Vancouver Canucks Prospect Check-in at the Olympic Break

Now 23 years old, Klimovich is getting dangerously close to becoming a bust prospect-wise. If he doesn’t start showing more flashes of his 2024-25 self soon, the Canucks might trade him or simply decide not to extend him a qualifying offer when he becomes a restricted free agent (RFA) in the offseason. They need all the skill they can get in the upcoming rebuild, but so far, with zero call-ups – even with the plethora of injuries to the forward group – it doesn’t seem like he is part of that plan.

Aku Koskenvuo (2021, 137th Overall)

Aku Koskenvuo turned pro this season after three years in the NCAA with Harvard and has played okay, considering the circumstances. He has bounced between the AHL and ECHL, playing nine and six games, respectively, posting a 3.20 goals-against average (GAA) and .895 save percentage (SV%) with Abbotsford and a 3.56 GAA and .898 SV% with the Kalamazoo Wings. He also posted his first AHL shutout against the San Diego Gulls on Jan. 25, making 33 saves in a 4-0 victory. He will likely spend the rest of the season in the AHL after the Olympic break, since Nikita Tolopilo will be Kevin Lankinen’s full-time backup with Thatcher Demko sidelined.

Jonathan Lekkerimaki (2022, 15th Overall)

Jonathan Lekkerimaki has bounced up and down the highway this season, showcasing his soft hands and snipe-show of a wrist shot in both the NHL and AHL. He has battled injury and inconsistency at times, but he has definitely shown flashes of the 30-goal scorer he could turn into in Vancouver.

With the Canucks entering a rebuild and likely trading veterans Evander Kane, Teddy Blueger and David Kampf, Lekkerimaki should get more opportunity to show what he can do offensively in the final two months of the season. It appears he’s too good for the AHL at this point, with 11 goals and 18 points in 18 games, but he’s still a work in progress in the NHL, so the more time he gets there, the better.

Ty Young (2022, 144th Overall)

Ty Young is having a decent sophomore season in the ECHL with the Wings, posting a 3.02 GAA and .903 SV% alongside a 7-4-1 record. The AHL, however, has been a nightmare for the former Prince George Cougar. He has gotten into seven games, but has lost all seven, with an inflated 4.75 GAA and .840 SV%.

Kirill Kudryavtsev (2022, 208th Overall)

Coming off a strong rookie season in the AHL, Kirill Kudryavtsev has battled a lot of injuries in his second campaign. However, despite playing only 28 of the team’s 48 games, he has 13 points. He was named to the AHL All-Star Classic, but had to pull out due to another injury.

Sawyer Mynio (2023, 89th Overall)

Sawyer Mynio graduated to the pro level this season after finishing his stint in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Seattle Thunderbirds and Calgary Hitmen. The solid two-way defender is having a decent rookie campaign with three goals and 13 points in 36 games — just don’t pay attention to his minus-19 plus/minus rating, as most of the roster is struggling in that department.

Ty Mueller (2023, 105th Overall)

Since making the jump to the AHL, Ty Mueller has been a pleasant surprise in the Canucks’ prospect pool. Last season, he became one of head coach Manny Malhotra’s most trusted centres and was one of the reasons why Abbotsford walked away with the Calder Cup. This season, he’s continued his solid play and is on pace to hit a career-high in goals after 12 in his rookie campaign.

Vilmer Alriksson (2023, 107th Overall)

Vilmer Alriksson is struggling a bit to match the production from his two seasons in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), but he has overall held his own so far in the AHL. He has six goals and nine points in 43 games, but still needs to work on his defensive game. While plus/minus is an imperfect stat, being a team-worst minus-28 is still a red flag, especially when you only have nine points. Apart from that, the 6-foot-6 Swede has established himself as a tough customer in the AHL, logging a career-high 64 penalty minutes, which is third-highest behind Jett Woo (76) and Joe Arntsen (78).

Ontario Hockey League

Riley Patterson (2024, 125th Overall)

The OHL is where it’s at this season for the Canucks and their prospects, as most of them are having standout campaigns. 2024 sixth-rounder Riley Patterson leads the way in that regard with 30 goals and 68 points in 45 games. He has already hit a career-high in points and just set a new mark for goals with his 30th on Thursday (Feb. 12) against the Owen Sound Attack as part of his first five-point night.

Patterson is on fire to start 2026, as well, with nine goals and 23 points since Jan. 1. Clearly, the move to Niagara is working out. He is on pace for 41 goals and 93 points, which would be the most in his hockey career (his previous highs were 35 and 73 in AAA and the Ontario Junior Hockey League, respectively).

Alexei Medvedev (2025, 47th Overall)

Alexei Medvedev, currently the Canucks’ goaltender of the future when it comes to starters, is having a tough time in his draft-plus-one year in the OHL. While the 18-year-old has played more games than his veteran counterpart and newcomer Sebastian Gatto, his stats don’t look pretty with a 3.07 GAA and .899 SV%. He has also been in net for 12 of the London Knights’ 18 losses.

Kieren Dervin (2025, 65th Overall)

Kieren Dervin was injured in the Kingston Frontenacs’ 4-3 win over the Windsor Spitfires on Dec. 12, and since returning on Jan. 16 against the Brampton Steelheads, he has three goals and eight points in nine games. He has a career-high 12 goals and 32 points in 41 games, which surprisingly leads the team, even though he has played five fewer games than Tomas Pobezal, who sits in second with 29.

