Penticton, BC — Day two of Vancouver Canucks training camp is officially underway from the South Okanagan Events Centre in beautiful Penticton, BC. We here at CanucksArmy are going to be bringing you everything you need to know all week long.
As you read in yesterday’s live blog, day one of camp was focused on some new systems the Canucks would like to try out. We saw drills with defencemen jumping up in the rush to serve as the triggerman, zone entries with control, the club’s defensive zone pressure tactics cranked way up, and more.
Another thing we saw was our first taste of line combinations. With a shorter camp, will the Canucks change any of these lines today? Or will we see the same-looking groups rolled out as they prepare for their first preseason game in Seattle on Sunday night? Head coach Adam Foote said the Canucks wouldn’t be making any cuts from their preseason roster in camp, so don’t expect to see junior/AHL players sent home before this year’s shorter camp concludes.
But will Jonathan Lekkerimäki still get a shot to play with Filip Chytil and Evander Kane? Chytil looked very good on day one of camp, and perhaps that trio can click with Lekkerimäki serving as a lethal shooting threat, while Kane serves as a bigger body and a legitimate scoring threat off the rush.
That group will be the second one to skate today, so keep checking back here for updates!
Day Two Schedule
Back at the @SOEC for day two!
TICKETS | https://t.co/bGW9qAVVnJ pic.twitter.com/TobxWmY3oG
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) September 19, 2025
The only change to the day two schedule from day one is that Group B will skate at 10:30 AM and Group A will go at noon. Group C — made primarily of AHL and junior players — skates first today.
A reminder of the groups:
Groups for first day of camp!pic.twitter.com/glNZrI6i2M
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) September 18, 2025
FIRST UPDATE — 10 AM: Lankinen’s late arrival
As Group B’s goalies are spilling onto the ice, there was no sign of Kevin Lankinen as Ty Young and Jiri Patera got work in with Marco Torenius. Thatcher Demko shared yesterday that Lankinen was expecting the birth of his first child “in the next couple of days”, so while it seemed like that could have been where he was, Lankinen eventually joined the group, albeit late.
SECOND UPDATE — Drills focusing on shooting off the rush
The Canucks began the day with a drill focusing on transporting the puck through the neutral zone and another where rush offence was once again the focus. Here are videos of the drills:
Group B’s line rushes were unchanged from yesterday. As a reminder:
Kane-Chytil-Lekkerimäki
Höglander-Blueger-Garland
O’Connor-Sasson-Klimovich
LaBate-Aman-Stillman
Hughes-Hronek
E. Pettersson-Alcos
Knyzhov-Mancini
Arntsen-Lee
Check out our first raw footage of the season below!
Penticton, BC – As much as he would have loved to have been a key cog in the Abbotsford Canucks final push to the Calder Cup last spring, Aatu Räty had no choice but to apply long-term thinking to his recovery from a pair of charley horse injuries suffered during the American Hockey League post-season.
The 22-year-old Finn was initially hurt in Game 2 of the second round against Coachella Valley and worked diligently to get back in the line-up four weeks later. His return, however, lasted less than a period, as Räty re-aggravated the initial injury in a May 31st game against Texas. He wasn’t seen again on the ice until he joined his teammates for their championship celebration in Charlotte on June 23rd.
Even though Räty was nearing full health for a second time, he knew he was never really an option for Manny Malhotra.
“I think I was just getting back on the ice, but I knew I wasn’t going to play again just because of the fact that if I re-injured it for a third time, obviously, I was going to miss a big part of the summer,” Räty explained after Thursday’s opening day of training camp. “I had a four week injury and I couldn’t have it be four more. So I knew when I reinjured it, I wasn’t going to play.”
While his teammates battled for the AHL title, Räty was busy putting in hours with the team’s medical staff and in the gym. As much as he wanted to suit up, the young centre’s focus and mindset shifted to the summer months to ensure that he was fully healthy and able to train like he wanted to.
Certainly the off-season was brief for everybody associated with Abbotsford because the team played into the third week of June, however Räty insists that he was able to do the work necessary to be ready to push for a job with the big league team.
“With every injury, most of your body is healthy, so I was able to do everything and I think it was five days after I got back (home to Finland) that I started my workouts, so it was done quickly,” he said. “I got a lot of training time. Missing as much time as I did, I was ready to start the off-season and get to work right away. Even though we went all the way, I still had a lot of time to get better and I definitely know I did.”
Through the first two days of camp, Räty has skated on a line with Vitali Kravtsov and Linus Karlsson. All three should be highly motivated to prove they belong on the big league roster when the team breaks camp and opens its six-game preseason on Sunday in Seattle.
Räty was one of the best news stories at training camp last season and his hard work was rewarded with a spot in the Canucks opening night line-up. So he returned to the South Okanagan armed with a blueprint that worked for him a year ago. He’s hoping to apply that strategy again this week.
“Yeah, oo the things that I did well last year and try to do them as I did,” he said. “And then, think about a couple of things I could have done better and obviously do that. Overall, I think I’m a notch better at everything, too. So that’s going to help. And it’s a big confidence boost knowing that doing my thing, I can make the team.”
