15 — Ty Young
• 14 — Danila Klimovich
• 13 — Nikita Tolopilo
• 12 — Cole McWard

Number 11 is…

Ty Mueller

Team: Abbotsford Canucks | Age: 21 | Position: Centre/Left Wing | Height: 5’11″ | Weight: 185 lbs | Shoots: Left | Drafted: Fourth round, 105 overall, 2023 | Last year’s rank: 17

One of the highest movers on our CanucksArmy list is former double-entry NHL draftee Ty Mueller.

From being passed on at the draft twice to turning pro after one year to representing his AHL team as a rookie in the 2025 AHL All-Star game, it’s been quite the two years for the soon-to-be 22-year-old

With 26 points in 40 collegiate games as a Junior with Nebraska-Obama, a year in which he was honoured with a Hobey Baker nomination, Mueller’s responsible two-way game caught the eyes of the Abbotsford Canucks’ bench staff.

After all, responsible centres that can chip in on the scoresheet don’t come around daily.

Turning pro after just one year within the system, he’s now navigating through his AHL rookie year and has brought that exact brand to the American League and carved himself a consistent role.

With 22 points in 41 games, he is among the top 15 in rookie scoring and even led his Abbotsford team at one point. The points are a very nice touch, and he’s shown at the NCAA level that he can provide offence with a sneaky, good release and crafty hands.

Heck, he put those hands on display recently at the AHL All-Star game in Coachella Valley.

Ty Mueller with the nasty move in the breakaway challenge #Canucks pic.twitter.com/CfrkKMeQO6

— Dave Hall (@davehall1289) February 3, 2025

But if we are being honest, it’s not necessarily the points that we are interested in. They are a nice touch and certainly necessary, but Mueller’s game intrigues him because he can plug and play in any situation and provide a steady two-way presence.

Despite his rookie tag, Abbotsford’s new bench boss, Manny Malhotra, has recognized this instinct early and has used Mueller in every situation imaginable. Whether it’s the first line, third line, powerplay, penalty kill, on the wing, up the middle or in the final minute of the game, Mueller is being placed on the ice for deployment.

Simply put, he’s a classic Swiss army knife. He’s earned roles on both special team units, and the head coach does not shy away from putting him out in defensive situations.

He’s also hovering around 50% on his face-offs for the year and is one of four effective pivots on this team.

“The way I try to play is to be someone who he can trust and be able to play on both sides of the puck and be able to keep them from getting chances and also generate chances,” Mueller mentions why his new head coach continues to trust him in big moments.

What’s most impressive? His consistency as a young rookie. Not so much in the points department, as those have come and gone throughout the season, but you know what you are getting on a nightly basis in terms of responsibility and effort levels.

Mueller understands that it takes more than point production to get himself to where he wants to go. He’s hyper-focused on delivering that two-way element for his team. He’s never content with his game and always pushes himself to do more.

“I just think it’s just as important to be able to defend as it is to be able to create chances,” Mueller states. “Obviously, you win hockey games by scoring goals, but it sure helps if you can keep the other team from scoring some, too.”

Heck, he even told Abbotsford Canucks play-by-play announcer Brandon Astle that he models his game after Sacha Barkov and Patrice Bergeron as a complete 200-foot player.

It’s hard not to root for a kid with this type of drive.

Ceiling: The Vancouver Canucks have a similar profile type playing among them as we speak. Given his two-way, play-anywhere style, there is a real Pius Suter vibe. Will he get to that point? Again, this is just the ceiling. Yet, there is something that just screams “responsible NHL role player” about his game. We see the potential for him to slide in as a bottom-six player, with the ability to chip on the scoresheet from time to time.

Floor: At the very least, he’s shown that he’s most definitely a strong and reliable pivot at the American League level. If he doesn’t crack the NHL full-time, there is a good chance he will stick as a classic NHL/AHL tweener.

ETA: As impressive as his rookie season has been, there’s still work to be done to become an NHLer. The responsible two-way game is there, but the tools need polishing and reps. Management has already established that they like his game, and with that in mind, we could see him getting some looks as early as next season — similar to the Max Sasson, Arshdeep Bains treatment. Although, don’t expect a full-time look until the 2026-27 season.

That’s our #11 spot. Stay tuned for another installment later today here at CanucksArmy.

Sponsored by bet365

Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/cas-top-20-vancouver-canucks-mid-season-prospect-rankings-11-ty-mueller

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

WATCH: JT Miller drops the gloves as Canada-USA begins with 3 fights

The start of Saturday night’s clash between Team Canada and Team USA was one for the ages with three fights within the first nine seconds of the game.

USA vs. Canada started off in MADNESS

: ABC/ESPN+/Disney+ pic.twitter.com/BrWlXzMb7J

— ESPN (@espn) February 16, 2025

It started with Brandon Hagel and Matthew Tkachuk two seconds after the opening face-off in a spirited bout that immediately got the crowd to its feet. Emotions were running high with the crowd going nuts in the lead-up to the start of the match, including the boos during the American anthem and loud singing during the Canadian anthem. It was a fight that was seen as a tone-setter right before things could get underway.

At least that’s what people thought a second later in the game when Brady Tkachuk and Sam Bennett dropped the gloves before the former got a huge prop from his older brother in the penalty box.

FIGHT #2 JUST 3 SECONDS IN AS SAM BENNETT AND BRADY TKACHUK THROW SOME PUNCHES #4Nations pic.twitter.com/lVjW1tusV7

— Hockey Daily 365 l NHL Highlights & News (@HockeyDaily365) February 16, 2025

Then when it seemed like the fireworks had subsided after six seconds of game time, former Vancouver Canucks forward JT Miller and Colton Parayko exchanged shoves in front of the Canada net and then proceeded to get in a scrap themselves.

WE'VE GOT A THIRD FIGHT NINE SECONDS INTO THE GAME

JT MILLER AND COLTON PARAYKO pic.twitter.com/EcYyGPl8Ir

— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) February 16, 2025

It brought the already rocking Bell Centre up to a fever pitch, unlike any that many hockey fans had not seen in quite some time.

As far as Miller’s fight is concerned, he gave a pretty good effort but the size disadvantage was apparent as Parayko never fell to the ice and Miller was fighting an uphill battle. But the fact that it was the tilt that completed a hat trick of scraps before the game was even 10 seconds old was quite a surreal sight.

The political nature of where things stand between the two countries no doubt played a factor in the emotionally charged start, but so too was the genuine excitement of the players on both sides to finally play a meaningful game of international hockey for the first time in a generation.

Having the best the NHL (or PWHL) has to offer to play on the big stage for the pride of their country is when the sport is at its best and most electric. And that’s what Saturday nights game certainly provided with three fights in the first nine seconds, including one involving a former Canuck.

Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/watch-jt-miller-drops-gloves-as-canada-usa-begins-3-fights

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

CA’s top 20 Canucks mid-season prospect rankings: #10 Anthony Romani

We are back with our 2025 mid-season edition of our CanucksArmy top 20 Vancouver Canucks prospect rankings.

If you are curious about our ranking criteria, check them out in our HM installment.

• 20 — Lucas Forsell
• 19 — Jett Woo
• 18 — Parker Alcos
• 17 — Josh Bloom
• 16 — Aku Koskenvuo
• 15 — Ty Young
• 14 — Danila Klimovich
• 13 — Nikita Tolopilo
• 12 — Cole McWard
• 11 — Ty Mueller

Number 10 is…

Anthony Romani

Team: Barrie Colts | Age: 19 | Position: Right Wing | Height: 6’1″ | Weight: 190 lbs | Shoots: Right | Drafted: Sixth round, 162 overall, 2024 | Last year’s rank: 10

As we’ve already established in these rankings, the Vancouver Canucks amateur scouting has done a relatively astute job at finding late-round gems in recent years.

Could we chalk Anthony Romani up as their latest find? The jury is still out. At the very least, the sharpshooting Ontario kid carries a ton of intriguing qualities.

Almost 20, Romani was taken in his second go-around at the NHL draft. With an explosive 58-goal, 111-point season under his belt, many had wondered how he could have slipped through to the sixth round, let alone his first draft.

Well, for starters, he had yet to truly pop. With just 57 points through 134 games through his first two OHL seasons, his production didn’t necessarily scream “top talent.”

In addition to the lack of production, there were notable skating and defensive concerns. While he’s made significant strides in both areas, those concerns remain prevalent today.

Nevertheless, it doesn’t take long to see where the excitement stems from. While we lean toward his shot, it’s difficult to pinpoint the sharpest tool in his offensive kit: his shot or vision.

For our money, it’s the shot. Scoring 58 goals – which finished second among all OHLers last season – is no joke. And the sheer velocity and whip he’s able to generate off his release is top-notch.

Whether in tight, from the half-wall on the power play or off the rush, Romani carries that unteachable ability to whip the puck to beat netminders clean. He gets the puck off quick, and he gets the puck off hard.

Here are some of his shots, both on the net and high, to showcase the release.

When he connects, boy, is it deadly.

Anthony Romani with an absolute top-shelf missile for his second as a Barrie Colt #Canucks pic.twitter.com/wwyo1BoQNy

— Dave Hall (@davehall1289) January 19, 2025

He gets into the necessary spot to complement that shot by leveraging high-IQ plays. He knows how to evade coverage and slip into those deadly zones. Furthermore, he also uses that IQ to his advantage in the assist department. He finds teammates from everywhere using quick-thought and sneaky one-touch passes or long stretch passes.

