CanucksArmy’s complete list of the Top 50 Canucks of all time

Over the past 50 days, we here at CanucksArmy have written individual profiles on the top 50 Vancouver Canucks of all time.

To put a bow on the exercise, we’ve decided to compile our entire list right here. In this article, we will include a snippet from each player’s profile. To read the full profile of any player, just tap their name in the heading!

#50 – Curt Fraser

A key cog in “The Kid Line” featuring fellow rookies Thomas Gradin and Stan Smyl, Curt Fraser’s toughness didn’t take nearly as long to develop as his scoring ability did. With 48 fights, Fraser has the eighth-most fights in Canucks franchise history, according to HockeyFights.com.

#49 – Dave Babych

Dave Babych would never put up the kind of offensive totals he was capable of earlier in his career as a Canuck, but it didn’t matter. He quickly settled into a complementary role in the Canucks’ top-four and provided veteran leadership to a club of young upstarts. He could still flash some skill every once in a while, too: to date, he’s the only Canucks defender to score a hat trick during the regular season, a feat he managed in just his second month with the team.

#48 – Martin Gelinas

Gelinas helped the Canucks not only make the playoffs but also have considerable success in the postseason. He scored five goals and four assists for nine points through 24 playoff games. However, he went cold as his production slowed down in the Stanley Cup Finals, where Gelinas tallied just one goal (Game 1) en route to Vancouver’s 4-3 series loss to the New York Rangers. Gelinas had his Game 7 cut short, as he would suffer an injury in Game 7 when Rangers defenceman Brian Leetch hip-checked the forward.

#47 – Chris Oddleifson

Oddleifson managed to make himself a versatile, useful, and respected veteran throughout the 70s. So much so that when Captain Andre Boudrias left to join the WHA in 1976/77, Oddleifson was named as his replacement. Oddleifson was the third captain in team history, and although the status only lasted a year before it was switched over to teammate Don Lever, it still leaves Oddleifson as one of only 15 individuals to hold that distinction.

#46 – Jannik Hansen

For the majority of Hansen’s career as a Canuck, he became a fan favourite for being the underdog, who beat the odds and made it. His work ethic showed on the ice, being a player who brought so much energy into the team’s middle six, which earned him roles in the top six, skating alongside the Sedin’s or with Ryan Kesler and Mason Raymond. He was always a workhorse who filled any role needed in the lineup.

#45 – Ivan Boldirev

He closed out the 1979/80 season with 16 goals and 27 points in 27 Vancouver games. His production dipped a little for 1980/81, down to 59 points in 72 games, but he rebounded in 1981/82 for 33 goals and 73 points in 78 games – and at the exact right time, too. That postseason saw the Canucks go on an improbable run to the Stanley Cup Finals, and Boldirev played a big part with eight goals and 11 points in 17 postseason games. That was the second-most goals on the team for the run, behind the nine scored by both Thomas Gradin and Stan Smyl.

#44 – Gary Smith

Everything changed for Gary Smith and the city of Vancouver in his second year with the Canucks. The Canucks decided to fully put their trust in Smith, and he did not disappoint. Having started all but 13 games in his first year in Vancouver, Smith started 72 of the 80 games in 1974-1975. His 32-24-9 record, along with his 3.04 GAA and a .895 S% with six shutouts, helped the Canucks not only advance to their first-ever playoff appearance, but also walk them right into first in the Smythe Division. Smith started the most games in the NHL that year, proving his durability and dedication to not only his craft, but the city of Vancouver. However, Smith and the Canucks were eliminated after just one win in their five playoff games.

#43 – Jacob Markstrom

Markstrom’s time in Vancouver coincided with some of the worst teams in recent memory. Most nights, the Swede was the sole reason why the Canucks stood a fighting chance in those years when the franchise found themselves in the lottery. His numbers kept getting better season after season as Vancouver’s starter, peaking in his final season as a Canuck in 2019-20. In 43 contests, Markstrom recorded a 2.75 GAA and .918 SV% to earn himself a 10th-place finish in Vezina voting.

#42 – Orland Kurtenbach

Kurtenbach was the Canucks’ second selection in the 1970 expansion draft (fourth overall) and was quickly named the franchise’s first captain. Before donning the stick-in-rink logo, he had a lengthy career as a tough, middle-six centre who was willing to protect his teammates and make life miserable for anyone who came near him. A former Canucks teammate said of Kurtenbach’s playing style, “He didn’t clutch and grab. He just dropped you when you came in.”