With a big body and face-off acumen, Räty possesses many of the traits the Canucks can use down the middle. While injuries cost him a chance to contribute to a championship last spring, Aatu Räty did everything in his power to ensure those same injuries wouldn’t hamper his efforts to show the coaching staff he belongs in the NHL on a full-time basis. It truly was a case of short term pain for long-term gain.
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Penticton, BC – The Vancouver Canucks held their annual intra-squad scrimmage on Saturday.
Team White struck first off the stick of Kiefer Sherwood. But that was the only goal of the opening frame. When both White and Blue switched netminders, the game started to open up a bit more, as Arshdeep Bains and Vilmer Alriksson extended Team White’s lead to three. Teddy Blueger gave Team Blue some life, but it was short-lived as Brock Boeser secured the victory for Team White with an empty-netter.
Here are some takeaways from the scrimmage:
The trio got the scoring going with a nice play, where all three players made significant contributions that led to the goal.
Braeden Cootes heads into the defensive zone to support Kirill Kudryavtsev, and is right there to grab the chopped puck. Seeing Teddy Blueger coming in, Cootes dekes to his backhand and shovels the puck up the ice to Bains, to get it out of danger. The outlet pass is a bit behind Bains, but he makes a great play to spin around and get the puck a streaming Sherwood for a two-on-one with Cootes. Sawyer Mynio gets his skate in the way of the cross-ice pass, but Sherwood grabs the puck and fires it up high on Lankinen.
Team White’s second goal only happens because of Sherwood and Bains’ double team pressure on Hughes at the top of the zone. It probably helped that Hughes blew a tire and wasn’t able to fully catch up, but the two connected for their second of the game.
Their strong play continued throughout the game, with some solid forechecking and sustained pressure in the offensive zone. It’s likely not going to be a trio we see much of come the regular season, but the three came ready to play today.
Chytil centred Team Blue’s top line with Evander Kane and Jonathan Lekkerimäki, often lining up against the Canucks’ projected top line of Jake DeBrusk, Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser. While at first they were hemmed in their zone, as the game went on, Chytil got back into the groove of things.
His quickness was apparent, speeding through all three zones. But it also seemed he was a bit more cautious not to put himself in vulnerable positions. He took his short passes in the neutral zone when he could, and then used his speed to get open for a pass or a quick snap shot if the puck came his way. Chytil had a few shots on goal, including a penalty shot, but could not beat Demko or Tolopilo. He put his set of skills on display, which translated into some solid offensive zone time for his linemates.
As long as he can stay healthy this season, he’ll likely prove he can be a 2C in the NHL.
There’s just something about Räty and Canucks training camp. Last year he was the runaway standout for his offseason progression. And in this year’s scrimmage he did a bit of the same. However, it was a bit different this time. It was the little things he did defensively and the hard work and determination he showed on every shift.
On two separate occasions, Räty was trying to defend Quinn Hughes, and was able to get his stick on the puck and strip the Canucks captain. One of those instances was in the defensive zone, and led to Team White clearing the zone.
Räty carried the puck through the neutral zone, and left the puck for Linus Karlsson standing along the boards at the blueline. Räty entered with speed and had his eyes set on Filip Hronek, skating towards him and locked him up to free up more space for Karlsson. Or so you thought. With Hronek trying to shed the pressure, Räty let him and scoots right past him with his stick on the ice heading toward the net and tips the Karlsson pass on net.
We know about his faceoff ability and how that and the Canucks’ lack of depth down the middle had him pencilled in to the opening night roster, but Räty looked the part of being ready to make the full time jump.
There might not have been any Canucks prospect that had their stock plummet as much as Jonathan Lekkerimäki did after Abbotsford’s run. However, he clearly had a target to work on some areas of his game to improve, and that he did.
Listed at 5’11”, 172-pounds, Lekkerimäki needed to get focus on bulking up this offseason. While he shared with CanucksArmy he did gain some muscle, it was evident on some of his plays today. He and Marcus Pettersson raced for a puck behind the net, with both players arriving at the same time. Surprisingly, Lekkerimäki out-bodied Pettersson and came away with the puck. On the same shift, Lekkerimäki had Pettersson draping all over him, and the young(er) Swede was able to drop his shoulder and use his body to shelter the puck.
Lekkerimäki did a bit of the same when he carried the puck into the offensive zone. He was met with early pressure, but was able to fend off two defenders to find some open ice in the high slot and fire a shot on net.
The only bad things to say about Lekkerimäki’s outing today was that he didn’t do a stick twirl for his shootout attempt, and that he beat Tolopilo, but not the post.
It’s more than likely that Lekkerimäki starts the year as the No. 1 option for the Abbotsford Canucks. But with his growth over the offseason, he’s taking the right steps to becoming a regular NHLer.
Sorry to say this Canucks fans, but he needs some more time. It was always a long shot for him to make the team in his first year at the pro level, but it was evident he’s not ready.
There were multiple instances during some one-on-one drills where he was just out-bodied by other players. And that was evident in the game as well. Willander got beat in the corners a few times which led to extended offensive zone time for Team Blue. He made some solid plays with the puck, and he’s a tremendous skater, but his size might cause him too many problems to make an impact in Vancouver this season.