Anthony Romani finds Ducks' draft pick Beckett Sennecke with a cross ice dish.#Canucks pic.twitter.com/FqWXMmtSTk

— Dave Hall (@davehall1289) August 2, 2024

His skating isn’t terrible, as he has good edges and shiftiness. Yet, it’s not exactly efficient, either. Using a stand-up style, he lacks explosiveness and tends to do everything at a slower pace. Simply put, he doesn’t have a ton of separating speed, even for the junior ranks.

That lack of motor does creep into his defensive game as well. Going forward – especially with the systems in both Vancouver and Abbotsford – his effort levels and details in the defensive zone will have to be worked on.

Unfortunately, he hasn’t had much time to work on said needs, as he’s had a forgettable draft-plus-one season. After just six games – and five points – Romani took a relatively innocent hit in the corner, resulting in a broken clavicle.

That setback cost him three months of action. To add to the madness, his rights were dealt with just weeks before he was set to return to the lineup. Joining fellow Canucks prospect Riley Patterson, Romani was sent to the Barrie Colts, where he has struggled to get back to form.

Despite seeing top-line minutes and obvious power play time, he’s posted just five goals and a minus-4 rating through 11 games. He still sees tons of looks and generates shots, so we aren’t concerned. Finding one’s game from months of no skating while navigating new systems and linemates is never easy.

However, we fear that this setback may interfere with his timeline. Turning 20 in July, we had pencilled him in as a potential transition into the pro ranks. With his development held back, we question whether he’ll return as an overage skater to build through one last season among the OHL class.

For now, he continues to sit as one of the more intriguing prospects and potential “steal of the draft” candidates within the prospect realm.

Ceiling: The development has to go perfectly, but Anthony Romani’s combination of high-end goal-scoring, playmaking, and hockey IQ makes him an easy top-six hopeful at the NHL level.

Floor: A looming question surrounding a player with his profile is simple: can he do it professionally? There are many examples of high-end point-getters from the junior ranks who failed to translate those tools to the pro level. At the very least, we can see Romani forming a fruitful career as an AHL scorer.

ETA: As we’ve established, there’s a real sense of uncertainty surrounding his immediate future. The injury setback put a huge damper on his development as a drafted prospect. Regardless of where he plays in 2025-26, we should still expect a two-to-four-year timeline before we are ready to talk NHL deployment.

That’s our #10 spot. Stay tuned for another installment later today here at CanucksArmy.

Sponsored by bet365

Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/cas-to...id-season-prospect-rankings-10-anthony-romani

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

CA’s top 20 Canucks mid-season prospect rankings: #8 Vilmer Alriksson

We are back with our 2025 mid-season edition of our CanucksArmy top 20 Vancouver Canucks prospect rankings.

If you are curious about our ranking criteria, check them out in our HM installment.

• 20 — Lucas Forsell
• 19 — Jett Woo
• 18 — Parker Alcos
• 17 — Josh Bloom
• 16 — Aku Koskenvuo
• 15 — Ty Young
• 14 — Danila Klimovich
• 13 — Nikita Tolopilo
• 12 — Cole McWard
• 11 — Ty Mueller
• 10 — Anthony Romani
• 9 — Riley Patterson

Number 8 is…

Vilmer Alriksson

Team: Brampton Steelheads | Age: 19 | Position: Left Wing | Height: 6’6″ | Weight: 234 lbs | Shoots: Left | Drafted: Fourth round, 107 overall, 2023 | Last year’s rank: 11

You’d be hard-pressed to find a more intriguing fourth-round prospect out there. After all, 6-foot-6, 234-pound (you read that right) 19-year-olds don’t grow on trees. In fact, at 6-foot-6, he practically is a tree.

It’s especially rare to find those with soft hands and a nose for the net.

If you weren’t a die-hard prospects follower, perhaps you weren’t familiar with the brand of hockey that this mid-round draftee has brought to the table since being drafted in 2023. But if you tuned in for the Canucks’ 2024 training camp and pre-season, the chances are that he is all over your radar now.

He kicked off his 2024 fall at Young Stars, where he shared the tournament lead in points, boosting his team to a perfect 3-0 tournament record. From there, he brought that poise to main camp, where he stood out (no pun intended) among the top brass and even slotted into a pair of NHL pre-season games. It was in those games that he solidified himself as a future fan-favourite.

He combined for six hits across two games in just 19:15 minutes of ice time and even dropped the gloves against a seasoned 30-year-old NHL scrapper, John Hayden. After laying out Seattle Kraken depth forward Logan Morrison, Alriksson answered the bell and accepted his fate. He did just fine.

Vilmer Alriksson drops the gloves with John Hayden!

: Sportsnet | NHL pic.twitter.com/4v3M2U0U55

— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) September 25, 2024

“I want to use my body and play physical and if somebody challenges me, I’ll accept it,” said Alriksson after the game. “I had a better reach than him (Hayden) with longer arms. It was a good fight. I always want to finish my hits and play my best.”

It was a big leap for the 19-year-old, who showed that his incredible frame was on the right track to develop into the player this organization’s amateur scouting team had a hunch he could be – not to mention the perfect “Tocchet type” for the future.

That strong audition earned him an entry-level contract before he returned to the OHL to skate in his sophomore season among his peers.

“Vilmer had a solid training camp and continues to develop and improve,” Patrik Allvin said in a statement released by the team. “We really like his size, skating ability and skillset, and we will continue to monitor his progress and work with him this year to help Vilmer get ready to take another step forward in his hockey career.”

Back in the Ontario League, he was placed into a tough spot on a very weak Guelph Storm squad, where they lost nine of their first 10 games of the season. You couldn’t tell by looking at his stat line, though, as he put up 11 goals and 23 points in just 26 games to finish as a near-point-per-game player by the Christmas break.

But the Storm used that to their advantage as they went through a clean sweep of the group, trading away their farm for the future. That resulted in the big Swede landing in Brampton, where he joined potential top-5 pick Porter Martone and Kraken prospect Carson Rehkopf.

Unfortunately, it’s been a bit of an odd and slow transition for Alriksson. Despite maintaining the same usage and playing mostly top-line and powerplay, navigating a new system has led to a slight dip in production. He’s still up to 11 points in 17 games, giving him a new career high of 34 points in just 43 games, but he’s struggled to thrive fully within his new system.

It’s not for lack of effort, though. We mentioned the soft hands earlier, and by gosh, does he ever. Watching Vilmer navigate the ice is a treat, and he uses his incredible reach and strength to weave in and out of traffic. Honestly, watching him dance around opponents and creating space for him and his teammates is immensely satisfying.

More important is his competitive nature and incredibly sizable edge. Aside from the hits and being on the positive end of one-on-one battles, the most impressive area of his game is what he does on the boards. As a Canuck follower, you are constantly reminded of the endorsements of being a successful board battler, and no one does it quite like Vilmer.

There’s a good chance that he may very well be too physically mature for the Junior ranks.

With 67 points, split evenly with 32 goals and 35 assists across 110 OHL games, he’s unlikely to become an offensive dynamo as he jumps the ranks. But he mixes in a nice dual-threat ability and can score goals from both distance and tight – mostly in tight. He combines that with soft hands and incredible size, all of which are guaranteed to leave a head coach like Rick Tocchet with a smile.

Ceiling: Considering that Alriksson is a fourth-round project, we do our best not to get too carried away with regard to his ceiling. There’s still a long road ahead for him to realize any said potential. Yet, with the unique mixture of size, skating ability, hands and creativity, you can almost picture him standing at the front on an NHL power play. We look at players such as Alexei Protas in Washington, who has broken out at 24 years old, and St. Louis’ Alexei Toropchenko, who we can’t help but figure Alriksson’s ceiling lies somewhere in between the two. He’s got top-nine ceiling written all over him.

Floor: We should see how he transitions soon, but without seeing that, his floor remains as open as an AHL player to an SHL mainstay.

ETA: He’ll be 20 on February 19th, and his ELC has already been signed. We expect him to transition to the pro ranks this spring, where he’ll likely spend the next two years developing in Abbotsford, with the potential to see call-ups as early as next spring (2026). If a full-time NHL deployment is, in fact, on the docket, respect that it should be around the 2027-28 campaign.

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Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/cas-to...d-season-prospect-rankings-8-vilmer-alriksson

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

Instant Reaction: Canada chases Canucks’ Lankinen to punch their ticket to 4 Nations Final in 5-3 win vs. Finland

Welcome to Instant Reaction — 4 Nations Face-Off edition! Typically, we give our Instant Reaction to Vancouver Canucks games, but since those aren’t happening right now, we thought we’d do the same for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Early on in this game, it seemed to go exactly how the Finns wanted the game to go. Fairly low-event, with not a ton of scoring chances, keeping everything to the outside and lots of board battles.

That was, of course, until Connor McDavid had something to say about it.

CANADA GOAL

Connor McDavid opens the scoring!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Canada #Finland pic.twitter.com/bBmfO26xjF

— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) February 17, 2025

McDavid picks off the Finns at the blue line and blazes through the slot, turning back when he loses his angle. Turning back, he waits until three bodies are in front of Kevin Lankinen and fires a quick wrist shot that Lankinen can’t track to open the scoring.