#41 – Harold Snepsts

Snepsts took his offensive game to new heights in the 1978-1979 season when he scored a career-high seven goals and 24 assists for 31 points in 76 games. And in the following seasons, Snepsts became the first Canucks defenceman to score on a penalty shot. During those nine years, Snepsts was recognized for his efforts and honoured as the Canucks’ best defenceman four times between 1977 and 1982. Not only was he appreciated by the team and the fan base, but Snepsts earned All-Star appearances in both the 1977 and 1982 seasons.

#40 – Darcy Rota

The 1982-83 season is when things really took off for Rota. Playing alongside Thomas Gradin and Stan Smyl, Rota led the way in goals (42) and points (81). This marked the best season of his career, playing with his hometown team. In his final season in the NHL, Rota continued to excel, earning his first-ever spot in the NHL All-Star Game, but his season was cut short due to a serious neck injury he suffered in a game against the Los Angeles Kings. Rota did manage to return in time for the playoffs, but had to undergo spinal surgery during the summer of 1984. He did attempt to return to the team the following season. However, after a few practices, he made the decision to retire at 31 years old.

#39 – Thatcher Demko

Over the last half-decade, arguably no player has meant more to the Canucks’ success than Demko. The number of victories the SoCal kid has stolen for the Canucks since 2021 is far too high to count, and his status as the third-winningest goalie in franchise history (tied with Richard Brodeur at 126) speaks for itself.

#38 – Geoff Courtnall

The Victoria native produced 61 points in 65 career playoff games for the Canucks, including 19 in 24 games on the team’s run to the 1994 Stanley Cup Final. A gritty competitor with a knack for finding loose pucks around the net, Courtnall had back-to-back seasons of 70 and 77 points in 1992-93 and 1993-94. In the first of those years, he shared the National Hockey League lead with 11 game-winning goals. Twice in his time in Vancouver, the winger scored a dozen power play goals in a season. Courtnall sits 30th among all Canucks in franchise goals and 32nd in points. But again, where his legend grows is that to this day, he is third all time in postseason goal scoring and fifth in franchise history in playoff points. When the games got tough, Geoff Courtnall found a way to elevate his performance.

#37 – Dennis Ververgaert

An offensive player since junior, Ververgaert capitalized to the best of his ability in the 1975-76 season. Staying healthy and appearing in every game, he made up for Boudrias’ waning production by scoring 37 goals, good for the second-most ever by a Canuck, and accumulating 71 points. This led the team in points and, once again, brought them back to the playoffs. They bowed out quickly in two games, but the Canucks had gone from an expansion franchise to a back-to-back playoff team.

#36 – Petri Skriko

Skriko led the team in points, scoring 38 goals and 78 points in 1985-1986. And the train didn’t stop there. Skriko would follow that breakout season with another 33 goals and 71 points in 1986-1987, and another strong season with 33 goals and 64 points in 1987-1988. The following season, the speedy winger led the team in points again and helped the Canucks make the playoffs for the first time since his rookie year. The Finn also led the team with one goal and six points in their first-round series against the Calgary Flames.

#35 – Dan Hamhuis

Hamhuis’s impact in Vancouver was immediate. Hamhuis put up 23 points in 64 games during that first 2010/11 regular season with the Canucks. More importantly, he became the team’s most reliable shutdown presence, frequently partnering with Kevin Bieksa to form the Canucks’ most effective pairing.

#34 – Doug Lidster

Doug Lidster wore the Flying V and the Skate with pride and brought that to the ice. While he would consistently put up 30-35 points, in 1986-87, he set a record that stood for 35 years. Lidster scored 12 goals, a modest amount that was the same as his previous season, and a staggering 51 assists. Those 63 points were not bested until Quinn Hughes scored 68 in the 2021-22 season.

#33 – Patrik Sundstrom

Sundstrom’s greatest accomplishment in a Canuck uniform came in just one game. One very special game. On February 29, 1984, he scored once and set up six other goals in a 9-5 win in Pittsburgh. It’s a night that has stood the test of time. More than four decades later, the six helpers and seven points both remain franchise records for a single game. Five of his assists that night were primary helpers, and he had hit the scoresheet with six helpers before scoring himself midway through the third period. After all these years, Sundstrom remains 23rd in all-time franchise scoring with 342 points in 374 games. Despite plenty of regular season success, Sundstrom appeared in just 11 playoff games with the Canucks.

#32 – Brendan Morrison

The 2002-2003 season was the peak of the West Coast Express. While Naslund and Bertuzzi led the way offensively, Morrison still had a respectable 25 goals and 46 assists for 71 points in yet another full 82-game season. These totals were good for 26th across the entire NHL, and the West Coast Express line as a whole accounted for 45% of the entire Canucks goal totals that season.