Assistant coach Kevin Dean shared his thoughts on the young defenceman post scrimmage:
“He’s an excellent skater, he has a good stick. I think he’s been coached well in college. I think his fundamentals are going to be good. But for him, pro hockey’s going to be a little bit different with the strength of the person he’s playing against and the structure of the game. But he’s got some really good tools.”
All of this is okay. He’s only 20 years old. All the tools are there for him to develop into a really good NHL defender, but it’s likely not going to happen in 2025-26.
Today’s scrimmage gave us the low-down on the Canucks’ goaltending depth chart. There were some questions as to who the two goaltenders Abbotsford would run with this season, and the scrimmage pretty much confirmed that for us with Nikita Tolopilo and Ty Young coming out for the second period of the scrimmage.
Tolopilo had a fantastic showing in the second period, stopping multiple scoring chances as Team Blue put it on in the second period. And by now, we’ve all heard the organization’s admiration for Young and his development thus far.
But where does this leave Jiri Patera?
We can’t fully confirm that Jiri Patera was not on the ice at all today, but we did not see him even on the second sheet of ice when players who weren’t playing in the scrimmage were out there. He was listed as a goaltender for Team Blue, but Aleksei Medvedev was listed on Team White’s roster, and he was out with the players who were not participating in the scrimmage.
Again, we could have just missed him, or maybe he was just given the day off because maybe he’s starting tomorrow’s preseason game against the Seattle Kraken. But today’s scrimmage showed that Tolopilo and Young are the next two on the depth chart behind Thatcher Demko and Kevin Lakinen.
Through the first two days of camp, the Canucks put a heavy emphasis on rush offence and an aggressive approach in the neutral and defensive zone. While it worked on some occasions, like when Bains helped support Sherwood up high to knock the stick off of Hughes and turned it into a rush goal.
However, there were two other instances of note for Team White where it led to chances going the other way.
Willander stepped up to pressure Drew O’Connor at the blueline, which opened up the ice for him to sauce the puck over to Max Sasson, who left all alone with a shot off the rush. But the one that hurt the Canucks even more was when Marcus Pettersson came out to support Tyler Myers with Conor Garland, and another saucer pass sprung Blueger in to give Team Blue their first and only goal of the game.
Like right here:
If Myers did not step up on Garland, Pettersson wouldn’t have had to cheat over to Myers’ side in case he beats him. This now leaves Höglander with a ton of ice to throw a pass to the right, knowing that Blueger is coming in with speed, win the race to the puck, and get a breakaway chance.
As you can see from these examples, this strategy is high risk, high reward. Sometimes it will pay off and heading the other way, but on another occasions, you put your goaltender in a bad spot, having to make a one-on-one save. So, we’ll see if it works and how long the Canucks roll with this strategy. But one things for sure, this will lead to the Canucks being a more high-event hockey club.
This is obviously a little silly to say, cause any hockey observers can watch a minute of Canucks hockey and see that. But in today’s scrimmage, he didn’t even look like he was trying and he was by far the best player on the ice. He can’t help it. When he has the puck on his stick and sees a little bit of open ice, Hughes is going to make the a miraculous play, even breaking the ankles of Karlsson
With training camp nearly in the books, the Canucks hit the ice one more time before their preseason opener in Seattle on Sunday night. The Canucks who will suit up for the preseason opener won’t be on the ice in Penticton. So make sure to check back on CanucksArmy for who the absentees are, and who will in game action tomorrow.
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The Vancouver Canucks fell against the Seattle Kraken by a 5-3 scoreline away from home to open their preseason. Featuring a very young Canucks team against a pretty NHL-heavy Kraken squad, the result was to be somewhat expected, and honestly not even the worst. Vancouver made this a game and made it interesting as an opening contest to the preseason.
If you haven’t been reading this series, The Statsies is a recap of the game from an advanced stats perspective. This isn’t meant to be a piece that dissects each and every thing that every player does – it just offers an alternative perspective on how to see last night’s game. This one will be a little different from the usual format, with just a few points of focus.
As always, you can find our glossary guide of advanced stats here.
After a strong training camp, Braeden Cootes found himself dressing for the first preseason game as the pivot between Arshdeep Bains and Kiefer Sherwood. The 2025 first-round pick looked solid, playing some smart positionally sound hockey against some pretty darn good competition. Primarily playing against Jordan Eberle flanked by Berkly Catton and Eduoard Sale, Cootes was able to help his line record Vancouver’s highest CF% (71.43) amongst forward lines with more than 4 minutes of TOI. Now, the xGF% wasn’t the greatest, but considering that this was the first preseason game against a much more experienced Kraken team, and it becomes a lot more understandable. Already, there’s some intriguing flashes with this kid.