Gabriel Chiarot (2025, 175th Overall)

Gabriel Chiarot started the season with the Steelheads as an alternate captain, but is now with the Kitchener Rangers in pursuit of a Memorial Cup. While he’s been relatively quiet since the trade, he recently put up his first three-point game (one goal, two assists) on Feb. 10 against the Knights and now has 19 goals and 34 points in 49 games.

Western Hockey League

Braeden Cootes (2025, 15th Overall)

Braeden Cootes is arguably the Canucks’ top prospect outside of the pro leagues, and he’s also currently the hottest in terms of production. Not to mention the most travelled, as he’s on his fourth jersey in five months after suiting up for the Canucks, Seattle Thunderbirds, Team Canada, and now the Prince Albert Raiders.

Cootes was dealt from Seattle to Prince Albert almost immediately after capturing bronze at the 2026 World Juniors, and has hit the ground running. Since that medal was put around his neck on Jan. 5, he has nine goals and 24 points in 17 games and just recently had a five-game goal streak snapped. He also has nine multipoint nights, and the opposition has kept him off the scoreboard only four times. I think it’s safe to say Prince Albert is getting their money’s worth after dealing a treasure trove to acquire him.

Parker Alcos (2024, 189th Overall)

Cootes wasn’t the only Canucks prospect dealt at the WHL trade deadline. Long-time Edmonton Oil King Parker Alcos was also on the move, packing his bags for a team closer to his hometown of Port Moody, BC. He was dealt to the Kelowna Rockets, approximately four hours from where he grew up, and so far, the trek across the Rockies seems to be working out. He already has more goals (three) in 15 games than he had with the Oil Kings (two) in 31 games. Between the two teams, the 6-foot-4 right-hander has a career-high five goals and 18 points.

NCAA

Daimon Gardner (2022, 112th Overall)

Now playing in his junior year in the NCAA, second with St. Cloud State University after his freshman year at Clarkson, Daimon Gardner has struggled to gain any sort of traction this season. He only has one goal and three points in 23 games so far, after a career-high five goals and 14 points in 32 games last season. He just recently scored his first goal on Jan. 16, and has seen his ice time drop below 10 minutes multiple times after never falling below 12 in 2024-25.

Matthew Perkins (2023, 119th Overall)

Matthew Perkins moved from Minnesota-Duluth to Northeastern this season and has two goals and three points in 20 games. He is still searching for the success he had in his freshman year at Minnesota-Duluth, where he scored six goals and 15 points in 35 games.

Aiden Celebrini (2023, 171st Overall)

Even though Aiden Celebrini is still playing on Boston University’s third pairing, he is receiving more ice time than last season. He regularly dropped below 10 minutes in 2024-25, but has only seen that once in 2025-26, and that was back in October. Since then, he’s logged between 13 and 20 minutes a night and has already matched his career-high in assists, with six.

Anthony Romani (2024, 162nd Overall)

Anthony Romani’s transition from the OHL to the NCAA has been seamless. On a strong Michigan State team, he is third in goals with 12 and fourth in points with 23. The two guys ahead of him in goals are Charlie Stramel and Porter Martone, first-round picks of the Minnesota Wild and Philadelphia Flyers, respectively. Oh yes, he was also one of his team’s best players against Gavin McKenna and Penn State on Jan. 30, notching his first NCAA hat trick as part of a four-point night. Not bad for a sixth-round pick that was drafted as an overager, right?

Wilson Bjorck (2025, 143rd Overall)

Another Canucks prospect that has made a seamless transition from a junior league to the NCAA is recent 2025 fifth-round pick Wilson Bjorck. He is having a solid freshman year at Colorado College with five goals and 12 points in 23 games after spending last season with the Djurgardens franchise in Sweden. He was also part of Sweden’s gold-medal-winning team in January, although his role was limited.

Matthew Lansing (2025, 207th Overall)

After spending last season in the United States Hockey League (USHL), Matthew Lansing chose to enroll at Quinnipiac University for 2025-26. He has eight goals and 16 points in 30 games, after 12 goals and 28 points in 67 games split between the Waterloo Black Hawks, US National Team Development Program and Fargo Force.

Europe

Basile Sansonnens (2024, 221st Overall)

Finally, we get to the only prospect residing in Europe this season: 6-foot-4 Swiss defenceman Basile Sansonnens. After trying his hand at North American hockey in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) last season, he decided to move back to a men’s league this season, joining Lausanne HC in the Swiss National League (NL). He has three assists in 38 games and was part of Team Switzerland at the World Juniors, where he had a goal and two points in five games.

2025-26 Has Been a Good Season For Canucks Prospects

The Canucks may not be a good team at the NHL level this season, but several of their prospects are making a name for themselves in their respective leagues. Late-round picks like Patterson, Romani, Dervin, Chiarot, Bjorck, and Alcos are all having career seasons, and Cootes continues to showcase his potential as a future top-six threat. While Cootes will definitely be part of the new core, it remains to be seen who will join him. If this season is any indication, we should see at least a couple more added to the history of late-round picks that have had success in a Canucks uniform.