Canucks Prospects Report: Novotny, Cootes & Romani Shine Again

Braeden Cootes Scores Again

I think it’s safe to say that Cootes is off and running in the American Hockey League (AHL). After scoring his first in the league a week ago on the road in Colorado, he scored his first on home ice at Rogers Forum on Saturday. It was part of a seven-goal outburst against the Coachella Valley Firebirds, one where his Abbotsford Canucks walked away with a historic 7-3 win . It was a laser of a wrist shot from the right circle off a pass from Sawyer Mynio, marking his third goal in five games.

Cootes also added an assist in the Canucks’ 5-4 shootout win on Sunday, pushing his season total to three goals and six points in six games. He is now on a three-game point streak, with five points in that span and is only one point behind the rookie scoring leader Jesse Kiiskinen.

Other Standouts From Abbotsford’s Opening Weekend at Rogers Forum

• New acquisition Jacob Quillan made a solid first impression in his opening weekend in Abbotsford, posting an assist in the 7-3 win and a goal in the 5-4 shootout win. He didn’t have a point in four games with the Toronto Marlies before being included in the trade that sent Aatu Raty to the Maple Leafs.
• While not an official prospect – yet – Bennett Schimek is turning heads with how he’s started the season. Signed to a one-year AHL contract late last season, he already has five points in six games after 11 in 13 to close out 2025-26. If he keeps this up, Vancouver might come knocking with an NHL deal very soon.
• Riley Patterson also had a strong weekend, scoring his first two goals of the season.

Anthony Romani Extends Goal Streak to 3 Games

Moving away from the first-round picks, Romani, a 2024 sixth-round pick, has also gotten off to a hot start. On Saturday, he scored his fourth goal of the season against RIT, part of a three-point night, pushing his season total to four goals and seven points in three games.

It’s early, but Romani is tied for fourth in goals and eighth in points in the NCAA. He is also riding a three-game goal streak and already has two three-point games. Not bad for a guy who was drafted 162nd overall.

2026 Draft Class Tracker (Oct. 12-18)

Now that the Canucks are firmly in a rebuild, the 2026 draft class is poised to be the first of many building blocks for the new core. As such, we will keep a close eye on the nine picks new general manager Ryan Johnson and co-presidents Henrik and Daniel Sedin made in their first year at the helm. We will update this section every week throughout the season.

• Caleb Malhotra, Boston University: The Terriers continued their season on Friday and Saturday against Vermont, splitting a couple of 2-1 decisions. Malhotra didn’t record any points, but had five shots on goal and won over 50 percent of his faceoffs (10/19).
• Adam Novotny, Peterborough Petes: After his hat trick and five points on Saturday, Novotny has seven goals and 16 points in 10 games.
• Brooks Rogowski, Oshawa Generals: The Generals played a back-to-back-to-back set against the Kingston Frontenacs, Ottawa 67’s and Kitchener Rangers last week, with Rogowski notching only one assist over the three games. He is still searching for his first goal of the season, but now has seven assists in 10 games.
• Niklas Aaram-Olsen, Boston University: Aaram-Olsen posted the first stats of his freshman year on Friday, a minor penalty. He has four shots on goal in four games, but zero points.
• Dmitri Ivchenko, Omskie Yastreby: Ivchenko had another rough game this week, allowing three goals on 26 shots in a 4-1 loss against AKM-Yunior on Oct. 15. He is now 3-4-0 with a 3.50 goals-against average (GAA) and .872 save percentage (SV%).
• Yaroslav Bryzgalov, Medicine Hat Tigers: Bryzgalov went pointless in two games this week against the Regina Pats and Brandon Wheat Kings.
• Connor Davis, Univ. of North Dakota: Davis scored his first NCAA goal and assist against Bentley on Oct. 16 in a 5-0 win, then followed it up with another assist in a second-straight 5-0 win on Oct. 17. He now has three points in three games after being shut out in his first game against Bemidji State on Oct. 9.
• Lucian Bernat, Owen Sound Attack: Bernat broke his two-game point drought with an assist against the Windsor Spitfires on Oct. 16, then followed it up with another assist against the Flint Firebirds the next day. He now has four assists in seven games.
• Samuel Eriksson, Färjestad BK: Eriksson is still stuck on two points after being shut out on Friday and Saturday.

That’s all we got for the latest Canucks Prospect Report. Stay tuned as we continue to follow the prospect pool throughout the 2026-27 season.