A big reason why the Canucks were in the game early on was because of Nikita Tolopilo’s efforts between the pipes. The 6’6 Belarusian netminder was sharp, and Vancouver needed him to be as they were facing some hefty competition. Other than the downhill wrister that beat him gloveside, Tolopilo was nearly perfect, turning away 13 of 14 shots in half of the game to finish with a 0.928 SV%. Impressively, he turned away all 3 high-danger chances that he faced at 5v5 play, standing tall when it counted and where he needed to be. With Arturs Silovs no longer in this organization, Tolopilo is Abbotsford’s starter apparent, and he was more than living up to that billing last night.
The Kraken get some pressure in the Canucks end, but Nikita Tolopilo snags their best shot from Blake Fiddler.#Canucks #SeaKraken
: Sportsnet | NHL pic.twitter.com/8Me6VuQbID
— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) September 22, 2025
The other Belarusian in the lineup was put in an interesting spot. Danila Klimovich, Jim Benning’s 2021 second-round selection, has seen a pretty rocky road when it comes to his development as a player. Up and down seasons in Abbotsford with a non-linear progression had many already ready to write him off. But, putting together a solid 38-point campaign last year in Abby’s Calder Cup year, Klimovich found himself slotted in alongside Drew O’Connor and Teddy Blueger last night – a suspiciously bottom-6-esque unit. That line was deployed as Vancouver’s de facto first line, seeing the most ice time at 5v5 while also being the only line to finish above 50% xGF. Actually, they sat at 70.41 xGF% with a team-high 0.49 xGF. The next closest unit put up 48.80 xGF% and 0.13 xGF. It remains to be seen if Klimovich can make his case to become an NHLer this year, and at 22, there’s still runway. But wouldn’t it be nicer to see him sooner rather than later in Vancouver, if at all?
Danila Klimovich gets a good look on the late power play, but Daccord gets in the way. Kraken take a 1-0 lead into the locker room after 20 mins.#Canucks #SeaKraken
— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) September 22, 2025
Victor Mancini was basically given carte blanche as the Canucks’ top defenceman in the lineup. He played well though – the big right-handed defenceman not only found himself on the scoresheet, but made his presence felt with big hits and smart reads in the defensive zone. Mancini was leaned on a lot throughout this game, seeing the most TOI amongst all defenders and leading the d-corps in CF%. There was a lot to like about his confidence and poise on the back end, and it’ll be interesting to see where he ends up as this preseason shakes out.
As a team
CF% – 52.78% HDCF% – 50.00% xGF% – 53.46%
Considering the opposition, the Canucks didn’t play that poorly at all. They certainly were outclassed when it mattered, but there was entertaining hockey to be watched with plenty of intriguing things to monitor as the preseason continues on. Vancouver’s young players certainly caught the eye, most in good ways and others in not-so-good ways. However, that’s all part of the learning curve as the roster continues to be trimmed down.
Vancouver hosts Calgary at the Abbotsford Centre on Wednesday for their next preseason contest.
Stats provided by naturalstattrick.com
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Victor Mancini knows the uphill battle he has in front of him to crack the Vancouver Canucks‘ opening night roster. On Sunday, he showed why he might just be capable of climbing it.
When Mancini arrived in January as part of the JT Miller trade, he came with less fanfare than rumoured defenders involved, like Braden Schneider. But at 23 years old, Mancini’s role in the Canucks system has only gotten bigger and better, even taking on a bit of a leadership role after Sunday’s preseason opening 5-3 loss to the Seattle Kraken.
“It’s a tough loss, not the way you want to start the preseason. But overall [we’re] happy with how the group just stuck with it till the end, worked hard to the very final whistle, just kind of settling into the first preseason game,” Mancini said to reporters after the game. “Overall, I think there’s some good takeaways.”
Mancini was one of the Canucks that shone under the lights at Climate Pledge Arena. Playing against a Seattle team largely comprised of NHL regulars, Mancini stood out most on the blue line, providing Vancouver’s opening goal in the second period and putting together strong work in the defensive end.
Rookie Braeden Cootes provided the pass, and Mancini snapped a shot that Kraken goalie Joey Daccord couldn’t grab.
“I think it was a good start for me in the preseason,” Mancini said about his efforts. “I think I can work on my game more and kind of develop as the preseason goes on. I know that the base of my game – defending hard, moving my feet, moving pucks – that’s going to be the foundation. So I just want to continue playing to my strengths.”
When asked about his goal, Mancini gave the kind of answer coaches love to hear. “For sure it gives you confidence, but I feel like I find just as much confidence being solid on the defensive end and putting together clean shift after clean shift,” Mancini said.
That type of performance has put Mancini further into the conversation for making the Canucks roster, but he has some names to beat out to get there. With five veterans all but set in stone for Adam Foote’s lineup, and the seventh defenceman role likely going to a utility man like P-O Joseph, only one regular spot is open for a younger defencemen. Higher-touted prospects like Tom Willander, Elias Pettersson, and even Kirill Kudryavtsev are all vying to take the sixth, but Mancini’s slight age advantage and overall skillset might give him the leg up.
In Abbotsford, Mancini was one of only two defencemen to play all 24 playoff games for the eventual Calder Cup Champions. He led the blue line in goals with three that spring, and finished third in scoring among his peers with eight points. Winning a championship certainly gives him a nice feather in his cap, he still needs to take that next step in his own end, not allowing the opportunity to score overtake his defensive responsibilities.