1-0 Canada.

And you just knew after a slow game against Team USA that Nathan MacKinnon was going to respond early.

CANADA GOAL

Nathan MacKinnon scores 46 seconds after Connor McDavid! It's 2-0 Canada!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Canada #Finland pic.twitter.com/D2xAcRLZqv

— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) February 17, 2025

MacKinnon wins the puck battle in the neutral zone and fires it off the boards for Sam Reinhart. Knowing MacKinnon’s speed is unmatched, Reinhart sends the puck ahead for MacKinnon to skate onto. He does just that and is in all alone. Unfortunately for Lankinen, MacKinnon fires the puck behind him before he could even react to it.

Just 46 seconds after McDavid gave Team Canada the lead, MacKinnon adds to it.

2-0 Canada.

Team Canada head coach Jon Cooper tinkered with all four of his lines. Most notably, putting Brayden Point and Mark Stone on McDavid’s wings. And that paid off early.

CANADA GOAL

Brayden Point puts Canada up 3-0!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Canada #Finland pic.twitter.com/TDgG6syThI

— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) February 17, 2025

The speed of Connor McDavid is just strictly unmatched, especially for a weaker Finnish defence corps. He takes it from Canada’s zone, through the neutral zone and into Finland’s end of the ice. Once he passes the blueline, McDavid fires a cross-ice pass to Travis Sanheim, who fires it off Lankinen’s pad. It was a nice save on Lankinen’s behalf. However, Point has the inside track to grab that rebound and do a quick deke to his backhand to get it past Lankinen.

These line changes are starting to pay off in a big way.

Team Canada ran away with a dominant first period, outshooting the Finns 11-5 and taking a 3-0 to the locker room for the first intermission.

The second period started fairly similarly to the start of the first period: a slower start and a Nathan MacKinnon goal within the first five minutes.

CANADA GOAL

Nathan MacKinnon scores his second goal of the game! It's 4-0 Canada!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Canada #Finland pic.twitter.com/NmexcKduid

— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) February 17, 2025

Crosby and Sam Reinhart’s forechecking is too much for the Finnish defence to handle. The puck finds the stick of Crosby, who quickly finds MacKinnon in a crowd full of Finns and beats Lankinen for his second of the game.

4-0 Canada.

After this goal, Team Finland’s head coach Antti Pennanen made the goaltending change, pulling Canucks goaltender Kevin Lankinen for the Nashville Predators netminder, who started the tournament, Juuse Saros.

Despite outshooting Canada 12-8 in the middle frame, there really wasn’t a significant threatening push by the Finns to claw their way back into this game.

That was until four minutes remaining in the second period when Devon Toews took a slashing penalty on Joel Armia. There were some scrambles in front, but Binnington stopped both shots he faced. He just loves big games in TD Garden; hey Bruins fans?

This is where Rick Tocchet hockey shines, baby. Big lead in the third period, let’s play some low-event hockey, protect the guts of the ice and walk away with the win. In a win and you’re in type game like this, that’s all you have to do. However, it’s not an exciting brand of hockey to watch.

Canadian defenders didn’t pinch up for offence. Canadian forwards were content to dump the puck in and go for the quick change to keep legs fresh. But there really wasn’t much else exciting going on. That was until Esa Lindell gave Team Finland a glimmer of hope.

FINLAND GOAL

Esa Lindell breaks the shutout bid for Jordan Binnington.

: Sportsnet | NHL#Canada #Finland pic.twitter.com/HvSBMKOuHL

— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) February 17, 2025

After a strong forecheck from the Finns, the puck leaks down the right side boards. Lindell sends a quick backhand pass to the faceoff dot, but the Finn forward can’t corral it but is able to tip it back to Lindell. The defenceman steps up, takes the ice that he’s given and fires a shot that just beats Binnington above the pad and below the blocker to ruin his shutout.

4-1 Canada.

Binnington has been good up until this point, but you’ve got to imagine this is one that he wants to have back. Ruining your shutout with a shot that just goes through you is disappointing.

Finland pulled their goalie early, with over four minutes remaining. MacKinnon was out there to try and get his hat trick. However, Aleksander Barkov blocked the centre-ice attempt. The play stayed in the Canadian zone, and then the chaos ensured.

FINLAND GOAL

Mikael Granlund cuts Canada's lead to two.

: Sportsnet | NHL#Canada #Finland pic.twitter.com/xzovMWpYMa

— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) February 17, 2025

After some chaos in front of the net, the puck found its way to Patrik Laine along the half-wall. He sends a quick pass to Mikael Granlund, who sends it through Binnington’s five-hole.

4-2 Canada.

But the Finns weren’t done there.

FINLAND GOAL

Mikael Granlund makes this a one goal game late in the third period!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Canada #Finland pic.twitter.com/YrBYZo7xaL

— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) February 17, 2025

From a very similar spot, Mikael Granlund receives the Aleksander Barkov pass and makes no mistake but this time buries it past Binnington and into the top corner.

4-3 Canada.

But right when you need him, Captain Canada always has your back.

CANADA GOAL

Sidney Crosby puts the puck into the empty net! It's 5-3 Canada!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Canada #Finland pic.twitter.com/FsefQBeFG8

— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) February 17, 2025

What a play from Sidney Crosby. With all the momentum on Team Finland’s side, Crosby steps up and makes a big open-ice hit on the hottest player on the ice and his former teammate to knock the puck loose. He then gets the pass and quickly goes from in his hand to off his stick and into the open net to kill any hope from Team Finland.

5-3 Canada.

CAs Player of the game​

Team Canada – Nathan MacKinnon

This was hard not to give to Crosby after the amazing play on the empty net goal. However, Nathan MacKinnon’s two goals, one being the eventual game-winner, stand as the player of the game in our eyes.

Team Finland – Mikael Granlund

Granlund single-handedly resurrected the lives of Team Finland in this game. He scored two goals late in the game, but it was just too little, too late for the Finns.

Not to take a victory lap, but these were two of the guys we mentioned as players to watch for this game.

Takeaways​

– This was a much better game for Team Canada. They looked like a completely different team. Canada played with a defensive structure that really limited what the Finns offensively. They gave the Finns clear shooting lanes from distance on Binnington and trusted him to make the plays.

– It’s hard to go away from Binnington after the win. But at the end of the game, there was definitely something to be worried about. I thought today was a perfect opportunity to go to Adin Hill, see what you have in him and decide from there. Just give him a very short leash, and don’t be afraid to put Binnington in if you don’t like what you’re seeing. I guess we won’t get to see that, but Team Canada’s chances to win start and end with Binnington in the finals.

– Hats off to Jon Cooper for his line changes. He switched all four of his lines, and they all looked better. Brayden Point and Mark Stone looked like they better complimented Connor McDavid — Point’s high-end skill around the front of the net with the puck and Stone’s hockey IQ. Sam Reinhart added three assists despite being an off-the-puck player in the offensive zone. But that’s exactly what Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby need to compliment them. Putting Mitch Marner with Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel was a nice addition to a shutdown line, while Travis Konecny with Brad Marchand and Sam Bennett also boosted the club’s energy when they were on the ice.

– We all knew Mikael Granlund was good, but he was far and away Team Finland’s best player throughout the tournament. He showed up in clutch moments, picking up an assist on the first goal of the USA/Finland game, the overtime-winning goal against Sweden to keep their finals hopes alive, and two goals late to nearly complete the comeback against Canada today.

What was your instant reaction to today’s game? Let us know in the comment section below!

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Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/instan...-punch-ticket-4-nations-final-5-3-win-finland

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

Instant Reaction: Canucks’ Pettersson plays sub-10 minutes in Sweden’s 2-1 win vs. USA

Welcome to Instant Reaction — 4 Nations Face-Off edition! Typically, we give our Instant Reaction to Vancouver Canucks games, but since those aren’t happening right now, we thought we’d do the same for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

All of the excitement for this game pretty was quickly sucked out of this game after the result of the morning game. Team USA had already punched their ticket to the final, and Team Sweden had been eliminated after Team Canada’s win, making this match a mean-nothing game. Well, to everybody except Canucks fans.

All eyes shift to see if there will be any fireworks between Elias Pettersson and JT Miller. We’ll see if anything happens throughout the game.

The Americans clearly built off that momentum from the incredible National anthem and wanted to give the fans something to cheer about.

With the game holding no meaning for tournament standings, the Americans rested Auston Matthews, Matthew Tkachuk, Charlie McAvoy and Connor Hellebuyck. And one of the players replacing them made his presence felt early in this game.

USA GOAL

Chris Kreider opens the scoring for the US!

: Sportsnet | NHL#USA #Sweden pic.twitter.com/bodIrgCTdd

— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) February 18, 2025

Chris Kreider went from out of the lineup to the top line with Brady Tkachuk and Jack Eichel.

1-0 USA.

To keep momentum high, you knew Brady Tkachuk was going to get the crowd even more into it, especially for his first game representing his country on home soil. Tkachuk made his presence felt, knocking two Swedes over in a matter of just a few seconds.

Brady Tkachuk is throwing his body around early in the first period!