#31 – Richard Brodeur

In October of 1980, the Islanders dealt Brodeur to the Canucks for a fifth round pick. Over the next eight seasons, Brodeur would cement his legacy as one of the greatest goaltenders to ever play for the Canucks. Brodeur gained a reputation as a steady workhorse for the Canucks, starting 50+ games in six of the seven full seasons he spent with the organization, including 64 games in the 1985-86 season.

#30 – Sami Salo

Despite numerous injuries, Salo still managed to register at least 25 points in eight of his nine seasons with the hockey club. His best year was a 14-goal and 37-point campaign in just 67 games in 2006-07. Salo is fourth all-time among Canucks defenders in goal scoring and eighth all time in points. And perhaps this will come as a surprise to some, but no Canucks blueliner has scored more power play goals than the 48 Salo scored during his time with the club.

#29 – André Boudrais

During his time in Vancouver, he quickly earned the nickname “Super pest” because of his high-end skating and forechecking abilities. An immediate fan favourite, Boudrias would also be the only member of the Canucks from the team’s inaugural season to remain there for their first-ever trip to the playoffs in 1975. That season was the best of Boudrias’s career, registering 78 points, including a record 62 assists, which took over three decades to break by Henrik Sedin.

#28 – Kevin Bieksa

In 597 games as a Canuck, Bieksa established himself as not only a point-producing defenceman but a hard-nosed, tough-to-play-against sandpaper presence on the back end. A leader on and off the ice, he finished as the seventh-highest point scorer amongst Vancouver franchise defencemen with 241 points. It could’ve been more had Bieksa not dealt with a litany of injury issues earlier on in his Canuck tenure.

#27 – Don Lever

During his time in Vancouver, Lever finished with 186 goals and registered a total of 407 points. As time has marched on, Lever has maintained a spot in the top 20 in several statistical categories for the organization: games played (17th), goals (13th), assists (20th) and points (16th). Remarkably durable, Lever did not miss a single game over a four-year span from 1973 through 1977.

#26 – Bo Horvat

Horvat became a 30-goal scorer in 2021-2022, and was on an even better pace in the 2022-2023 season when he had 31 goals in 49 games. However, the Canucks found themselves at the fork in the road when they had to decide whether to re-sign Horvat to the extension he was seeking after what was a career goal-scoring pace or move on from their captain.

#25 – Brock Boeser

In 2023-24, Boeser set a new career high in goals with 40, which he followed up with a 25-goal season in a contract year. In addition to his regular season success, Boeser has been a key playoff performer for the Canucks. During the team’s 2023-24 playoff run, the star forward led the team with seven goals in 12 games, including a three-point performance in Game 3 against the Edmonton Oilers.

#24 – Dennis Kearns

Kearns racked up 46- and 55-assist campaigns in back-to-back seasons from 1975 to 1977, and did so on some truly abysmal teams. While most of the best defenders in Canucks history had the benefit of completing passes to some of the best forwards in Canucks history, Kearns racked up assists passing to a roster of Sporcle quiz answers made up of players like Rick Blight, Chris Oddleifson, and Don Lever.

#23 – Ed Jovanovski

Jovanovski arrived in Vancouver under less than ideal circumstances as the centrepiece of the infamous trade that sent Pavel Bure to South Florida. The sordid details of Bure’s departure are too numerous to list in this format, but suffice it to say that his decision to sit out the beginning of the 1998-99 season significantly affected the club’s leverage in trade talks, and the deal was widely panned at the time. Bure’s all-star status and the drama surrounding his departure served to obscure the fact that then-GM Brian Burke actually did relatively well given the situation. Jovanovski played over 200 more games with Vancouver than Bure did with the Panthers and cemented himself as the club’s top offensive defenceman over that span.

#22 – Greg Adams

Adams made an incredible first impression in Vancouver, netting four goals in his Canucks debut in October 1987 after being acquired in a trade from New Jersey. Adams is one of 11 players to share the franchise record for goals in a single game. When all was said and done, the Nelson, BC native recorded 179 goals and 369 points in 489 regular season games and added 15 goals and 34 points in the playoffs. Adams sits 16th in all-time goals and is 10th on the franchise list with 65 power play markers.

#21 – Cliff Ronning

During the Canucks 1994 run, Ronning was a solid contributor for the Canucks. Coming into the finals against the New York Rangers, Ronning had been a key offensive producer, but it wasn’t until the start of the finals that Ronning truly began to show his worth. Despite the Canucks failing to get the job done against the Rangers, Ronning was a standout player during the series. In seven games, he scored one goal and six assists, including the famous goal in Game 4 that put the Canucks up 2-0 after he finished off a Bure rebound.