Now fully acclimatized to the Canucks’ system, Mancini is determined to prove he can build on all those departments. “I want to show my confidence with the puck,” Mancini said. “I think getting traded and having those few months here and learning those systems, beginning to get comfortable with everything definitely adds to the confidence for sure.”
His coach certainly liked the strides he’s made, but sees the room to improve how Mancini harnesses his energy.
“He’s powerful. He came into camp in really good shape,” Adam Foote said post game. “I like the way he had the juices going, the energy — a lot of good things — but we’ll have to calm some of it down in the neutral zone. But the beauty is he’s just got the power, and he’s pushing hard.”
As far as evaluating a single preseason game performance goes, Mancini proved why he deserves the time and shifts required to earn his place in the Canucks’ regular rotation. If he shows his awareness in the defensive end across the next five games, and offers enough evidence to the coaching staff how he won’t be a liability against NHL competition, Mancini just might plant his flag on the summit.
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After a full team day off Monday, the Vancouver Canucks were back to work skating in two groups at the University of British Columbia on Tuesday. The first group of the day was the game group that will be suiting up in Abbotsford when the Canucks host Calgary on Wednesday night. Among the takeaways from the morning practice was an all-Abbotsford line of Arshdeep Bains with Max Sasson and Linus Karlsson, while Nils Höglander will get a chance to skate with Filip Chytil for a second straight preseason game.
What we saw
This was the way the first group of the day skated at UBC:
The second group featured mostly veterans along with a couple of key prospects in Braeden Cootes and Jonathan Lekkerimäki who skated on the same line with Evander Kane.
These were the second group lines on Tuesday:
A peek at the power play
Today’s practices also included special teams work for the first time in camp. Of note, in the second group of the day, Adam Foote may have tipped his hand when it comes to his thinking on the team’s first unit power play for the regular season. The coach had Quinn Hughes, Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser, Jake DeBrusk, and Evander Kane working as a grouping with Pettersson setting up on the right side boards, Boeser in the bumper, DeBrusk at the net front with Kane on the left side and Hughes manning the point.
As a nod to his strong camp, the rookie Cootes was deployed as part of the second power play unit along with Kiefer Sherwood, Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Filip Hronek and Sawyer Mynio.
In the Abbotsford game group, look for Sasson, Bains, Karlsson, Kravtsov and Mancini to form one power play unit while Chytil, Räty, Höglander, Willander and Kudryavtsev will likely make up the other.
Garland got the day off
Veteran Conor Garland was absent from Tuesday’s sessions. Foote said that Garland, who was originally slated to play on Wednesday, was battling through something minor and that if it was the season opener, the feisty forward would be good to go. But with a condensed schedule through training camp and with an eye toward the regular season, Garland was given Tuesday off and now likely will not suit up in Abbotsford.
What we heard
Adam Foote on taking a cautious approach to players like Garland dealing with minor tweaks in the preseason: “I’m a big believer this year with the condensed Olympic year, this is a process starting now that we want to make sure we do the right thing with maintenance with certain players so that we don’t get caught.”
Foote on providing some clues about what he’s thinking on the power play: “Yeah, who knows? We’ve got Garly there, too. We’ve got to see what happens. I just like once in a while at practice I think it gets everyone going. It gets guys some confidence and some touches early and it really picks up practice.”
Victor Mancini on his strong camp and his chances of making the opening night roster: “It’s all up to me. I’ve just got to enjoy the process, take it day by day, be a good guy off the ice and work as hard as you can on the ice.”
Max Sasson on heading back to Abbotsford to play a game for the first time since last June’s Calder Cup championship: “We were all talking about that before the preseason about how cool it would be to all play together in that game. Seeing the line-up come out today and me, Bainsy, Karly, Rats, Kudryatsev and Mancini — all the guys — I think we’re all really pumped to be back in the Abby Centre with a cup under our belt and hopefully a warm welcome.”
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Make absolutely no mistake about it, Tom Willander wants to start the season with the Vancouver Canucks. However, the 20-year-old rookie understands that the best place for him to begin his professional career may very well be in Abbotsford, where he’ll suit up tonight when the Canucks host the Calgary Flames in National Hockey League preseason action.
And if that’s the way the cards fall when the organization gets down to its final roster cuts, Willander understands the Canucks will be doing what’s best for the young defenceman’s development both in the short term and with an eye to a long and successful career. So he’s trying to avoid getting caught up in the numbers game and doing all he can to make those decisions difficult for the coaching staff and management.
“At the end of the day, I don’t think you can do more than your best so I always try to do that,” Willander told CanucksArmy after morning skate at the Abbotsford Centre. “Whether you play up (NHL) or down (AHL), I think those are two scenarios that are good for you. Playing pro hockey is going to be an experience; it’s going to be fun and cool. But maybe starting on the middle step (AHL), people look down on it. But I think many times I feel that people forget that it’s a good middle step to keep your game and help you get to that next level. I’ll keep doing my best and see what happens.”
