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Danila Klimovich, Vancouver Canucks (Photo by Brett Holmes/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Canucks Prospects Report: Klimovich, Karlsson, Romani & More

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Matthew Zator | Last updated Mar 18, 2025 10:40 AM ET

It’s time for another run around the leagues, highlighting a few Vancouver Canucks prospects that have impressed over recent weeks. In this edition, we will focus on the American Hockey League (AHL), Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and ECHL where Danila Klimovich and Linus Karlsson have starred for the Abbotsford Canucks, Anthony Romani has made an impact on his new team, and Josh Bloom is making a case to get promoted back to the AHL. Let’s dive in!

Danila Klimovich, Abbotsford Canucks (AHL)

Klimovich might be the AHL’s bounceback player of the year. Last season, he only put up two goals in 24 games, all while battling inconsistency, healthy scratches, and injuries. This season has been a different story, as he already has a career-high 21 goals in 50 games, eclipsing the 17 he had in 2022-23 in 67 games. He has also gained the trust of new head coach Manny Malhotra , something he didn’t have with former bench boss Jeremy Colliton, which he says has made a huge difference in his game this season.

“When you have trust with the coach, it’s easy because I know that if I keep doing what he wants me to be doing, I am going to be getting ice time. That makes me more calm. I know now when coach sees you block a shot or win a board battle and help the team, it builds confidence [from him] to you,” said Klimovich.

“When I feel like the coach trusts me, I feel so much better. The last couple of years have been up and down. Now, I feel more consistent, but I just need to keep going because I like this. It feels good because I am working hard. I can’t be upset about anything, but I just need to stay at a steady level. The Sedins tell me that every year I just need to be more consistent and that will give me a chance.”

Klimovich has become one of the Canucks’ go-to players offensively, and is now tied for the team lead in goals after passing Jonathan Lekkerimaki on Tuesday (March 11) against the Bakersfield Condors. He has showcased his lethal wrist shot many times this season, further solidifying his nickname, the “Klim Reaper.” With his performance lately, which includes an impressive six goals in eight games and goals in all but three games in March, he should be in line for his NHL debut in no time.

Linus Karlsson, Abbotsford Canucks (AHL)

Another player on fire lately, and thus creating a formidable one-two punch in the AHL with Klimovich, is Karlsson. He, too, has been lighting up the scoresheet in March with five goals in his last five games and is now tied with Klimovich for the team lead. He just hit 20 goals for the third straight season and earned himself a one-year contract extension because of it. While he hasn’t found his footing in the NHL yet (one goal in 13 games), he has become a consistent point producer in the AHL and general manager Patrik Allvin seems to like how he fits into the organization.

“Linus has worked very hard on his development the past few seasons in Abbotsford and has also shown he can compete at the NHL level,” said Allvin. “He has good size and hands around the net, and we really like the way he competes on the ice.”

The Canucks have given Karlsson ice time in both top and bottom-six roles, playing him with the likes of Teddy Blueger (21:36) and Elias Pettersson (20:49) this season. In both instances, fellow Swede Nils Hoglander has teamed up with him on the other wing. He has seen the most success in the advanced stats category alongside Blueger and Hoglander, generating an impressive 71.8 Corsi for percentage (CF%).

With his one-year, one-way contract in tow, we will see if Karlsson rises to the occasion and solidifies a permanent spot in the lineup next season. Hopefully, he will flash more of the 20-goal form he has shown in the AHL and breakthrough as a consistent middle to top-six option, rather than just a bottom-six grinder that stays in the five to ten-goal range.

Anthony Romani, Barrie Colts (OHL)

Romani was drafted by the Canucks in the sixth round of the 2024 Draft after a breakout season where he recorded a career-high 58 goals and 111 points. He had five points in six games to start this season, but unfortunately broke his clavicle on Oct. 11 against the Erie Otters and just recently returned on Jan. 16. However, it was with a different team than he started the season with, as the North Bay Battalion traded him to the Barrie Colts on Jan. 5.

100 @OHLHockey goals for Anthony Romani #GiddyUp | @OHLHockey pic.twitter.com/LVetAiRE5N
— Barrie Colts (@OHLBarrieColts) February 27, 2025

It didn’t take long for Romani to get back to his scoring ways. In fact, it only took one game. He was held without a goal in his debut against his old team but scored in back-to-back games on Jan. 18 and 19 against the Windsor Spitfires and Niagara IceDogs respectively. Since then, he has scored 15 goals in 24 games and is near a point-per-game player for the Colts as they march toward the playoffs. Suffice it to say, that broken clavicle didn’t affect his ability to put the puck in the net.

Josh Bloom, Kalamazoo Wings (ECHL)

Finishing in the ECHL, Bloom has also been on a heater lately with seven goals in his last seven games, including a hat trick on March 7 against the Atlanta Gladiators. After bouncing between the Abbotsford Canucks and the Wings and finishing as a Memorial Cup champion with the Saginaw Spirit, he has spent most of the 2024-25 season with the Wings, where he has 15 goals and 24 points in 31 games. He has played only two games in the AHL this season, and hopefully will find his way back to Abbotsford at some point, but right now, he is helping the Wings in their pursuit of the playoffs. They are currently tied with the Bloomington Bison for fourth in the Central Division with 13 games remaining and have a crucial match on Friday against them to hopefully pull ahead and into the final playoff spot.

That’s a wrap on this edition of the Canucks Prospects Report. Stay tuned for more next week, as we will take a look at all the prospects that have a chance of competing in the playoffs this season in their respective leagues.