: Sportsnet | NHL#USA #Sweden pic.twitter.com/gd1DIytEKR

— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) February 18, 2025

Shortly after the goal, Elias Pettersson had an offensive zone shift and ended up turning the puck over. The play went the other way, where Filip Forsberg couldn’t maintain possession of the puck, which resulted in Dylan Larkin shooting it right where the post meets the crossbar. This could have been a Pettersson offensive turnover that ended up in the back of the net the other way.

Sweden managed to keep the game within striking distance throughout the following 10 minutes after Kreider’s goal. And strike back they did.

SWEDEN GOAL

Gustav Nyquist ties the game for Sweden!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Sweden #USA pic.twitter.com/1MZNgT9fIR

— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) February 18, 2025

After Joel Eriksson Ek stripped his Minnesota Wild teammate Matthew Boldy, Viktor Arvidsson picked up the puck and passed it to Erik Karlsson along the wing. Karlsson takes a shot toward the net that gets tipped by Gustav Nyquist and squeaks through Jake Oettinger to tie the game up.

Tied 1-1.

The tie was broken five minutes later off the stick of Jesper Bratt.

SWEDEN GOAL

Jesper Bratt scores in the final minute of the first period to put Sweden up 2-1!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Sweden #USA pic.twitter.com/39DMwrJKKc

— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) February 18, 2025

Nylander intercepts the puck in the neutral zone with a ton of space in front of him. He goes for a skate, and right when the Americans take away his space, Nylander makes a swift pass to Bratt in the slot area. Bratt shows patience by waiting until he gets behind the screen of two players and fires a wrister past Oettinger and into the top right corner.

2-1 Sweden.

Injuries started to flood for the Americans. Vincent Trocheck left the first period but returned for the second. Brady Tkachuk went awkwardly into the post, finished the period, but did not return for the second period and was quickly ruled out. This led to the entire second period seeing constant line changes.

The second had plenty of scoring chances both ways, with the shots finishing 9-8 for Sweden. But with no goals to show for it.

Jack Eichel was buzzing throughout the second. He had a blistering shot that audibly rang off the post and followed that up with another one-time shot a few seconds later on the same power play. But Zach Werenski has really stolen the show. He had three shots on goal in the first five minutes of the game, and after two periods, he’s up to six shots.

Newcomer Leo Carlsson looked like he had some spunk in this period. You could tell the 20-year-old was eager to get his first taste of best-on-best hockey. He was confidently dangling through the offensive zone, made some creative passes and registered a shot on goal. Carlsson went from out of the lineup to top-line minutes between Bratt and Nylander, and the kid hasn’t looked out of place.

The wires crossed here a little bit for Brock Nelson as he pushes over Swedish netminder and division rival Samuel Ersson.

Brock Nelson shoves Samuel Ersson and Sweden is not happy about it.

: Sportsnet | NHL#USA #Sweden pic.twitter.com/4giK7rOKod

— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) February 18, 2025

Jack Eichel had himself a first minute of the third period. He sprung himself on a mini-breakaway and nailed the post. The Americans held the zone, Eichel got the puck back, and he nailed his second post of the shift – although this was much less threatening.

The Swedes were sent to the power play after some 23-on-23 violence as Adam Fox cross-checked Lucas Raymond. Pettersson had probably his best shift of the game on the ensuing power play.

Pettersson picked up a poor clearing attempt in the high slot, sold shot and passed off to Filip Forberg, whose shot went narrowly wide. He was then set up in his usual spot on the right half-wall, where he called for the pass from Victor Hedman and looked for a shot-pass for the Swede in front of the net.

By no means has this been an encouraging tournament for Pettersson; however, seeing him have a little confidence and call for the pass with the calibre of players on the ice with him was nice to see.

USA had a power play opportunity where they registered x shots. However, their best chance in the period was when Kyle Connor sprung Brock Nelson on a breakaway.

Sam Ersson gets just enough of Brock Nelson’s breakaway attempt pic.twitter.com/w0LMZHAr8T

— SleeperNHL (@SleeperNHL) February 18, 2025

Samuel Ersson has had himself a game. After allowing a goal on the second shot he faced. He shut the door, stopping the following 28 in a row up until this point. I, for one, did not believe he was going to get a start in this tournament. And I certainly didn’t expect him to play this well against the Americans. Sure, they have a few players out of the lineup, but they are still a team constructed of the best American skaters in the NHL.

Both goaltenders would shut the door in the final two frames, with Sweden walking away with the 2-1 victory.

CAs Player of the Game​

Team Sweden – Samuel Ersson

Ersson earned the second star of the game, but he was undoubtedly the Swede’s best player. The Philadelphia Flyers goaltender stopped 31 of 32 USA shots to steal the American’s perfect tournament from them.

Team USA – Zach Werenski

Werenski was one of the most noticeable defencemen on the ice for either team. He recorded an assist to tie Sidney Crosby for the tournament lead with five points, adding a game-high six shots on goal.

Takeaways​

– This tournament for Pettersson wasn’t what Canucks fans had hoped for. He finished the tournament point-less, registering just two shots on goal in three games, seeing his minutes decrease each game. Game 1 – 16:32 TOI. Game 2 – 14:10 TOI. Game 3 – 9:54 TOI. Keep in mind, this was a game where the Swedes were playing without two of their top-line forwards, Mika Zibanejad and Rickard Rakell. Let’s hope the fact he was able to step away from Vancouver and spend some time with his fellow countrymen did enough to spark a nice second half to the regular season.

– There really isn’t much to take away from the USA side as we approach the final game. They were missing so many of their main contributors to injuries and just resting for Thursday night. However, Zach Weresnki is a damn good consolation prize if they’re missing Quinn Hughes.

– All eyes now turn to Thursday night for a rematch of one of the best games of the tournament: Canada vs. USA for gold.

What was your instant reaction to tonight’s game? Let us know in the comments below!

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Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/instan...sson-plays-sub-10-minutes-swedens-2-1-win-usa

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

Demko not travelling with Canucks for 5-game road trip, deemed week-to-week

Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko will not join the team on their upcoming five-game road trip due to a lower-body injury suffered in a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on February 8, as confirmed by Thomas Drance of the Athletic:

Thatcher Demko (lower body) won’t be making the upcoming road trip with the team, will be reevaluated when the #Canucks return from Seattle next weekend.

It’s not the knee. Officially “week-to-week”, per team spokesperson.

— Thomas Drance (@ThomasDrance) February 18, 2025

The injury is not related to his knee, and Demko is officially listed as “week-to-week.” He is scheduled for re-evaluation upon the team’s return from Seattle next weekend.

The injury sidelines Demko during a critical stretch of the season as Vancouver fights to stay in the playoff race. The Canucks are currently holding on to the second wildcard spot in the Western Conference with 63 points, three ahead of the Calgary Flames in the same amount of games.

The club’s upcoming road swing includes games against the Vegas Golden Knights on February 22, the Utah Hockey Club on February 23, the Los Angeles Kings on February 26, the Anaheim Ducks on February 27, and a matchup against the Seattle Kraken on March 1.

This is the second time that Demko will be sidelined this season, as the 29-year-old San Diego native was out for the first three months of the year due to a rare popliteus injury before returning in January for 17 starts.

Looks like Thatcher Demko tweaked something during warmups tonight.

: Sportsnet | NHL#Canucks #LeafsForever https://t.co/5ZCj7lTuFP pic.twitter.com/mCqttRAZO7

— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) February 9, 2025

With Demko sidelined, Kevin Lankinen is expected to take on most of the workload. The 29-year-old Finn has posted a .905 save percentage, 2.53 goals against average (GAA), four shutouts, and 19 wins in 32 starts — currently stronger than Demko’s .891 save percentage and 2.87 GAA.

Lankinen will be returning from the 4 Nations Face-Off, where he helped Team Finland earn their only win of the tournament against Team Sweden.

Artūrs Šilovs has been recalled from Abbotsford on an emergency basis and is expected to serve as Lankinen’s backup during Demko’s absence. The 23-year-old Latvian netminder has played in seven games this season, recording a .847 save percentage and a 4.11 GAA. Nikita Tolopilo will join the team as a practice goaltender.

General Manager Patrik Allvin announced today that F Nils Aman, F Arshdeep Bains and D Elias Pettersson have been recalled from Abbotsford (AHL). G Artūrs Šilovs has been recalled from Abbotsford (AHL) on emergency basis and G Nikita Tolopilo will join the team as a practice…

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) February 18, 2025

Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/demko-...ver-canucks-5-game-road-trip-deemed-week-week

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

‘I want to play’: Canucks and USA’s Quinn Hughes anxiously on standby for 4 Nations final vs. Canada

On Tuesday, he was in a red non-contact jersey in Vancouver, practicing with the Canucks. On Thursday, he’d like to be in a red, white and blue Team USA jersey in Boston. But a lot has to happen between now and then for Quinn Hughes to have the chance to represent his country in the finale of the 4 Nations Face-Off.

As it stands right now, Hughes remains on standby and doesn’t have a spot on the American roster. After practice Tuesday at Rogers Arena, the Canucks captain expressed how much it would mean to him to have the chance to compete in the championship game of the National Hockey League’s mid-season tournament. However, he is well aware of the many hurdles that need to be cleared for that to happen.

The first is he needs a clean bill of health from Canucks doctors.

“I felt good out there (today),” Hughes told the media after the team’s 45 minute skate. “In a perfect world, the medical team would like me to take it step by step the next couple of days, but I feel really good right now.”