The 2023 first-rounder is very much in the mix for a spot on the big league blueline through the first week of training camp and exhibition play. But he’s in tough with five of the six spots in the lineup already locked up, while Willander battles the likes of PO Joseph, Elias Pettersson and Victor Mancini for a couple of depth positions on defence.
Tonight, Willander will be paired with veteran Marcus Pettersson against the Flames and is also expected to see some power play duty on the team’s second unit. It will be the young Swede’s fourth game in a Canucks jersey after playing a pair in the prospects showcase 10 days ago and then opening the preseason in a 5-3 loss in Seattle on Sunday night.
Willander’s straight line skating already looks NHL-ready. However, at 6’1” and 180 pounds, he still has work to do to learn the nuances of using his body position to defend effectively at the professional level after two strong seasons at Boston University.
“Obviously it’s a learning curve getting into a new team and new systems and with that playing at a higher pace, too,” he explained. “The more time I spend on the ice and the more time I get to practice these scenarios, I feel like I get better every time so I definitely feel like it’s going in the right direction. I think, fundamentally, playing defence one on one when it comes to playing without the puck I think that’s my strength and using my skating to be on top of plays and escape tight situations I think that’s where I excel. But using my skills in the system and getting used to the system and getting these plays that should be in the back of my mind that you do automatically I think that’s probably where I’m the most not there yet, but the more I do it the closer I get.”
While Willander is in competition with fellow youngsters Pettersson and Mancini, he’s also forming bonds with both players. So, it presents a fascinating dynamic in which the two guys he’s battling with are two of his closest friends in camp. And Willander is choosing to think about a day where all three of them are staples on the NHL Canucks blueline rather than worry about where they each sit on the organization’s current depth chart.
“I think they’re both great guys and they’re both a lot of fun to be around, so I’m very thankful in that regard,” he said. “I also think you’ve got to be able to think longer term than that. They’re both young, very good players. I hope we can all play for a long time. I see it as less of a competition and more about teammates making each other better.”
Tom Willander will play in Abbotsford for the first time in his career tonight. He doesn’t want to get too comfortable there, though. He wants to continue to push for employment at the highest level possible, but understands that starting in the minors may be his best path to a long and prosperous NHL career.
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Welcome back to Instant Reaction, the series here at CanucksArmy where we give you our instant reaction to tonight’s Vancouver Canucks game and ask our readers to do the same in the comments section below!
Normally, we’d probably start Instant Reaction with something like: After falling to the Seattle Kraken, how will the Canucks bounce back tonight?! But it’s still preseason, which means we’re going to give you the lineups and react to each period as it happens. Which is also kind of what we do in regular season editions of Instant Reaction… Anyways, let’s do this!
Lineup
Lining up against the Flames!pic.twitter.com/IZwOc5liZY
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) September 25, 2025
First Period
This could probably go in the “takeaways from the first period” section, but it’s truly the first reaction I had watching this game: Tom Willander’s defensive zone retrievals were as good as I’ve seen them since he arrived. At camp, this seemed to be a major part of the game that he was going to have to get comfortable with after more reps at the pro level.
Willander’s big period didn’t stop there, either. After Nils Höglander drew a roughing penalty — because of course he did — Willander made some nice passes to help the Canucks gain the zone, then let go of a wrist shot that hit the post and led to a doorstep chance for Höglander to bang home.
Nils Hoglander opens the scoring in Abbotsford
pic.twitter.com/6XtdsVYaXj
— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) September 25, 2025
1-0 Canucks.
Not wanting to be out done, Victor Mancini followed up his great performance against the Kraken with another goal. Jumping up into the play perfectly, Mancini benefited from some great work along the walls and on the forecheck from Arshdeep Bains and Linus Karlsson as he buried a cross-ice feed for his second goal in as many games.
2-0 Canucks.
The Canucks picked up their second power play of the game — again it was Höglander who drew the penalty — but they didn’t manage to convert this time around.
Joseph Labate dropped the gloves for the second straight game, and I’m giving him the win on this one. Getting major Sammy Blais 2.0 vibes from Labate so far.
Some takeaways from the first period:
-Look, the Canucks won’t get to play the Flames’ road preseason roster every night, but this first period was a prime example of how Adam Foote wants the Canucks to play. The defencemen were more aggressive, they stayed on top of pucks and were absolutely overwhelming the Flames on the forecheck.
-Solid work from Nils Höglander once again in this period. Drawing both penalties and being a dog on the forecheck is the type of thing this team wants to see from him. Oh, and he scored too.
-A very solid period for Tom Willander. He looked outmatched during training camp and didn’t stand out vs. Seattle, and it almost seemed like a foregone conclusion that he’d need some seasoning in Abbotsford. While that may still be the case — we talked to Willander about the possibility just yesterday — more nights like tonight will make it a tough decision for Adam Foote and his staff to round out their defence group.
Second Period
In the second, the Flames were more ready to play. The Canucks stopped having their way with them, and Calgary started to put some pressure the other way. Thankfully, Thatcher Demko looks just as good as we thought he would.
