Analyzing Victor Mancini’s path to cracking the Canucks’ NHL roster following strong preseason debut

“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.