As for a cross-continent trip to take part in Thursday’s tournament title showdown, Hughes wants badly to be a part of it all. But he knows that as things stand at the moment, he’s still not eligible based on the rules as they’re written.

“I really want to and obviously it’s been really hard to watch and I want to play, but from what I can understand the rules are the rules,” he explained. “I’m a competitor and feel like I want to play and need to be there.”

As of reports late Tuesday afternoon, Team USA has six healthy defencemen for Thursday’s game making Hughes ineligible to play. However, in the event of an injury to one of those six blueliners or if the Americans run into issues up front, it’s conceivable Team USA could go with 11 forwards and seven defencemen – in which case Hughes might be an option if the NHL and the league’s Players Association give Hughes the green light.

All of this has to happen soon enough for Hughes to grab a flight to get to Boston to be an option. But he didn’t sound like he was preparing to fly on Tuesday night. So the various decisions regarding Hughes’ health and his availability will have to be made on Wednesday. If he’s on the ice with his Vancouver teammates for their 11:30am practice at Rogers Arena, then that will be a pretty clear indication that Hughes is sticking around town and setting his sights on the team’s next game on Saturday in Vegas. However, if he’s not there, then look for him to be in the US line-up along side his brother Jack on Thursday.

It’s important to remember that Hughes has missed the Canucks past four games with what has been reported as an oblique injury and has not suited up for an NHL game since January 31st in Dallas. He has skated just three times in the past 20 days and could suddenly be dropped into a high stakes one-game winner take all match-up with intensity through the roof and a game dripping with feeling from Saturday’s round robin tone-setter and one draped by political overtones.

It’s hard to imagine anyone being fully ready for that kind of challenge. Then again, if anyone could handle it, it would be Quinn Hughes who seems like he’s built for such moments.

“I guess I could fly down there and fly back, but we’ll just see where this goes,” he said.

Quinn Hughes is one phone call – and one long flight – from getting his chance to play in the 4 Nations tournament after all. If the NHL truly wants this to be a best on best affair, then it only seems right that Hughes gets his shot to play.

Read today’s edition of Scenes from Canucks practice by clicking here, and watch the full scrum with Hughes below!



Daily Faceoff Live is on the road! From February 10th to 20th, we’re bringing you live shows every weekday straight from Four Nations, delivering exclusive coverage, insider analysis, and all the tournament action as it unfolds. Don’t miss a beat—subscribe to the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel and follow us on social for the latest updates. It’s international hockey, so expect intensity, excitement, and maybe even a little chaos. Stay locked in and catch us live from Four Nations!

Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/want-p...uinn-hughes-standby-4-nations-final-vs-canada

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

Should Canucks fans be concerned by Elias Pettersson’s lack of production at 4 Nations?: Canucks Conversation

On today’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal discussed Elias Pettersson’s underwhelming performance at the 4 Nations Face-Off for Team Sweden. Pettersson failed to record a point over three games and was even benched in the third period of Sweden’s lone win against the United States, finishing with the lowest ice time of any player in that game.

Harm didn’t hold back when breaking down Pettersson’s struggles.

“He looked slow,” said Harm. “There’s nothing dynamic about the way he’s playing, which is the same we’ve seen from him in Vancouver. Even when you go back to the flashes he’s shown where he’s played well — let’s say the Toronto game right before the break — he had the gorgeous assist to Filip Hronek, but those plays have been at a standstill. Even some of his early point games, when he racks them up, it’s been from stationary positions where he’s leveraging his IQ and vision to execute those plays rather than moving his feet.”

Pettersson’s lack of speed was particularly glaring in an international tournament filled with the fastest and most talented players in the NHL.

“He just looks slow, and when you don’t have that speed — that’s an issue for Sweden down the middle. They don’t have that game-breaking, dynamic pace from puck carriers. In a tournament this tight-checking, you’re not going to have time and space to cook. You either need to think the game at an elite level and anticipate, be at the right spot, or you need those bursts to separate the way guys like [Connor] McDavid and [Nathan] MacKinnon can. Pettersson isn’t close to that, and at this rate, he’s not even a lock to make Sweden’s Olympic team, which is concerning. This season, he may not hit 55 points. It’s rough.”

For months, some fans have pointed to head coach Rick Tocchet’s system as a reason for Pettersson’s struggles, but Harm dismissed that theory after seeing his performance in Sweden’s system.

“Another important takeaway is — I don’t want to hear people blame Rick Tocchet for Pettersson’s struggles anymore,” said Harm. “That one bothered me for a while. I can agree that overall Tocchet’s style isn’t necessarily creating a lot of offence, or there’s a possibility he’s held the offence back, but with Pettersson specifically, there was a lot of talk about how he can create off the rush and Tocchet’s system is forcing him to play dump-and-chase hockey. But watching him—even if he was allowed to create all he wanted — he can’t beat anybody up the ice carrying the puck. So how is he going to create off the rush or in transition? Seeing him play for Sweden in an environment away from Tocchet proves to me that coaching isn’t the primary issue.”

Pettersson’s future in Vancouver has become a topic of discussion over the last year. As this season marches on, opposing teams would once be eager to acquire him may not hold a different perception.

“There were, and still are, some NHL front offices that really believe that if they get Pettersson out of Vancouver and into their system, he can figure it out. And hey, maybe that can still happen,” Quads said. “But if I’m an opposing general manager, I am not bucking up for Elias Pettersson the way I would have three months ago if I was talking trades with the Canucks. This tournament was an opportunity for him to re-establish himself to the rest of the league, and he didn’t do it.”

With Pettersson struggling to regain his form, the biggest question remains: why?

“Everyone is searching for the reason why, which is difficult to do from the outside. There’s a lot of discussion dissecting the knee tendonitis, but if he was truly injured, why would he have played in this tournament in the first place?” Harm asked. “It’s so confusing because, to me, he doesn’t physically look right in terms of his skating. He’s so much slower than he was two years ago. It’s frustrating, and the more it continues in this direction, the more likely it is this club considers dealing him before his July no-movement clause kicks in.”

The clock is ticking for Pettersson to prove he can still be the elite, game-changing center he once was.

“He needs to show something down the stretch — this is the last audition,” Harm added. “He’s got 27 regular-season games and a playoff opportunity if the team punches their ticket to prove he deserves to stay in Vancouver.”

You can watch the full segment below:

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Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/should...ack-production-4-nations-canucks-conversation

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

The Farmies: Josh Bloom collects point in Abby season debut, Canucks lose 5-3

The Abbotsford Canucks were in San Diego to face the Gulls in a rare one-off game to kick off a five-game road swing.

That’s last place in the Pacific Division Gulls, by the way.

The issue for AHL teams is that they risk having all their top players plucked away when their parent club needs reinforcements. Unfortunately for Abbotsford, that was the case for tonight’s matchup.

With a heavy AHL presence, the Canucks had a tough time against a bottom-dwelling Gulls team. Despite a strong effort to return from a weak minute-long stretch in the third, they couldn’t muster up enough firepower to seek out the victory.

For the second time in just a few weeks, the Canucks dropped a decision to the Gulls. They now find themselves on a four-game winning streak for the first time in nearly two years.

Let’s check in on the action, shall we?

Starting lineup

Blais – Sasson – Smith
Nielsen – Mueller – Klimovich
Twarynski – Wouters – Kambeitz
Bloom – Walker – Berard

Wolanin – Woo
Kudryavtsev – Mancini
Arntsen – McWard

Young

With the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off break still underway, Abbotsford had a handful of talents called up to the big club.

Those names include Aatu Räty, Arshdeep Bains, Elias Pettersson, Arturs Silovs and Nikita Tolopilo.

As a result, the AHL lineup was left relatively barren. They were forced to call in reinforcement from their third-tier affiliated squad in the ECHL.

Josh Bloom, who’s enjoyed a decent rookie season in Kalamazoo, got his first promotion of the season. He made his season debut after receiving the promotion earlier in the day. It’s his second AHL stint after he spent 14 games in 2023-24 before returning to junior.

He formed a fourth-line pair alongside his ECHL teammates Ben Berard and Cooper Walker.

Also back in the lineup from Kalamazoo was Ty Young, who was back between the pipes after an extremely strong stretch down in the minors.

First period: San Diego Dulls

Thanks to a brutal giveaway from veteran defender Christian Wolanin, Ty Young was tested early in this one.

Standing tall was the rookie netminder, who was forced to settle into the game early.

Abbotsford wasn’t the only team gifting brutal giveaways, though.

In the next shift, newcomer Josh Bloom was gift-wrapped a goalie giveaway before he spun and ripped the high shot to force Oscar Dansk’s first save of the night.

It’s a nice start for Bloom, who’s hoping to leave a positive impression with Manny Malhotra and reclaim a roster spot in the future. He did not see much ice time in the opening frame but showcased his speedy workhorse attitude with each shift.

More from him later on.

That quick back-and-fourth action stalled out as teams traded low-grade chances for the next 15 minutes.

With little noteworthy action in the period, we’d be remiss not to show you Victor Mancini doing what he could to spark a little offence.

He showed off his skating ability by collecting the puck and driving wide on the Gulls’ defender, flapping his jersey in the wind to collect the backhand shot.

Despite being held for most of the period, the Gulls kicked off the game’s scoring.