Demko made multiple great saves in this period, perhaps none better than this one:
The Canucks found their game in the second half of the period, which is a good example of why Demko is so valuable to this team. When they don’t have their game for stretches, he’s there to bail them out until they can get it back on track.
And back on track they got it. After Linus Karlsson drew a power play for the Canucks, Filip Chytil walked in on the left wall and fired a shot far side that got through the screen of Vilmer Alriksson and past the Calgary netminder.
3-0 Canucks.
The Flames got the game’s next power play, and there they didn’t make any mistake. Joel Farabee got a shot through traffic that found its way down low where the outnumbered Canucks defencemen couldn’t beat Connor Zary.
3-1.
Nils Höglander got dinged up along the way in the second, and didn’t return to this game. Hopefully that’s nothing serious, as Höglander has turned in a strong start to his preseason.
Some more takeaways from the second:
-The Canucks recently ran through their power play units with all of their regular power play personnel. Filip Chytil wasn’t on PP1, but I wonder if that might change, and not just because he scored. Chytil’s ability to gain the zone with speed and possession might be a valuable asset for a power play that’s had it’s struggles getting set up in recent seasons.
-Thatcher. Freaking. Demko.
Third Period
Nikita Tolopilo came in to start the third period, marking the end of a successful night for Thatcher Demko.
Tolopilo picked up where he left off after a strong preseason debut in Seattle with a beautiful paddle save to keep the Canucks’ lead at two.
Aside from a big hit from Vilmer Alriksson that sent Jake Bean awkwardly into the boards, it was a rather uneventful third period.
Some more takeaways from the third:
-I like Nikita Tolopilo’s pads, but man, I really like the look of white pads with the Canucks’ uniforms.
-I cannot believe the Seattle Mariners clinched the AL West tonight. Let’s go!!!
-I really hope the Toronto Blue Jays clinch the AL East soon.
What’s your instant reaction to this game? Let us know in the comments section below!
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For the first time this season, the Vancouver Canucks skated at Rogers Arena on Thursday morning. The installation of the new black seats is about 90% complete, with just the lower rows behind one of the nets still to be converted.
What we saw
The Canucks skated in two groups, with a handful of players being asked to make a quick turnaround for the 10:30 a.m. practice after playing in Abbotsford on Wednesday night. The early group appeared to be the game group for Friday’s preseason contest against Seattle.
It looks like the stars will be on full display for the home fans against the Seattle Kraken, with Quinn Hughes, Filip Hronek, both Elias Petterssons, Brock Boeser, Jake DeBrusk, Evander Kane and rookies Tom Willander and Braeden Cootes all skating in the first group of the day.
As they did on Tuesday at UBC, the Canucks devoted part of practice to power play work. The first unit included Hughes, EP40, Boeser, DeBrusk, and Kane, while the second unit featured Hronek, Sherwood, Cootes, Lekkerimaki, and Vitali Kravtsov.
Players who dressed in Abbotsford that were back on the ice Thursday included Kravtsov, Tom Willander, Aatu Räty, Vilmer Alriksson, Kirill Kudryavtsev, MacKenzie MacEachern and Nikita Tolopilo.
Second group includes a couple of familiar faces
After missing practice on Tuesday with a minor ailment, Conor Garland returned to skate with the group on Thursday. And after being held out of group sessions through training camp in Penticton, Ty Mueller was back on the ice with his teammates for the first time.
Maintenance day for mainstays
A couple of veterans were given Thursday off after making their preseason debuts in Abbotsford on Wednesday. Thatcher Demko and Tyler Myers were both absent from practice, with the club insisting this is a case of load management for both players. And Kevin Lankinen was absent from the group sessions as the netminder became a father on Tuesday and, as such, was excused from work to spend time with his family.
Höglander on the shelf
The Canucks had no real update on Nils Höglander, who left last night’s game in the second period with a lower-body injury. Assistant coach Scott Young handled media duties on Thursday and would only say that Höglander was undergoing further medical evaluations. There is no timeline for his return to skating at this stage.
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Vancouver Canucks forward Nils Höglander will be out week-to-week with a lower-body injury, according to Canucks assistant coach Brett McLean.
Speaking to media following the Canucks’ morning skate ahead of Friday night’s preseason game against the Seattle Kraken, McLean said the following:
“He’s week-to-week with a lower body injury. We’ve said all along that competition is very high at this camp and some players have played really well to this point, so we’ll just let that competition play out. But yeah, it opens up a spot for someone here and there’s some guys that should be excited about that opportunity but obviously we want to get Höggy back as soon as we can.”
Höglander departed during the second period of the Canucks’ preseason game against the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night and did not return. Here is Höglander’s final shift of that game:
It’s a tough blow for both Höglander and the Canucks, as the 24-year-old winger was off to a good start this preseason. Höglander, who’s entering year one of a three-year contract extension with the Canucks this season, is in need of a bounce back year. After scoring 24 goals — all at even strength — in the 2023-24 season, Höglander bounced up and down the Canucks’ lineup in 2024-25, finishing the year with just eight goals and 17 assists through 72 games played.
