Caleb, Manny Malhotra had no idea Canucks were taking Caleb No. 3 overall in 2026 Draft

It’s officially a family affair in Vancouver, as first-year head coach Manny Malhotra will get the chance to coach his son in the NHL, as the Canucks used the No. 3 overall pick in Friday night’s NHL Draft on his son Caleb.

While it would be easy to assume that Manny would have been deeply involved in the process of the organization settling on a selection with such an important pick, Caleb clarified to reporters that his father had essentially recused himself from the process.

“He knew nothing,” Caleb said. “We both knew nothing. He wanted to be in the dark, and they made sure he was in the dark about it just so he didn’t have to worry about it. We both could just go through this draft process as a family. We were both just as clueless as anybody else.”

Reports throughout the pre-draft process suggested that the Vancouver front office, led by new general manager Ryan Johnson, were enamored with both the younger Malhotra and defenseman Chase Reid, who slid down to Seattle at the No. 7 overall pick.

In the end Johnson and the Canucks made Caleb the first center off the board in the draft, an expected outcome based upon the pre-draft consensus as well as the final mock draft from Daily Faceoff prospect analyst Steven Ellis.

Not only will Caleb get to play for his father, he’ll also get to play for one of his dad’s former teams. Manny was a fan favorite as a bottom-six center on some of the best Canuck teams in franchise history, chiefly the 2010-11 squad that made it all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final.

A face-off ace who excelled on the defensive side of the puck, Malhotra finished fifth-place in the league in Selke Trophy voting that season. Now, Caleb will get the chance to follow in his footsteps, whether he makes his NHL debut this season or takes more time to develop, as he’s committed to play at Boston University next year.