San Diego goal – 1-0 – Coulson Pitre from Ryan Carpenter and Tyson Hinds

With the Abbotsford defence madly scrambled, players were sent all over the ice in an attempt to regain form.

Unfortunately for Sammy Blais, the weak shot from the top of the circles played directly off his skate and into the slot. Corralling the puck was Ryan Carpenter, who spun to make a cheeky backhand dish to Coulson Pitre, who was left all alone at the netfront.

It wasn’t a pretty effort by the Canucks and the Gulls took advantage as they scored on just their fourth shot of the period. There is just way too much time and space for the Gulls in this entire sequence.

The teams exchanged power plays to end the period, but neither team could muster any notable chances.

Perhaps undeservingly, the Abbotsford Canucks walked down the tunnel trailing by one, with a 14-5 shot lead.

Shots: ABB 14, SD 5
Score: ABB 0, SD 1

Second period: Welcome back Ty Young

Picking up where things left off in the first, the opening minutes were quiet.

Ty Young was the busier of the two netminders through the first five minutes, stopping three Shots.

Yes, three.

The fourth line of all ECHLers was gifted with a few more shifts to spark some life in the team and looked pretty good.

Running a strong cycle, they were showing good chemistry to grab the period’s best chance. This time, it was Cooper Walker nearly cashing in on the doorstep.

It took roughly 15 minutes to find any real opportunity.

Abbotsford goal – 1-1 – Sammy Blais from Kirill Kudryavtsev and Ty Mueller

Taking his time, Sammy Blais gained entry and weaved through a few legs at the blueline before sending the perfect feed toward the net. Driving the net was Ty Mueller, who got his stick on the puck to make the ideal redirect to even the score.

Or so we thought. Mueller was initially given the goal, but the league eventually credited it to the shooter, as the puck appeared to have gone directly off the defender’s skate blade. With the change, Blais registered his eighth goal of the season.

The Gulls nearly killed that momentum within seconds.

Gaining the zone off the face-off, Tristan Luneau fired the perfect low shot to bounce out for the rebound. The puck spewed out to the side, where Gulls’ forward Ryan Carpenter was there to collect the garbage.

Miraculously, Young sprawled out to get the paddle on the puck for the save of the game.

Maybe the week?

Maybe the month?

That’s one way to earn yourself the next start.

That was as close as either team would come, as they would head into the room tied 1-1.

Shots: ABB 21, SD 13
Score: ABB 1, SD 1

Third period: Back-and-fourth action

The first two periods lacked excitement, but the third period made it all up in spades.

The Gulls kicked off the third on a two-minute power play, where Ty Young continued his poised play.

This time, kicking the leg out on a pair of rebound jam attempts.

Unfortunately, that poise would eventually dry up, giving up two goals in quick succession.

San Diego goal – 2-1 – Coulson Pitre from Tyson Hinds and Oscar Dansk

With the puck flicked up in the air, Sammy Blais’ controller seemingly ran out of batteries as he stared down at the puck.

Picking his pocket was Coulson Pitre, who broke down the wing and snapped a short side shot over Young’s glove.

San Diego goal – 3-1 – Sam Colangelo from Ryan Carpenter and Justin Bailey

Minutes later, from the same angle, Sam Colangelo broke down the wing to test Young. He put it low this time and trickled through the rookie netminder.

But the lead didn’t last long, and the ECHL line went to work.

Abbotsford goal – 3-2 – Ben Berard from Josh Bloom

Josh Bloom showcased relentless pressure to force the Gulls defender to cough up the puck in the corner.

Collecting it from the boards was Ben Berard, who cut into the middle and slid his second AHL goal of the season through the legs of Dansk.

Although they come weeks apart, Berard now has goals in consecutive AHL games.

But wait, there’s more!

Abbotsford goal – 3-3 – Dino Kambeitz from Carsen Twarynski and Chase Wouters

Once again, thanks to some good digging and pressure, Dino Kambeitz came out from the board battle with the puck. Cutting into the slot, he rifled a snapshot up and over Dansk to tie the game midway through the frame.

Unfortunately, the Canucks weren’t able to celebrate for too long as the Gulls continued to press.

San Diego goal – 4-3 – Tristan Luneau from Sacha Patsjuvov and Coulson Pitre

Setting up Sacha Pastujov for the heavy one-timer, Tristan Luneau went straight to the net.

With the puck bouncing through all the mess in the slot, he swiped at the ariel puck, connecting with his second swing to sneak it past Young and provide his team with yet another lead.

San Diego goal – 5-3 – Nikita Nesterenko from Sam Colangelo and Tristan Luneau (empty net)

With the net empty and the Canucks pressing, Nikita Nesterenko out-skated Christian Wolanin to beat out the icing call.

With no panic, he cut through the slot to outwait multiple Canucks to ice the game with the empty net goal.

Final shots: ABB 26, SD 21
Final score: ABB 3, SD 5

Final thoughts

This game lacked serious substance during the initial 40 minutes of play. But with the Canucks’ dwindling roster, that was to be expected. Fireworks exploded in the third and made up for the lack of energy early on.

Despite allowing four goals, Ty Young was fine between the pipes. He’s likely to want the two shots in the third, which beat him from the same angle back. But otherwise, he played fine for his first AHL action in months.

The ECHL line of Josh Bloom, Ben Berard, and Cooper Walker was likely the team’s most positive and energized. All three played as if they hoped to fulfill permanent American League roles.

What’s next?

The Canucks will head to Tucson for a weekend doubleheader versus the Roadrunners for games two and three of the road trip. The puck drops at 6:00 pm PT at the Tucson Convention Center.

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Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/farmies-josh-bloom-collects-point-abby-season-debut-canucks-lose-5-3

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

CA’s top 20 Canucks mid-season prospect rankings: #3 Elias Pettersson

We are back with our 2025 mid-season edition of our CanucksArmy top 20 Vancouver Canucks prospect rankings.

Now is probably a good time to set another reminder to review our rankings’ criteria (Honorable Mentions). It’s crucial to know because these rankings are missing some names that may be in other ranks. Ultimately, that bumps every player up a few spots.

If you are curious about our ranking criteria, check them out in our Honourable Mentions installment.

• 20 — Lucas Forsell
• 19 — Jett Woo
• 18 — Parker Alcos
• 17 — Josh Bloom
• 16 — Aku Koskenvuo
• 15 — Ty Young
• 14 — Danila Klimovich
• 13 — Nikita Tolopilo
• 12 — Cole McWard
• 11 — Ty Mueller
• 10 — Anthony Romani
• 9 — Riley Patterson
• 8 — Vilmer Alriksson
• 7 — Arshdeep Bains
• 6 — Victor Mancini
• #5 – Sawyer Mynio
• #4 – Kirill Kudryavtsev

Number 3 is…

Elias Pettersson

Team: Abbotsford Canucks | Age: 21 | Position: Defence | Height: 6’3″ | Weight: 209 lbs | Shoots: Left | Drafted: Third round, 80 overall, 2022 | Last year’s rank: 4

Elias Pettersson has long been a prospect lauded for his rugged, physically assertive style of play.

We’ve often viewed him as a player who would seamlessly transition to the North American professional hockey scene based on his “meat and potatoes” brand of hockey. So far, those predictions have proven remarkably accurate.

Pettersson has not only arrived; he’s quickly become a fan favourite, embodying the type of hard-nosed, competitive spirit that Canucks Nation has been drooling over since being drafted in 2022.

Whether battling along the boards in the corners, establishing a net-front presence, or making opponents feel the wrath of his old-school hip checks, Pettersson plays with a relentless intensity that makes life difficult for his opponents.

Translation: he’s in constant “go” mode.

This tenacious, physical style has been a consistent hallmark of his game. He’s brought that same brand across various leagues, from his time in the Allsvenskan and SHL in Sweden to his transition to the AHL and now the NHL.

In honour of his NHL debut tonight, enjoy a few minutes of Elias Pettersson (D) being a bully over the years.

Kids a beast . #Canucks pic.twitter.com/YYXBQeW9aR

— Dave Hall (@davehall1289) January 25, 2025

One of the most impressive aspects of Pettersson’s development has been his ability to adapt to new levels of competition seamlessly. While it has typically taken him a game or two to adjust to the speed of the game, Pettersson has been able to acclimate his game rather quickly — typically within a game or two.

That was true for his first few with Abbotsford and rang true in his first pair in Vancouver.

While Pettersson’s physicality is a defining characteristic, it would be a mistake to define him solely by his toughness. He is more than just a brute force on the ice. He is also a strong, fluid skater with a poised and accurate first pass out of the defensive zone — a skill that the Canucks have been actively seeking in the lower half of their defensive corps.

Thanks to that heads-up transition game, Pettersson’s contributions aren’t limited to the defensive side of the puck, either. While he may not be a prolific offensive defenceman, he chips in from time to time with offensive contributions, putting pucks on net and picking up assists.

He’s shown that with a goal and 12 assists in Abbotsford and now with an assist up in Vancouver.

CANUCKS GOAL

Pius Suter scores his 14th goal of the season!

D-Petey picks up his first NHL point on this play!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Canucks #LGRW pic.twitter.com/FCil4sqhOV

— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) February 3, 2025

The praise for Pettersson’s game has been effusive. As expected, Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet has already spoken highly of his game at the NHL level.