According to Rick Dhaliwal of Donnie and Dhali — The Team, it’s a sprained ankle ailing Höglander. Höglander’s absence opens the door for a number of players to grab a roster spot, and as we wrote recently, any injury to a regular NHL forward increases the likelihood that top prospect Braeden Cootes may get to stick around when the Canucks’ regular season begins.
The Canucks’ home opener is just under two weeks away, as the Calgary Flames visit Rogers Arena on October 9th to kick off both teams’ regular seasons.
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Welcome back to Instant Reaction, the series here at CanucksArmy where we give you our instant reaction to tonight’s Vancouver Canucks game and ask our readers to do the same in the comments section below!
First Period
This game got started with some fireworks after Filip Hronek made a great read to step up and give the Canucks numbers in the Kraken zone, only to give the puck away right after.
On the next shift, the Kraken scored off a deflection play.
Seattle opens the scoring at Rogers Arena.
— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) September 27, 2025
1-0 Kraken.
With about five minutes to go in the first, the Kane-Cootes-Lekkerimäki turned in a solid shift, highlighted by Lekkerimäki hunting the puck down with a strong effort along the wall and helping to extend their time in the offensive zone.
It was a tough period for Vitali Kravtsov, who took a penalty to give the Kraken the game’s first power play. Lankinen made his best save of the period when he flashed the right pad to stop a one-timer chance as the Canucks killed off the Kravtsov penalty.
All in all, it was not a good first period from a veteran-looking Canucks group up against a much worse Kraken team that simply outworked them on multiple occasions. The Pettersson line had some decent looks though:
The top line of DeBrusk-Pettersson-Boeser showing some chemistry early on in this one.
— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) September 27, 2025
Some takeaways from the first period:
-Why does Jani Nyman look like Connor McDavid?
-Liked some things from the Pettersson line. I’ve had my doubts about what that trio will be able to do, but tonight was a solid start.
-Think I’ve seen enough of Vitali Kravtsov for now.
Second Period
At the conclusion of an Aatu Räty holding penalty, Braeden Cootes helped jumpstart a Canucks rush that ended with Filip Hronek ripping a shot off the crossbar.
Filip Hronek rips a shot off the post. Great pass by Jake DeBrusk to find the trailing defenceman.
— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) September 27, 2025
The Canucks started stacking shifts on the Kraken after this, and Evander Kane made a nice pass from below the goal line to Elias Pettersson, who couldn’t quite beat Matt Murray.
Evander Kane sets up EP40 in front but he can't beat Matt Murray
— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) September 27, 2025
Of course, that amounted to nothing because once again, Vitali Kravtsov was late to his defensive assignment, and it cost the Canucks a goal.
Seattle takes a 2-0 lead.
— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) September 27, 2025
Not to pin it all on Kravtsov — Willander was also bad on this shift — but this seems like the kind of thing that will hold him back from succeeding at the NHL level.
The Canucks got on the board after another strong shift from the Cootes line. Jonathan Lekkerimäki looked poised on yet another shift, and this time it ended in a goal… the first of the preseason for Cootes!
Braeden Cootes scores his first preseason goal with the Vancouver Canucks
— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) September 27, 2025
Nice play from Kirill Kudryavtsev on this goal as well!
In the final seconds of the period, Lekkerimäki picked off a pass at the Seattle blue line and moved in on a breakaway that Murray turned aside.
Jonathan Lekkerimaki takes advantage of a Seattle turnover but he can't beat Matt Murray
— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) September 27, 2025
Some takeaways from the second:
-Nice to see Braeden Cootes get an opportunity to kill penalties tonight.
-This is the best Jonathan Lekkerimäki has looked since camp started.
-I’m really starting to think Braeden Cootes might make this roster.
Third Period
The third period started with a bang as Elias Pettersson provided a screen for a Filip Hronek slap shot that found its way past Matt Murray to tie this game up.
2-2.
The Cootes line kept cooking, and if this were The Stanchies, we’d have six different GIFs showing you how well all three members of that line played. Cootes and Lekkerimäki played with speed and poise, and Kane was certainly a welcome presence on that line.
The Canucks got a good opportunity to get some work in for what will likely be their opening night first power play unit… and it went… relatively well! They didn’t struggle to gain the zone, snapped the puck around with speed and poise, and basically all five guys found themselves with a solid scoring opportunity. Unfortunately, none of them could convert, and the game remained tied.
The Canucks got another power play opportunity after a skirmish after the whistle, giving PP1 another chance to get some reps in before the regular season. And this time, they didn’t just look good in their process… they scored! Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson played catch before Jake DeBrusk took out the trash for his first goal of the preseason.
Jake DeBrusk scores on the power play and puts the Canucks up by one!
— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) September 27, 2025
3-2 Canucks.
Evander Kane added an empty netter to make it 4-2.
Some takeaways from the third:
-Absolutely love the snarl that Elias Pettersson (the defenceman) brings. That snow shower on Tolopilo was so dumb, and it’s nice to have defencemen eager to let the opposition know doing dumb stuff is a bad idea.
-This one was way too close, but once Kravtsov’s minutes got cut, the Canucks were more in control, as they should’ve been from the start.
What’s your instant reaction to this one? Let us know in the comments section below!