#20 – JT Miller

Miller became an entirely different player essentially from the moment he slipped on a Vancouver uniform. That first season saw him post new career standards across the board of 27 goals, 45 assists, and 72 points in just 69 games. It saw the birth of the “Lotto Line” with Boeser and Pettersson. And it also saw the Canucks go on a slightly-extended three-round run through the 2020 bubble playoffs – a run that Miller completed with 18 points in 17 games.

#19 – Tony Tanti

At 20 years old, Tanti exploded for 45 goals and added 41 assists to register a career-high 86 points. Tanti scored 19 of his 45 goals on the power play, but went one better when he notched 20 goals with the man-advantage in 1987-88. Standing at 5’9” and weighing 180 pounds, Tanti wasn’t blessed with size or power, but he didn’t shy away from the high-traffic areas of the ice and used a lethal shot to score from distance.

#18 – Jyrki Lumme

Lumme was one of the Canucks’ most potent offensive defencemen to date. His wrister, coupled with shifty dekes, made him incredibly fun to watch on the back end, and that added dimension provided Vancouver with plenty of punch. He wasn’t just one-dimensional either – the Finn was more than reliable in his own end as well, a backhander that always seemed to be able to clear the zone of pressure. Lumme ended up being a key part of that Canucks team that made it to the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals, falling to the New York Rangers in seven games.

#17 – Elias Pettersson

Pettersson took his game to new heights in 2022-23, setting new career-highs in goals (39), assists (56) and points (102). These totals etched Pettersson in the Canucks record book, as he became only the sixth player in franchise history to hit the century mark in points. Pettersson was also named to the third All-Star game of his career in 2022-2023 and participated in the NHL’s hardest shot competition. Clocking in at a 103.2 MPH slapshot, Pettersson became the first Canuck in franchise history to win the contest.

#16 – Alex Burrows

Burrows’ rise to glory has been well documented, from going undrafted in the early 2000s to being named the world’s best ball hockey player in 2005. Those skills and dedication translated onto the ice, where he worked his way from the ECHL all the way to earning a contract with the Canucks in 2005. But maybe no one, not even Burrows himself, knew the heights he was going to reach.

#15 – Alexander Mogilny

A ruthless finisher, Mogilny scored 139 goals in his parts of five seasons as a Canuck. That included a 55-goal campaign in his first season in Vancouver, in 1995-96, after being acquired from Buffalo at the 1995 NHL Draft. That remains the second-highest goal total by a Canuck behind Bure, who twice scored 60 in a season. That 55-goal campaign left Mogilny third in the NHL that season behind only Mario Lemieux (69) and Jaromir Jagr (62).

#14 – Mattias Ohlund

Ohlund remained as consistent as could be over the following three seasons (2001-2002, 2002-2003 and 2003-2004), registering anywhere between 29 and 36 points. During that stretch, he set a new career-high in goals with 14 in 03-04, while averaging his consistent 25+ minutes per night in all three seasons. He was never a prolific point producer, despite quarterbacking the power play, but his reliable defensive play made him a coach’s dream, as he could be trusted in all situations.

#13 – Thomas Gradin

Gradin built off his impressive rookie season by scoring 30 goals and 45 assists for 75 points through 80 games. Once again, he was second on the team in points this time behind his linemate, Stan Smyl. The following two seasons, Gradin led the team in points, including his career-best season in 1981-82, ahead of the team’s Stanley Cup Final run. That year, he scored 37 goals and 49 assists for 86 points in 76 games. He was able to continue his high-end production into the playoffs, scoring nine goals and 10 assists through 17 playoff games.

#12 – Stan Smyl

In 1979-80, Smyl accomplished the rare feat of leading the Canucks in goals, assists, points and penalty minutes. Overall, Smyl sits fourth in franchise goals (262) and assists (411) and fifth in games played (896) and points (673). He is also third in career penalty minutes with 1556. Following his exemplary career, Smyl served as an assistant coach at the NHL level and as a head coach in the minors. He also worked in various management roles for the Canucks, and was even an interim general manager briefly in 2021.

#11 – Alex Edler

Edler’s best statistical season came in 2011-12, when he posted a career-high 49 points and earned his only All-Star nod. The Swede became a consistent fixture on the Canucks’ top pairing, an offensive defenceman who could hit hard and make opponents feel his presence at both ends of the ice.