“Lots to like,” said coach Rick Tocchet. “He’s a bull out there. Strong, good first pass, can shoot, there’s just a lot to work with. He’s a prototypical D that you want on your team.”

Even teammate and NHL veteran Marcus Pettersson has been impressed, “He’s awesome with the puck,” said veteran teammate Marcus Pettersson. “He can protect it, and he’s very good defensively. I played with him at Worlds, and I saw it then, but to see it up close, how good he is defensively, how responsible he is, it’s really fun to see. And, like I said, he can make some plays with the puck that are out of this world.”

Pettersson’s 2024-25 season began in Abbotsford, where he quickly established himself as a cornerstone of the Abby Canucks’ defensive corps. His consistent play and rapid ascent through the defensive pairings earned him a spot as the team’s go-to top-pairing defenceman. He’s also become a key penalty killer, logging significant minutes in shorthanded situations.

His strong performance in the AHL ultimately paved the way for his well-deserved promotion to the NHL, where most would be happy to see him play out the remainder of his 2024-25 season.

We always thought D-Petey could become a substantial piece of this Vancouver defensive corps, and we indeed predicted a smooth transition to the American League level. But even NHL games by February caught us off guard.

Ceiling: Pettersson projects as a bottom-four NHL defenceman, known for his physicality, strong defensive play, and reliable puck-moving. He could become a valuable shutdown presence, logging significant minutes against top lines and playing a crucial role on the penalty kill.

Floor: We feel confident in Pettersson’s ability to be a full-time NHLer. But if he hits a development wall, he’s most certainly a seventh defender. His size, competitive edge and skating provide a strong foundation; at just 21, there’s still so much room for growth.

ETA: Pettersson has already debuted in the NHL, which is a testament to his development. His continued adaptation to the NHL’s speed and skill will determine his long-term role, but his progress suggests he’s well on his way to becoming a regular NHL player as soon as today. If he does return to Abbotsford, expect him to compete for a full-time role in next year’s squad.

That’s our #3 spot. Stay tuned for another installment later today here at CanucksArmy.

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Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/cas-to...d-season-prospect-rankings-3-elias-pettersson

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

Canucks sign Kevin Lankinen to five-year contract extension

The Vancouver Canucks have signed goaltender Kevin Lankinen to a five-year contract extension with an annual average value of $4.5 million. General manager Patrik Allvin made the announcement early Friday morning.

Vancouver Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin announced today that the club has agreed to terms with goaltender Kevin Lankinen on a 5-year contract extension with a $4.5M AAV.

DETAILS | https://t.co/XniqSp5kLn pic.twitter.com/wZXI7rtVv7

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) February 21, 2025

Lankinen, 29, signed with the Canucks during training camp on a very team-friendly 1-year deal worth $875,000. Lankinen has registered a .905 save percentage through 34 starts this season.

Lankinen’s extension comes on the heels of news that Thatcher Demko would be out week-to-week with yet another injury. Demko is heading into the final year of his five-year contract — worth $5 million annually — in 2025-26.

Lankinen’s new deal will kick in next season, and expire at the end of the 20-30 season.

After beginning his pro career in Liiga, Lankinen made the jump to North America in 2018, signing with the Chicago Blackhawks. During the 2020–21 season, he recorded a 17-14-5 record. The following season, he served as a backup to Marc-André Fleury, concluding the season with an 8-15-6 record.

In July 2022, Lankinen joined the Nashville Predators on a one-year contract, later signing a one-year extension in March 2023. Over two seasons with Nashville, he achieved a 20-14-1 record and a .912 save percentage. To this point in his career, Lankinen had yet to prove himself as a reliable NHL starter.

Thus, when he hit free agency in 2024, the offers made were less than ideal, and ultimately left him without a seat at the table. Vancouver turned out to be the perfect fit, however, as with the continued issues surrounding Thatcher Demko’s health and reliability, Lankinen has managed to end up on pace to earn a career-high number of starts. And now, he’s pivoted that into the long-term home he was hoping to find last offseason.

Uncertainty remained when it came to the Canucks’ plans for Lankinen, as it was reported recently that he turned down the Canucks’ last extension offer. Clearly, with that uncertainty being turned up a notch with Demko proving to be undeniably injury prone at this point in his career, the Canucks felt it was time to fortify their plans at the goaltending position.

What do you think of Lankinen’s extension with the Canucks? Let us know in the comments section below!

Sponsored by bet365

Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/vancouver-canucks-sign-kevin-lankinen-five-year-contract-extension

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

Instant Reaction: Team Canada silences Team USA with 3-2 overtime win

Welcome to Instant Reaction — 4 Nations Face-Off edition! Typically, we give our Instant Reaction to Vancouver Canucks games, but since those aren’t happening right now, we thought we’d do the same for the 4 Nations Face-Off.

I promised David Quadrelli I would try to keep things apolitical in tonight’s Four Nations Faceoff Finale Instant Reaction.

With that, let’s get into one of the most important games of best-on-best hockey since 2010, and then make appointments with our cardiologists!

First Period Recap​

Inspired by the raucous booing from those inside the TD Garden, Team USA threatened early and often with quick chances off the rush. Canada looked off-balance, struggling to keep pace.

Though Team Canada looked smooth transitioning the puck up the ice from the d-zone, they struggled to connect in the offensive zone with meaningful shots against Connor Hellebuyck.

Despite the early lag and Brady Tkachuk’s relentless little brother energy, the American’s play for a 51st state was put on hold, thanks to a phenomenal goal from Nathan MacKinnon.

1-0 Canada: Nathan MacKinnon from Thomas Harley and Sam Reinhart

CANADA GOAL

NATHAN MACKINNON OPENS THE SCORING FOR CANADA!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Canada #USA pic.twitter.com/l6cpVXPADV

— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) February 21, 2025

Unsurprisingly to those who didn’t start watching this past week, Nate Dogg opened the score of his patented laser speed. Exchanging with Thomas Harley at the top of the left circle, MacKinnon darted into the middle, twisting Brady Tkachuk like a pretzel before rifling a wrist shot through traffic past an unsuspecting Hellebuyck.

On a line with Sidney Crosby and MacKinnon, Seth Jarvis nearly made it two-zip for the good guys, crashing the net for multiple rebound chances just past the halfway point of the opening frame.

Connor Hellebuyck makes a couple big stops on Seth Jarvis!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Canada #USA pic.twitter.com/happYwLAKk

— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) February 21, 2025

Now, a game featuring Jordan Binnington between the pipes wouldn’t be a game featuring Jordan Binnington between the pipes without an egregiously silly misplay of the puck and a wide-open scoring opportunity for the opposition.

Jordan Binnington stands tall on the Americans best scoring chance of the 1st period!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Canada #USA pic.twitter.com/YDG308MzDf

— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) February 21, 2025

“Standing tall” was almost why Dylan Larkin tied the game at one apiece, but I digress. Fortunately, no American was in range to capitalize on Larkin’s pass through the crease for the tap-in goal.

The Americans would not make the same mistake twice.

1-1 Tie: Brady Tkachuk from Auston Matthews

USA GOAL

BRADY TKACHUK TIES THE GAME AND FIRES UP THE BOSTON CROWD!

: Sportsnet | NHL#USA #Canada pic.twitter.com/o10vpW1Lcj

— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) February 21, 2025

With less than four minutes left in the period, Auston Matthews raced to the endboards to pick off a Devon Toews pass to Cale Makar. Toews did not get enough steam on his pass, allowing Matthews to reach around Binnington’s net for a wraparound. Despite Toews, Mark Stone, and Brayden Point hovering around the crease to deny the wraparound, the PDO gods weren’t on their side. Matthews appeared to flub his wraparound attempt, sending a short pass out to the top of the crease, allowing Brady Tkachuk to sneak past the row of bodies for a light flip over Binnington’s blocker side.

Team USA’s speed generally dictated the pace of play in the first 20 minutes. While Team Canada did well to out-attempt their southern enemies, USA’s chances looked significantly more dangerous.

Second Period Recap​

Team Canada came out swinging with some good early chances.

Then, the US did.

Then things got scrappy.

Then, Canadians got the full Binnington experience.

Jordan Binnington makes a huge save!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Canada #USA pic.twitter.com/jdgkzzhim6

— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) February 21, 2025

Kudos first: one second, Binnington executes a pitch-altering split to make an incredible save with the outstretched glove. One second after that, Binnington loses the puck in that glove and spins around in his crease, wondering where the puck has gone. Fortunately, in this instance, the puck sprang out to the left circle and out of American hands.

Not long after, Team USA benefitted from another fortunate bounce into the slot, resulting in Jake Sanderson’s first goal of the tournament.

2-1 USA: Jake Sanderson from Auston Matthews and Zack Werenski

USA GOAL

JAKE SANDERSON RIPS A REBOUND INTO THE BACK OF THE NET!

IT'S 2-1 USA

: Sportsnet | NHL#USA #Canada pic.twitter.com/D90HLkEw0H

— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) February 21, 2025

Somehow, an Auston Matthews backhander rebounds off Binnington’s right pad and into the air, dropping at the feet of Sanderson for the quick-touch shot into the net.

With nine minutes left in the middle frame, the Canadians earned the game’s first power play when 18-year-old Sam Bennett drew a tripping minor against Vincent Trochek.

