Canucks News & Rumours: Novotny, Rogowski, Aaram-Olsen, Malhotra & Cootes

The excitement didn’t stop with Novotny. Johnson also revealed that Vancouver’s first four selections all ranked inside the team’s top 24 prospects. That means the Canucks believe they added four players with first-round grades, including second-round picks Brooks Rogowski and Niklas Aaram-Olsen.

Every team says it likes its draft class, but it’s rare to hear executives suggest they walked away with four players they viewed as first-round talents. Time will ultimately decide whether that confidence was justified, but it’s obvious Vancouver’s scouting department feels it accomplished exactly what it set out to do.

Malhotra and Cootes Take the Next Step with Team Canada

While the front office is feeling good about its draft work, two of Vancouver’s top prospects now get a chance to prove themselves on the ice. Caleb Malhotra and Braeden Cootes have both been named to Hockey Canada’s National Junior Team Summer Showcase roster.

The event serves as the first major evaluation ahead of the 2027 World Junior Championship, which begins in late December in Edmonton and Red Deer. For Canucks fans, it’s also the first chance to see Malhotra represent Canada since Vancouver selected him third overall at the 2026 NHL Draft. Malhotra arrives after a spectacular season with the Brantford Bulldogs, where he produced 29 goals and 84 points in 67 games before an outstanding playoff run.

Cootes enters camp with a little more experience after helping Canada capture bronze at the 2026 World Juniors. The 19-year-old followed that tournament with another excellent Western Hockey League (WHL) season, recording 24 goals and 63 points while earning the league’s Most Sportsmanlike Player award. Both players have realistic chances of making Canada’s final roster later this year.

What’s Next for the Canucks?

Perhaps the most encouraging part is that Vancouver’s rebuild isn’t just about the NHL roster anymore. Fans have spent plenty of time talking about Elias Pettersson, Quinn Hughes, and the moves Ryan Johnson has made this summer. But successful organizations keep adding waves of talent, and that’s exactly what the Canucks are trying to do.

Whether it’s landing a player they never expected to be available in Novotny or watching prospects like Malhotra and Cootes push for Team Canada, Vancouver continues to add reasons for optimism. None of these players have proven anything at the NHL level yet, but the foundation looks stronger today than it did a year ago. That’s the kind of progress that doesn’t always make headlines in July, but it often pays dividends when the games really start to matter.