#10 – Todd Bertuzzi

In 2001-02, the legend of Bertuzzi and the West Coast Express really began, as Markus Naslund turned in his second 40+ goal season while Bertuzzi exploded for 85 points in 72 games. The Canucks finished the season second in the Northwest Division, but fell to the Detroit Red Wings in round one. Despite that, it was clear that there was a new era of exciting hockey in Vancouver.

#9 – Kirk McLean

McLean provided a foundation that the young Canucks needed to grow into back-to-back Pacific Division winners in ’92 and ’93, and helped push them past the first round of the playoffs in both of those seasons. The 1991-92 season was statistically the best of Captain Kirk’s career, as he won a league-leading 38 games, made the NHL All-Star Game, pitched five shutouts, and finished as the runner-up for the Vezina Trophy behind Patrick Roy. But 1993-94 is the year he and the rest of that Canucks core are obviously most remembered for.

#8 – Ryan Kesler

Kesler accomplished a tremendous amount during his time in Vancouver. Not only was he a 40-goal scorer, the first Selke winner in franchise history, but his efforts in Round 2 against the Predators and the entire 2011 playoff run will be something that will forever be etched in Vancouver Canucks fans’ heads when they look back on that special team.

#7 – Markus Naslund

The 2002-03 season was the apex of Naslund’s career. Scoring 48 goals and 104 points, both were second in the NHL, and winning the Lester B. Pearson, now Ted Lindsay, Award for MVP as voted on by the players. This was the last time he would score 40 goals and his only season cresting 100 points. It was a remarkably dominant performance where he and his linemates perfectly played off each other’s strengths.

#6 – Trevor Linden

For a certain generation of fans, Trevor Linden will always be synonymous with what it means to be a Vancouver Canuck. For nearly two decades, Linden entertained fans with his signature style of hard-nosed two-way play, perhaps best exemplified by his infamous hit that sent Jeff Norton through the glass during a game against the St. Louis Blues in the 1995 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

#5 – Quinn Hughes

The organization’s first Norris Trophy winner has rewritten the Canucks record book several times over for points in a season by a defenceman. While Doug Lidster’s previous mark of 63 points stood for 35 years, Hughes has eclipsed that total in each of his past four seasons, registering a career-high 92 points in 2023-24. That stands as the 12th-best single-season point total by a Canuck. The club’s current captain, Hughes shares the career franchise mark for points by a defenceman with Alex Edler. Both have 409 and sit tied for 14th overall in all-time scoring. Hughes will work his way into the top 10 at some point midway through the 2025-26 season.

#4 – Roberto Luongo

The crowning year of Lu’s Canucks tenure was, naturally, the President’s Trophy winning 2010-11 season. Luongo’s 38 wins led the NHL, while he and backup Cory Schneider’s combined save percentages won them the William Jennings Trophy. While Luongo again proved shaky in the opening round against the Blackhawks, he was flawless when it counted in Game 7 and carried that momentum into the next two rounds against the Predators and Sharks.

#3 – Pavel Bure

Pavel Bure’s back-to-back 60-goal seasons in 1992-93 and again in 1993-94 will likely never be matched. Those stand as the two best goal-scoring seasons in franchise history, by a margin of five goals. His 110-point season established a new franchise mark and stood until Henrik Sedin eclipsed it with 112 points in 2009-10. Bure won the Calder Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year in 1992, represented the organization at four NHL All-Star games and was a massive part of the 1994 Canucks team that took the New York Rangers to seven games in the 1994 Stanley Cup Final.

#2 – Daniel Sedin

Daniel’s 393 goals still rank first in Canucks history to this day. He also leads the franchise in power play goals (138) and shots on goal (3,474). Daniel trails only his brother in games played (1,306), assists (648) and points (1,041), firmly cementing himself as one of the best Canucks of all time. Fans will always remember him when they see the number 22 in the rafters or when they visit the Hockey Hall of Fame.

#1 — Henrik Sedin

A playmaking machine, Henrik put up 50 or more assists in seven straight seasons from 2005-06 to 2011-12. He won the Art Ross and Hart Trophy in 2009-10 after he led the NHL in points with 112, and also took home the King Clancy Memorial Trophy in 2016 and 2017. That trophy is awarded to the player who best exemplifies leadership qualities on and off the ice and has made a noteworthy humanitarian contribution to his community. While both he and his brother’s on-ice impact alone certainly warrants their spots at one and two on this list, it’s everything Henrik and Daniel did off the ice and how much they meant to the city of Vancouver that makes them such no brainers for the top spots.