The Canadian’s power play moved the puck quite well but looked mostly unthreatening. The Americans got the best chance of the power play when a poke check led to a spooky-looking 3-on-1 rush chance.

The Canadian’s next-best look came upon the return to 5-on-5 when Jacob Slavin denied Sidney Crosby a tap-in opportunity with a slick backhander from the crease.

Jacob Slavin saves a goal for Team USA!

: Sportsnet | NHL#USA #Canada pic.twitter.com/hzj5I1uLpF

— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) February 21, 2025

In his tenth year as an 18-year-old, Sam Bennett made a legitimate case for the construction of an 18-foot-tall bronze statue of himself outside Parliament Hill, rifling a f*****g filthy backhander on Hellebuyck that tied the game at two.

2-2 Tie: Sam Bennett from Mitch Marner

CANADA GOAL

MITCH MARNER MAKES AN INCREDIBLE PASS TO FIND SAM BENNETT AND HE BURIES IT!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Canada #USA pic.twitter.com/MDCwgIglUJ

— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) February 21, 2025

Bennett began the sequence with a fantastic poke in the neutral zone against JT Miller to help regain possession and break the puck into the offensive zone for Marner. Marner wisely cuts to the guts of the ice, drawing Adam Fox into the middle and opening space for Bennett to drive into Hellebuyck uncontested for the equalizer.

Though we typically don’t hand it to Leafs players here at CanucksArmy, you have to hand it to Marner on this one; it’s a brilliant read to create space.

Bennett’s goal seemed to awaken the Canadian’s physicality. The final 10 minutes saw several punishing hits and a noticeable turnaround in Canada’s engagement in the checking game.

Even McDavid showed up, driving through the middle for a great scoring chance.

Tensions at an all time high, the second period concluded with both teams tied in shots and goals.

Third Period Recap​

The Americans got the first good look of the final frame when a bad break for Brayden Point gave Jake Guentzel — a fairly good player — and Jack Hughes — also a fairly good player — a two-on-none rush opportunity. Binnington came up huge in the moment, stopping Guentzel with ease.

The Americans then tested Binnington again, leading to his biggest save of the game, by my estimate.

I was unable to find a clip of Binnington’s best save. Go figure!

He was bad, folks. The goalie guild can’t make up any stats to defend his performance. Every save was a complete fiesta. Every rebound was untraceable. Every simple save looked difficult.

Kudos to him for not losing his cool after looking generally lost.

Approaching the halfway mark of the period, the Canadians generated their best chance, a run of possession inside the offensive zone resulting in a hammering shot from Brandon Hagel off the outside of Hellebuyck’s goalpost.

On the other side of the ice, Jacob Slavin continued angling for Norris Trophy considerations with his second game-saving block of the evening.

Jaccob Slavin with the block pic.twitter.com/5Z9XDfgzKr

— Shayna (@shaynagoldman_) February 21, 2025

Myers-esque sprawl to deny Seth Jarvis his shot on goal.

The back-10 featured a half-dozen chances for both squads.

Canada and the US are trading chances in the 3rd period!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Canada #USA pic.twitter.com/oLCc4z9L78

— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) February 21, 2025

McDavid earned a handful of breakaway opportunities, but the juice wasn’t there. Clearly, something was ailing him in tonight’s action because his puck control was easily some of the worst among Canadian forwards.

In the final minute of regulation, the Canadians pressed, with Marner driving down the right wing and executing a gorgeous cross-ice feed to McDavid at the side of the net, which should have been the game-winning goal.

Unfortunately, JT Miller had something to say about that, rolling back the clock and executing a brilliant backchecking effort to save a guaranteed goal like it was 2021-22 again!

J.T. Miller saves the day to preserve the tie!

USA-Canada is headed to overtime for the #4nations Face-Off Championship pic.twitter.com/spg4GiMupK

— ESPN (@espn) February 21, 2025

Cardiologists across Canada were thrilled when the buzzer sounded after 60 minutes.

I was not.

The tense, nausea-inducing, back-and-forth hockey would continue in do-or-die overtime. Because, of course, there’d be no other way to settle this war.

Overtime Recap​

I know stuff happened during the first three minutes. But I was holding my breath the entire time and forgot to clock any of it in my brain.

It. Was. Tense.

Team USA were all over Team Canada through the opening five minutes.

Binnington was game, making a string of terrific stops while under total duress to keep Canada’s hopes as a sovereign nation alive.

First, he made a brilliant blocker stop on Auston Matthews from point-blank range after a total fiesta of a sequence for Canada inside the d-zone.

oh my gooodness, matthews with the chance but binnington the save pic.twitter.com/MaHdjNe6SU

— Shayna (@shaynagoldman_) February 21, 2025

Binnington kept trying to one-up his “best save of the tournament,” making a phenomenal glove save on Brady Tkachuk.

Jordan Binnington makes another great save!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Canada #USA pic.twitter.com/wjNGbS7tX2

— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) February 21, 2025

Then, it happened.

After getting shellacked for nine minutes against the US and having played the worst individual game of his that anyone had ever seen him play, Connor McDavid won it for Canada.

3-2 Canada: Connor McDavid from Mitch Marner and Cale Makar

CANADA GOAL

CONNOR MCDAVID WINS THE FOUR NATIONS FACEOFF FOR CANADA!!!

: Sportsnet | NHL#Canada #USA pic.twitter.com/Zab3LSX1QX

— Daily Faceoff (@DailyFaceoff) February 21, 2025

Mitch Marner cross-ice to a wide-open McDavid for the win.

Binnington, after one of the most stressful games I’ve ever seen from a netminder, defeated the Americans.

You love to see it, folks!!!!

What’s your instant reaction to tonight’s game? Let us know in the comments section below!



Daily Faceoff Live is on the road! From February 10th to 20th, we’re bringing you live shows every weekday straight from Four Nations, delivering exclusive coverage, insider analysis, and all the tournament action as it unfolds. Don’t miss a beat—subscribe to the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel and follow us on social for the latest updates. It’s international hockey, so expect intensity, excitement, and maybe even a little chaos. Stay locked in and catch us live from Four Nations!

Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/instant-reaction-team-canada-silences-team-usa-3-2-overtime-win

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

Canucks’ Boeser and Soucy added to Daily Faceoff’s latest Trade Targets list

Two weeks ahead of this year’s trade deadline, the Vancouver Canucks rumour mill is showing no signs of slowing down.

After some massive moves already taking place with the organization this month, another key Canuck has landed on Friday’s edition of DailyFaceoff’s trade targets board, with alternate captain Brock Boeser landing at number 15.

Compiled by insider Frank Seravalli, the list “always seeks to blend a player’s prominence with his likelihood of a trade.” Joining Boeser on the top 30 list is Vancouver defenceman Carson Soucy at #10, and Elias Pettersson, a recurring character in the ranking who has now climbed to #6.

With Boeser’s three-year contract set to expire this summer, many have begun to speculate about where his future lies with the Canucks as he has yet to sign an extension. Seravalli offers some perspective on the situation the two parties find themselves in:

“It’s been a slow-moving game of ‘chicken’ between the Canucks and Boeser’s camp, both completely comfortable playing this out. They essentially dared him to go out and replicate his 40-goal season. He’s on track for 28 with seven games missed due to injury, which is actually above his career average. Now with the increasing cap on his side, he’s a younger UFA, and the Canucks are really going to need scoring support if they have designs on competing again anytime soon. Plus they currently have the cap room to re-sign him.”

The American winger has 18 goals and 35 points in 48 games played so far this season. He brings consistent top six production that many teams may be looking for in exchange for some picks or assets for before the deadline, but it will take a good offer to ship the fan favourite player out of the city.

Soucy meanwhile comes in at tenth on the list, as he suffers through a difficult year with only eight points in 54 games, sitting at -15. The 30-year-old has one season remaining on his contract worth $3 million AAV.

Seravalli says the Canucks have been eager to move him this month, but have had issues due to his full no-trade clause. Now, things are changing, he writes:

“Uninterested in leaving posthaste, Soucy decided that he wanted to take a couple weeks to try and get his game in order in Vancouver and see if he could rebound from what he admitted has been a tough year. Then the 4 Nations break hit. Soucy can see the writing on the wall and a healthy scratch on the horizon, and he wants to play. He’s a super attractive trade chip if the Canucks retain salary.”

Pettersson also continues to be a feature of the trade targets ranking, now climbing to sixth from #30 on the edition published earlier this month. The Canucks have expected him to improve his play since Miller was shipped off, but he has continued his slow production, including an invisible appearance in the 4 Nations Face-Off with Team Sweden where he registered zero points. With seven years left on a $11.6 million AAV contract, there are question marks about what he could return at that price and if the Canucks risk selling too low, but you can be certain they are looking into it nonentheless.



Get ready, hockey fans! The Daily Faceoff Deadline is happening on March 7th from 11 AM to 4 PM Eastern, and you won’t want to miss it. We’ll be LIVE, breaking down every trade and big move as it happens, with instant reactions and expert analysis from the Daily Faceoff crew. Plus, we’ve got special guests lined up throughout the show, offering exclusive insights from some of the biggest names in the game. From blockbuster trades to surprise moves, we’re covering it all. Tune in to the Daily Faceoff YouTube channel and follow Daily Faceoff socials on March 7th to catch all the action!

Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/vancou...oucy-daily-faceoffs-latest-trade-targets-list