Canucks Nikita Tolopilo: Who Is This Guy Anyway?

Every so often, a young goalie steps in, steals a couple of games, and suddenly the fanbase starts squinting a little harder. Not because he’s perfect, but because something about him looks repeatable. That’s where the Vancouver Canucks’ Nikita Tolopilo is right now. Two strong games in a row don’t make a career, but they do make you pay attention.

Tolopilo Took the Hard Road to Get Where He Is.

Tolopilo’s path hasn’t been quick or glamorous. He’s a 6-foot-6 goalie from Minsk who didn’t slide straight into the NHL pipeline the way top prospects usually do. In his early KHL seasons, he barely played — six games one year, three the next — and his numbers were exactly what you’d expect from a kid thrown into a men’s league before he was ready. His save percentages were in the high-800s, and nothing about those years hinted at an NHL future.

What changed came in Sweden. Tolopilo got real minutes with Södertälje, and you can almost see his confidence build in the stats alone. He went from a 3.27 goals-against to a 2.10 the following season, carrying a massive workload: 45 games, four shutouts, and a .924 save percentage. That’s where Vancouver started to see something worth developing, and by the spring of 2023, the Canucks signed him and brought him to North America.

Tolopilo Remains a Big, Raw Goalie Who’s Still Learning His Craft.

Since then, he’s looked like what he is — a big, raw goalie learning the pace. In the American Hockey League (AHL) with the Abbotsford Canucks, he’s been steady, not spectacular. He posted save percentages around .900 while adjusting to a league that attacks the crease in waves. But that foundation helped. When Vancouver finally gave him a chance this season, he didn’t play like someone surprised to be there.

Over the last two games, he’s looked like a guy making a case. First a shutout against Anaheim, then a 39-save night against Toronto — including a calm, patient read on Auston Matthews during a penalty shot in overtime. That’s the kind of moment that tells you something about a goalie’s heartbeat.

Tolopilo Doesn’t Fix the Canucks Bigger Problems, Still…

This doesn’t fix the Canucks’ bigger issues. They still give up too many clean looks, they still go flat for long stretches, and their young skill players are learning on the fly. But Tolopilo’s play gives them something they haven’t had much of lately: time. When your goalie holds, your team breathes.

Maybe this is just a small streak. Perhaps it’s the start of something bigger. Either way, Vancouver suddenly has a young goaltender forcing his way into the conversation — and that’s never a bad thing.